Psychedelic integration offers numerous benefits, such as enhancing lasting changes and fostering community support, while also presenting challenges like the difficulty of navigating emotions and memories post-experience. Common myths, including misconceptions about the linearity of the healing process, are debunked, and helpful tips emphasize the importance of expectation management and finding the right support modalities tailored to individual needs.
Key Takeaways
- Why Integration Is Important: The majority of benefits from psychedelic experiences come from the integration phase, making it essential to process and apply the insights gained from psychedelic experiences to daily life for lasting change.
- Diverse Modalities: There are numerous ways to approach integration, including journaling, art, therapy, and community support, but it’s also more nuanced, leaving room for personalization and allowing individuals to find methods that resonate with them.
- Myths and Realities: Common misconceptions about psychedelic integration include a finite time window for success and equating it solely with talk therapy. In actuality, integration is a non-linear, holistic process involving mind, body, and spirit.
- Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.
Having a therapeutic psychedelic experience can be life changing in itself, but how can you productively embed these newfound insights into your everyday life?
Today we are taking a moment to break down psychedelic integration, sharing tangible and actionable pathways to take your healing journey to the next level. Our discussion will share the nuances of the process and how important it is to intentionally integrate your psychedelic experiences.
Used properly and respectfully, psychedelics are like a key to the door of our psyche. As such, they can be used to navigate who we are, how we think, and what we feel. Psychedelic experiences shouldn’t be taken lightly—nor should the potential benefits they may have on our lives.
There are many questions that arise both before and after an encounter with psychedelics. Support in the form of psychedelic integration can help you get to the bottom of these questions and reveal how you can use them to turn newfound knowledge and insights into long-term change.
Join us for this deep dive into the world of psychedelic integration as we explore the good and the bad, tips and tricks, and everything in between. We love hearing from the community, so we finish off by answering a question from our monthly open public forum Q&A on psychedelics and SSRIs.
This article is inspired by our insightful podcast episode hosted by Psychedelic Passage co-founder, Jimmy Nguyen, which you can listen to on all streaming platforms.
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What is Psychedelic Integration?
“Shining a light on the content that needs to be processed, negotiated, revealed, and understood.”
Let’s set the stage: You’ve just had a psychedelic experience. It may have been the most profound experience you’ve ever had. It may be the most challenging. Maybe it was mystically oriented, maybe it was chock full of deep life content; sorrow, grief, trauma.
As a result, you’re a different person. You’ve changed, but you may not even know how. The experience itself was powerful, but you show up to work on Monday realizing you have no idea what to do with the experience you just had.
So what do you do with this perspective shift, and how do you integrate it into your daily life?
While the experience might unveil these important aspects of the psyche, it would be limiting to think the psychedelic experience alone can create sustainable life changes.
If you’ve read Michael Pollan’s How To Change Your Mind, you know that psychedelic experiences are often “ineffable”, hard to explain or define.
Our cofounder, Jimmy Nguyen believes that the power of psychedelic integration lies in turning the ineffable into something inextinguishable.
It means being able to take the sights, sounds, feelings, epiphanies, and realizations you had during the experience and turn them into lessons that you can implement to create long-lasting and meaningful changes in your life.
When discussing the psychedelic healing process, he breaks down where the most work and benefit happens: 10% of the work and benefits are in the preparation phase, 20% is in the actual psychedelic experience itself, with 70% of the work and benefits happening in the integration phase.
It’s very popular for people to report that they feel like they’ve resolved a lot of issues in their lives after a meaningful psychedelic experience, only to report that they’ve returned back to baseline a few months later.
The primary reason for this is that without integration, the experience fades. Integration is about cementing the experience into your life for lasting impact and benefits.
Forms of Integration
There are many, many ways to integrate a psychedelic experience into your everyday life, and specialists for all of the various forms.
You can approach integration solo, with loved ones or friends, or a facilitator/integration specialist. There’s even psychedelic-friendly talk therapists, and in person or online sharing circles/integration groups.
Bathje et la. (2022) analyzed the literature on psychedelic integration and found over 100 different integration practices spanning 14 different themes.
The list included a wide range of activities from clinical psychotherapy and IFS to painting, meditating, and journaling, and even more nuanced practices like simply “bringing beauty into the world”.
Maybe integration for you looks like something no one has thought of before, but maybe it’s exactly what you needed at that moment. There’s really no right or wrong way to do it, and that’s what can be so liberating about the process.
