Integrating Psychedelic Journeys

Integration is about returning towards a state of balance, harmony, wholeness or health. It is a process of transforming insights into traits.

Various approaches to intentional engagement with psychedelics involve explicit and implicit, deliberate and passive forms of integration which facilitate healing and long-lasting transformation by deepening insights from the journey. Integration in and through community is very important, while contemplation and connection to ourselves, nature and others through creativity forms the basis of integration.

To know but not to do is not to know.

— Confucius

Support Systems

Support systems are a central part of safe and effective psychedelic use. Support systems are integration and preparation practices.

Ultimately, integration is preparation and preparation is integration - towards wholeness.

A support system is personally meaningful and ongoing. It provides a foundation from which you integrate and prepare for the experience.

A support system will play an important role at every stage of a psychedelic journey: the preparation, the navigation and the integration. A support system may involve a therapist, a shaman, a religious traditions, a local psychedelic community, or an ongoing personal practice such as meditation or journaling.

For various reasons, few people have access to the professional or culturally sanctioned support systems which safe and effective psychedelic journeys require. Fortunately, personal practices such as meditation or journaling are accessible and effective support systems for safe and sacred journeys.

Integration Practices

The potential of a psychedelic journey lies not only in the depth of the experience, but more so in its integration. Broadly, integration is the exploring, nurturing, processing, and ultimately, embodying of insights had during and after the psychedelic experience. It is to concretize the abstract. It is to make oneself whole through various practices which contribute to our healing and growth.

Integration requires action. It is crucial to put insights from the experience into action in daily living. This is the best way of retaining the new insights. Expressing newly found energy into new modes of functioning is of primary importance.

Integration is a lifelong process and task.

Integration is deliberate, but also passive. It is a continuous process. It is the soil on which psychedelic experiences take root and flourish from. Without the soil of deliberate integration, the transformative potential of a psychedelic experience may fade away over time. Setting up the soil through integration requires sober and sustained effort, which will sow the seeds of personal transformation by deepening and evolving the insights illuminated through psychedelic experience.

Integration will require intentionally cultivating new habits of perception and behaviour through practices inspired by and aligned with the insights of your psychedelic experiences.

In scientific studies, personal transformations are in large part the result of a support system such as a group of professional therapists. This kind of delicate relationship involves a person taking a psychedelic in the presence of and with the long-term support of a specially trained individual.

In psychedelic using traditions, the psychedelic practice is a central part of the community culture, and thus the integration and preparation involves everyone within the community. These cultures inspire personal and collective healing and change through support systems embedded within their traditional way of life. In this way, an individual’s healing and transformation is continually supported by and in a reciprocal relationship with their greater community.

There is a grace period following profound psychedelic experiences when personal transformation can be made more easily.

As a result of increased neuroplasticity and psychological flexibility after a psychedelic experience, you may feel infused with the wonder and awe of new information, and without the weight of unfavourable mental and physical patterns of behaviour, you may more readily and consciously fuel personal change.

Principles which are to be followed for the most effective integration include openness and curiosity towards the psychedelic experience, recognition of their potential value for healing and growth, and respect for the spiritual and transpersonal experiences that may have occurred during the journey.

Each psychedelic experience is unique, and thus psychedelic integration can take many forms. Here’s a list of commonly focused areas of integration:

  • Examining meaning of visual and somatic experiences that arose.

  • Exploring the emotional impact of the psychedelic experience.

  • Contextualizing the “story” or meaning of the journey.

  • Grounding insights into meaningful behaviour change.

  • Understanding a “bad trip” or difficult experience.

  • Exploring how to live from a newly recognized truth.

  • Examining how to share your experience with others.

  • Setting intentions for further journeys based on what arose.

  • Managing cravings or desires to continue psychedelic exploration.

Integration practices alter fates by turning altered states into altered traits through the deliberate practice of new ways of being in the world. Reflecting on themes encountered during a psychedelic experience generates meaning that can change one’s attitude and behaviour. Peak experiences are transformational experiences when integration is valued as highly as the psychedelic experience.

