Psychedelic Integration: Unlocking Personal Growth and Healing
After a psychedelic experience, you might be brimming with new insights or realizations, but figuring out how to carry them into your daily life can be challenging. That’s where psychedelic integration comes in. It’s the process of unpacking what happened during your journey—talking through the experience, exploring its deeper meaning, working through any emotional or psychological issues that surfaced, and finding concrete ways to weave these insights into your everyday routines. Whether you’ve had just one session or several, integration helps ensure those powerful moments lead to real, lasting change.
Every Integration Journey is Unique
Because everyone’s goals and histories differ, the path of psychedelic integration therapy can vary. Generally we’ll follow these steps:
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We’ll start by clarifying what you hope to gain from a psychedelic experience whether you are seeking personal or spiritual growth and development or treating more clinical symptoms of depression. We will discuss any history and relevant past use or non-ordinary states (e.g., meditation). We’ll also review your medical and mental health background and what support systems you have in place to ensure this approach is suitable. If a more clinical approach is needed, we might bring in a psychiatrist for additional evaluation. Then we’ll set intentions, manage expectations, and strengthen coping skills (like breathwork and relaxation techniques) so you’re ready for your journey.
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Psychedelic integration therapy does not include administering any substances or guiding you while under their influence. How you choose to have your journey is entirely up to you—maybe through a ketamine clinic, a ceremony with indigenous healers, a church that uses psychedelics as a sacrament, or even non-substance methods like holotropic breathwork.
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Integration is a process that unfolds slowly over time and is different for everyone. After your journey, we’ll begin to process your experience through exploring what came up for you: the themes, imagery, and insights,This open-ended approach lets you form your own understanding, and I’ll support you in reflecting on key points while caring for any lingering emotional “rawness.” Once you’ve pinpointed the most meaningful parts of your experience, we’ll connect them back to your original goals and discuss practical ways to incorporate these insights into your daily life.
When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
— Wayne Dyer