Recommended Reading: The Different Types of Psychedelic Integration
We believe that one of the best ways to tackle integration is with the person that held the space for you during the psychedelic experience, typically a facilitator, guide or trip sitter.
Their familiarity with your experience can help integration be that more fruitful, but don’t be afraid to build a team of people to help you explore your content through different modalities and perspectives.
The Benefits & Challenges of Psychedelic Integration
The Benefits
Participating in some form of integration after a psychedelic experience greatly increases the chance for long-lasting benefits.
It’s natural for humans to want to share their experiences. Sharing your experience adds a layer of tangibility and accountability to your healing journey.
Not only are you able to express yourself, you’re creating a record of the experience, like plotting a point on a map that you can always return to.
It’s in sharing that we find support and validation, whether it’s personal or professional. It gives you the freedom to express and articulate your experience beyond your memory.
It’s believed that the reason indigenous cultures don’t have formal integration is because their psychedelic use is already built into the very fabric of the community, so integration naturally occurs (Aixala, 2017).
A major benefit of intentional psychedelic use is that it can reveal areas that need healing. This can be very helpful for those of us who feel stuck in their healing process and are eager to make a big shift in their healing.
The Challenges
Integration can be a challenging experience in itself, leaving some people eager to skip this important step on their healing journey.
Some research might lead people to have the false impression that all the work is done in that altered state of consciousness, when the brain’s neuroplasticity is at its peak.
The initial post-experience “afterglow” could also lead people to believe they don’t need integration.
Sometimes, the emotions and memories that surfaced during the psychedelic experience are difficult to navigate and may set off your “internal alarm system,” causing you to shy away from integrating them into your life.
Like most psychotherapy theories, it is believed that ongoing support and processing is needed for a lasting change.
Even if you do spend an earnest effort integrating your insights back into your life, you may feel the benefits diminish after a few months. To negate this, you can routinely revisit your experience via activities like meditation.
Things like meditation, revisiting a journal if you kept one, or looking at artwork you may have made during integration can help you reconnect with the benefits you originally felt.
Common Myths About Psychedelic Integration
One myth about integration is that there’s a finite window of time for it to be successful. Interestingly, the same timeline is given for neuroplasticity, both having a timeline of 1-3 weeks post-psychedelic experience.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. In our line of work, we see clients able to have an experience, tuck it away, and come back to it months later still able to reap the benefits of integration.
The potential harm of this myth is that it puts pressure and a time limit on your healing journey. Then it can turn into an excuse not to “do the work” because you “missed the window”.
“I think that we as a society love conditionality. If you don’t do it this way, then you are not going to get the benefits or the reward.”
Healing is not that straightforward, and keeping this in mind can free you from falling into the myth that there’s a right or wrong way or time to do it.
The next common myth to dispel is that psychedelic integration is talk therapy. While talk therapy can be a component of integration, integration is actually a wide and far-reaching umbrella term for many different ways to process your experience (Bathje et al., 2022).
The third myth we wish to debunk is that psychedelic integration is solely a mental exercise. It’s common for people to come out of a psychedelic experience feeling a need to “solve the puzzle”, inadvertently over-analyzing and over-intellectualizing the process.
Remember, these experiences are “ineffable”, sometimes we can’t even find the world to describe them.
Psychedelic integration is a concept that involves your entire being: mind, body and spirit. It’s about aligning and literally “integrating” all of the different parts of ourselves.
The last myth we want to clear the air about is that integration and healing is a linear process. As your brain tries to “solve the puzzle” you might find yourself treating it like a checklist, “okay that’s healed, what’s next?”
Being the dynamic humans that we are, it’s no surprise that our healing journeys are also quite dynamic.
Sometimes we forget the lesson we learned, only to have the opportunity to revisit them months or years later, possibly with new insights.
Fostering this approach to psychedelic integration allows you to have healthy enough expectation management and acceptance for wherever your healing journey takes you, and being open to a unique style that fits you.
Helpful Tips For Psychedelic Integration
Don’t Rush It
You may find yourself wanting to dive into integration directly after your psychedelic experience, but we have a few reasons why we believe you should wait.
While you’re in an altered state of consciousness, the potential for neuroplasticity goes up as it inhibits the default mode network. Many studies using various psychedelics report DMN modulation and increased global brain connectivity (Gattuso et al., 2022).
The default mode network (DMN) is like a track our brains run on. It’s the place our mind wanders to when we daydream or go on “autopilot”. This network helps us make sense of what is around us, constantly filtering information in our life experiences and determining what’s important.