Integration is the exploring, nurturing, processing, and embodying of insights had during and after the psychedelic experience. Integration is to make oneself whole through various practices which contribute to our healing and growth.

Integration is most effective when giving deliberate attention, effort and action towards changing internal and external patterns of behaviour based on the insights from the psychedelic experience.

Only the deliberate cultivation of new habits of consciousness and living can endow the psychedelic experience with genuine enduring significance.

— Louis Belleau

Community

As a means for reflection and feedback, open and honest communication and service to others, community is a vital part of integration.

Serving others eventually becomes a part of integration. As we heal and grow, we come to a point in our own journey where we seek to serve.

If you’re looking to join a community working with psychedelics for individual and collective healing and growth, join our online community.

Pursuing peace means rising above one's own wants, needs, and emotions.

– Benazir Bhutto

Contemplation

Contemplation allows the creation and cultivation of meaning. Philosophy and spirituality can help you understand your psychedelic experiences by providing a new to you, but ancient lens through which experiences can be explored and nurtured.

Contemplation takes many forms. Exploring different philosophies and spiritualities often comes naturally as a result of psychedelic exploration. Further, journaling is valuable to contemplation as it allows for more concrete self-reflection while generating a written record of your transformational process.

Philosophy & Spirituality

In choosing a philosophy or spirituality to learn from, do not force anything. Your experiences and insights will naturally pull you towards a particular form of philosophical or spiritual contemplation. Do what feels natural, follow your intuition, follow your heart.

Some journeyers find that their psychedelic experience deepens appreciation for the spiritual tradition they were birthed into, while others find guidance through more psychology based philosophies, such as Buddhism or integral theory.

The philosophy of Buddhism is very popular within the psychedelic community because of the emphasis it places on non-dogmatism, interconnectedness and insight through careful observation, a systematic practice of meditation.

Ancient traditions such as Hinduism are also found to be helpful by many for its emphasis on selfless compassion to all, cosmic unity, non-duality and devotional service to all of life.

It is important not to force contemplation of philosophies or spiritualities if they don’t feel natural to you. Instead, contemplate your own life and experiences while remaining open to various philosophies and spiritualities, following your heart, seeing what feels good.

In the end, it is completely up to you to decide what serves you best. And that might be a combination of different philosophies and spiritualities, or none at all.

Integral Theory

Integral theory is a modern philosophy based on integral psychology which will contribute to a better understanding of genuine healing and growth: to making oneself integral, or whole. Integral theory is divided into four fundamentals.

Waking Up

Exploring expanded consciousness through psychedelics leads to insights which serve towards increasing consciousness, and thus, waking up to how things are within and without oneself. This process can often be unpleasant as it requires becoming conscious of our repressed emotions and instincts, or, the shadow. Waking up does not necessarily entail a spiritual awakening, yet it can.

Growing Up

Waking up by expanding consciousness means increasing awareness, and thus increasing the potential capacity of consciousness. Hence, growing up means learning to accept accountability and responsibility for your life and decisions. As you continue to wake up and grow up, you learn, and perspectives expand, accelerating personal development and your ability to grow as a human being.

Cleaning Up

Waking up and growing up will necessitate a need to clean up. Through your process of healing and growth with psychedelics, which requires facing your shadow, you may feel the need to “clean up your act” in order to find harmony with your new insights. Cleaning up entails deliberately changing your patterns of behaviour to align yourself with what you’ve learned while waking up and growing up. By not cleaning up after waking up and growing up, cognitive dissonance and diminished wellbeing may ensue.

Showing Up

Waking up, growing up, and cleaning up requires showing up. Externalizing internal discoveries by applying insights towards behaviour change is a continual effort. Mastery is built through daily practice. Showing up means doing the necessary work through deliberate effort while being accountable for your transformational process. Showing up takes openness and courage in the face of fear and uncertainty. However, when you show up consistently by engaging with your support systems and personal practices, you will develop the virtues of character and levels of performance that enable personal transformation, and ultimately to collective transformation when you feel ready to show up for others.