Sometimes, our default mode network can get dysregulated and hijack our thinking, causing us to ruminate on the past or future possibilities.
Disruptions in the DMN are associated with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD and ADHD. However, when working properly, our DMN can be a great tool in introspection and analysis.
As the effects of the psychedelic experience begin to wear off, people find themselves in an in-between state where you’re returning to a normal state of consciousness while still feeling some residual effects of being in an altered state of consciousness.
The reason for waiting to try integration, especially if you’ve suffered from rumination, is to avoid kickstarting your DMN and to let neuroplasticity sink in.
“If preparation is the doing, meaning there’s things to do to move into a psychedelic experience, and in ceremony, we emphasize being, just to be, just to witness and just to experience, then integration is the shifting into being and doing simultaneously.”
Another reason not to rush into integration is because integration is a merging of your psychedelic experience and your everyday life, so it can be helpful to let life unfold a bit in between the experience and integration.
It allows you to look at your everyday life with a fresh perspective, and in turn you can gather information you want to bring into your integration activities.
Find The Type of Support & Modalities That Fit You
If you aren’t sure what kind of support and integration modalities work for you, now is your chance to try them out! Your needs will likely fluctuate and lead you to seek out new integration methods or support over time.
Don’t be afraid to move on if you feel like one style isn’t right for you. Ultimately, the most important factor is that the people supporting you are non-judgemental, and offer a safe and comfortable space for you.
Part of choosing the right support is getting consent from those you’re seeking it from, so integration can depend on who’s available and consenting to serve in that role for you.
You may find that the moment you ask for support is the same moment that people start showing up to support you. Never underestimate the power of asking, you might be surprised who shows up.
Integration: A Lifestyle
Is the thought of psychedelic integration still daunting to you? Well, you partake in forms of integration every day.
What if integration is built into our DNA? Think about it, it’s how we’ve learned and evolved as a species. We have an experience, we learn from the experience, we share what we learned with our community or loved ones, and then we get to collectively learn from that experience and progress in our human evolution.
Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine an important, meaningful, or positive experience you have had in your life. The act of reflecting on that experience and remembering what it felt like and how your perception of it changes over time; that’s integration.
Think back to different periods of your life and realize how different your relationships, circumstances, or you yourself are. That’s integration.
Think of a challenging time or aspect of your life that you’ve been avoiding and gain the courage to face it. That’s integration.
Or, maybe something important and positive happens to you and you want to share it with a loved one or a friend so that they can celebrate it with you. That is integration too!
You already have the tools you need to do psychedelic integration, it’s now your choice whether you want to follow through with it or not, and having the power to choose offers a beautiful opportunity to step into your best self, and feel the fulfillment you deserve.
Question From The Community
“I’ve been drawn to microdosing therapy for a while now. My concern is that I take meds, SSRI, for anxiety and depression. I hear that is not a good combination, so this makes me very cautious to even start.”
Disclaimer: We are not licensed therapists, counselors, or medical professionals. We are not spiritual guides or scientists. We are a harm reduction company. Please use your discretion and consult a medical professional to ensure our services meet your needs.
Any information received through our services should be considered for educational purposes and not be misconstrued as medical or legal advice.
SSRI & Psychedelics: Trends & Research Over The Years
SSRIs and psychedelics have been a long-discussed topic that is constantly being revisited as research and interest grows.
What we know about the intersection of SSRIs and psychedelics has actually grown tremendously, and we’ve seen quite a shift in how we treat combining them.
One thing we’ve learned is that the relationship varies depending on the substance.
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) pose potential medical contraindications to SSRIs or antidepressants, including serotonergic (SNRIs) and tricyclic (TCAs) medications. Combining
- Serotonergic psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, DMT, MDMA) work on the same mechanism as serotonergic SSRIs and psychotropic medications, resulting in dampened effects or negating the psychedelic effects altogether if combined.
- We are now finding that working with psilocybin gives people a lot of freedom of choice on whether to taper or come off of their medication.
Recommended Reading: Interaction & Taper Guide: Psilocybin Mushrooms, SSRIs, and Antidepressants
“It’s your choice on what to do with your body, what medications to take and not take. Some people may feel it is worth it, like they’ve been wanting to get off of their medications already and so preparing to microdose or macrodose is a great reason to do so. For some other folks, they’re like, ‘I actually find some benefit to taking my existing medication.’ And you have your right to do that, so more power to you.”
To know how your body and mind will react to psychedelics while on various forms of medication, it’s important to research the specific interaction that pertains to you.