Journaling

Journaling is a contemplative practice that can be approached in many different ways. However, all ways of journaling will require complete honesty and deliberate effort towards writing.

Journaling provides a personally written record by which experiences and insights can deepen and evolve, helping you heal, grow, and transform.

While journaling, do not ignore any aspect of your self or your psychedelic experience, no matter how ugly, painful or difficult. Every experience and insight can teach you and contribute to your journey towards healing and growth.

You will naturally begin contemplating and reflecting on the psychedelic experience soon after the effects diminish. You may continue to reflect upon the experience for days, weeks, months or years after the psychedelic experience. You may find it helpful to contemplate the experience by writing or drawing about the experience. Whatever you do, focus on recalling and describing any visions, thoughts, memories, blockages or somatic sensations you encountered.

Contemplation and self-reflection means to observe what arises in your mind and body. Dedicate some time for quiet contemplation to review what you saw, heard, realized or otherwise experienced during your psychedelic experience. An important part of contemplation is distinguishing between your observation; what your senses tell you, and your personal interpretation; what it all means.

How to Journal for Integration

To start contemplating via journaling, just start writing to yourself about what you’re thinking. To contemplate a psychedelic experience, do your best to describe whatever you can remember about the experience, including visions, sounds, feelings, sensations, emotions, thoughts, themes, stories, symbolism, metaphors, memories, insights, ideas, perspectives, problems, conflicts, breakdowns, resistance, pain, trauma, loss, suffering, intuitions and anything.

Here are questions you may consider contemplating and journaling about:

  • How do I feel now?

  • What have I realized?

  • What does my body feel now?

  • What does my mind feel now?

  • Describe the psychedelic experience: your thoughts, realizations, visions, or any other phenomena from the experience:

    • What was the visual aspect of the experience like?

    • What was the mental aspect of the experience like?

    • What was the emotional aspect of the experience like?

    • What was the spiritual aspect of the experience like?

  • Did any of my experiences contain symbols or special meanings?

  • What is the subconscious mind telling me through these experiences?

  • What have I learned from this experience?

  • How has the psychedelic experience changed my perspective?

  • What new habits will I begin to implement after the psychedelic experience ?

  • How have my relationships changed since my psychedelic experience?

Take your time to contemplate and reflect upon your experience. During your contemplation, you may realize certain visions or experiences had more significance than you initially thought. Contemplation is a process that continues long after the psychedelic experience, so you may come back to answer these questions days, weeks, months or years after the psychedelic experience.

Contemplation in any form will be invaluable to the integration process, healing and growth.

Many philosophies and spiritualities provide a context in which psychedelic experiences can be more fully contemplated, and thus integrated.

Integral theory serves as a modern and effective road map of the psychedelic integration process.

Journaling provides an unparalleled clarity for the contemplative aspect of the integration process.

Integration is about maturing glimpses of insight into cultivating new ancient ways of being present and whole.

— Louis Belleau

Connecting

As a human being, you have the capacity to feel connected to nature, others and your self through personally or spiritually meaningful interaction.

A central component of integration, and healing and growth with psychedelics, is developing a sense of connectedness to the world around us. This can be done in a multitude of ways, depending on your own preference and needs. However, all sense of connection comes from a feeling of belonging, which comes about through meaningful interaction within and outside of our selves.

Connecting to Nature

Spending more time in natural settings is shown to improve psychological health and wellbeing. Communion with our creator, nature, allows for cultivation of a sense of belonging to the cosmos.

Psychedelics often produce experiences and insights into the interconnection of all existence. This insight can be nourished and deepened by spending more time in nature, everyday. By hanging out, walking, running or simply being surrounded by trees and mountains, rivers and valleys, rocks and hills, beaches and oceans, you will organically cultivate a relationship with planet Earth and the cosmos. Be deliberate with time spent in nature. Meditate, be present to nature.