Dr. John Moos, MD at Soul Surgeon and Dr. Ben Malcom, PharmD at Spirit Pharmacist have been taking the lead and advising people on medications and interactions.
We actually partnered with Dr. Moos for a deep dive into this topic, creating a free 59-page, peer-reviewed PDF to help you make informed decisions about medical interactions and tapering.
Our cofounder, Jimmy Nguyen, also interviewed Dr. Malcolm to hear his thoughts on psychedelics, antidepressants, and tapering.
We know how popular this topic is as more and more people learn about intentional psychedelic healing, which is why we’ve created so many resources to help individuals make informed decisions about their health and healing journey.
Diversifying Your Healing Journey
We are so happy you’ve found us. Whether you’re psychedelic-curious, actively on your healing journey, or looking back at how far you’ve come, our aim as your ally is to have a plethora of resources available should you want or need them.
- You Are Not Alone Unless You Want To Be: Find like minded individuals who can support you during your healing journey, or get safety tips for tripping alone.
- Dosage Decisions: Everyone’s healing journey looks different, explore whether microdosing or macrodosing is best for you.
- Nothing Can Replace Self-Love: Self-love isn’t just about caring for your physical needs, it’s something that everyone struggles with, but everyone deserves.
- Privilege, Accessibility & Ethical Responsibility: See for yourself how living your truth can mean many different things, but that there are parallels hidden in each unique story where we can all find common ground.
- Support Comes In Many Shapes & Sizes: The ins and outs of psychedelic support are dynamic and often work in tandem with the person it’s geared towards, learn what it truly means to “hold space” for someone.
- Ever-Evolving, Always Growing: Not all change is bad, right? Right…but, how?
- Find The Value in Anecdotes: Still not sure what you’re getting yourself into? Check out other’s stories to get a better idea on how magic mushrooms make you feel.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the primary goal of psychedelic integration?
The primary goal of psychedelic integration is to transform the profound insights and experiences gained during a psychedelic experience into meaningful lessons that can create long-lasting changes in daily life.
Integration helps individuals process and incorporate their experiences, ensuring that the benefits extend beyond the initial experience.
2. Why is integration considered more important than the actual psychedelic experience itself?
In our work as facilitators, we see 70% of the benefits and work from psychedelic healing occur during the integration phase, whereas only 20% happens during the psychedelic experience.
This underscores that while the experience can be transformative, it is the subsequent integration that helps solidify those insights into tangible changes in one’s life.
3. What are some effective ways to approach integration?
Integration can be approached in numerous ways, including solo reflection, discussions with loved ones, working with integration specialists or facilitators, participating in support groups, and utilizing various creative practices like journaling, painting, or meditating.
The key is to find modalities that resonate with you personally. If you aren’t sure what those would be, it’s no big deal. Trying out different forms of integration could be an important part of the process for you. Remember, healing isn’t linear and doesn’t have a time limit, so there’s no need to rush to these things.
4. Are there specific challenges associated with psychedelic integration?
Yes, integration can be challenging. Some individuals may feel overwhelmed by the emotions or insights that arise from their experiences and might shy away from fully integrating them.
Others may mistakenly believe that the work is done in the altered state, leading to diminished benefits over time. Continuous support and revisiting insights through various activities can help counteract these challenges.
5. Can I integrate my psychedelic experiences without professional guidance?
Yes, many people engage in self-integration through reflection and personal practices. However, seeking support, whether from a facilitator, trusted friends, or community groups can enhance the process.
It’s essential to choose a non-judgmental environment where you feel safe to explore your experiences. Ultimately, integration is a personal journey, and what works best will vary for each individual.
References
Aixala, M. (2017, December 5). Developing Integration of Visionary Experiences: A Future Without Integration. Chacruna.net. https://chacruna.net/developing-integration-visionary/
Bathje, G. J., Majeski, E., & Kudowor, M. (2022). Psychedelic integration: An analysis of the concept and its practice. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.824077
de Vos, C. M. H., Mason, N. L., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2021). Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review Unraveling the Biological Underpinnings of Psychedelics. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(12). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.724606
Gattuso, J. J., Perkins, D., Ruffell, S., Lawrence, A. J., Hoyer, D., Jacobson, L. H., Timmermann, C., Castle, D., Rossell, S. L., Downey, L. A., Pagni, B. A., Galvão-Coelho, N. L., Nutt, D., & Sarris, J. (2022). Default Mode Network Modulation by Psychedelics: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyac074