If possible, experiment with growing plants or fungi that are useful or meaningful to you. By caring for nature with your mind and body through meaningful interaction, you can cultivate a profound sense of connection to the planet, which will further help you develop a sense of connection to others and your self.

Suggestions for connecting to Nature:

  • Forest bathing

  • Sun bathing

  • Walking barefoot on the Earth

  • Swimming in natural bodies of water

  • Lying down on the bare Earth

  • Connecting to your breath while outside surrounded by Nature

Connecting to Others

Human beings are social creatures. We all need to belong. Find local and online community.

When you feel supported, you are more likely to have a positive journey, and you will more effectively integrate your experience by learning from and with others. A community is a support network, you may find accountability partners, spiritual companions, mentors, integration coaches, and friends to heal and grow with.

Connecting to Self

We all share a sense of self. Like our bodies, a self must be taken care of with careful attention and mindfulness. It is crucial to cultivate positive ways of being through personally meaningful practices.

Our sense of self is a component of our human experience that we don’t often consider outside of our selves. We stay “stuck” as ourselves and forget that beyond this sense of self, or ego, there is consciousness.

You may consider beginning a meditation practice, a creative practice, a new sport, a new hobby or whatever you feel more personally call towards doing.

Explore consciousness via movement, meditation or art to connect to your self.

Connect with nature, other people, and yourself by spending time with nature, with your community, and with personal practices will you remember what needs to be remembered as you integrate and live your life.

The brain is not a blind, reactive machine, but a complex, sensitive biocomputer that we can program. If we don't take the responsibility for programming it, then it will be programmed unwittingly or by the social environment.

— Timothy Leary

Creativity

Expressing yourself through novel ways of relating to and being with what exists is a creative process.

Integration is a creative process which requires exploring and processing experiences and insights through expressions of one’s new understanding.

Your imagination is infinite, explore it and cultivate it through personal practices that inspire you. Some practices are more creative than others, however, almost anything can be considered a form of art if done with the right intention. Writing, painting, dancing, running, yoga or cooking are all creative acts. There is no limit in expressing, embodying and integrating your psychedelic experiences and insights.

Meaning Making

Psychedelic experiences provide a truly unique opportunity to reconsider how you make meaning out of your life as a human being and beyond.

After letting the experience settle, it’s time to start unpacking its meaning. Looking back at the experience, ask yourself what they mean to you personally. How do they make you feel? What do they remind you of?

Learning to trust your intuition, your gut feeling, or your sixth sense is an important part of integration. Do you feel like you know things as clearly as if you were seeing them right in front of you? Do you have unexplained hunches or inclinations you usually brush off as unmerited? When you’re reflecting on your psychedelic experience, pay attention to this unexplainable knowledge. Keep in mind that learning to be aware, listening to, and trusting your intuition is a skill that takes time and practice to develop, especially for those who have experienced powerful traumas. If you don’t know what your intuition is saying yet, that’s okay.

The subconscious mind can remember much more about your psychedelic experience than the conscious mind. While experiencing the psychedelic, your brain formed new connections and developed new patterns. These new pathways can sometimes be too complex for conscious processing, but your brain is processing them on a subconscious level. Pay attention to these feelings, learn to listen to these feelings, and learn to trust these feelings. They are you.

As new meanings emerge over the following days, weeks, months, and even years, you’ll get to know yourself better. You may become aware of beliefs you didn’t even know you held and how they influence your behaviour. Memories from childhood may surface. As you open to your emotions, you may realize what’s truly important. If you confronted your shadow, you might discover parts of yourself you’ve repressed or forgotten, or come to terms with shameful behaviours you need to address. If you encountered spiritual consciousness, you might start asking yourself bigger questions around the nature of reality and life. You might experience a new zest for life, or a desire to change what’s not working.

More coming soon.

After ecstasy comes the laundry.

— Jack Kornfield