Integration 101
You had a macrodose psychedelic journey…maybe your journey was harrowing or inexplicably beautiful, but now that the journey has ended, what happens next?
In my three decade journey with psychedelics my most vulnerable, and yet my most unexplored time was after my journey had finished. My massive journey, whether challenging or mystical, had temporarily reduced the activity in my default mode network and opened the connectivity in other parts of my brain but I still had to navigate my way in everyday reality. While I had received protocols about food and places to avoid, I did not know how to process the range of emotions that I experienced during my journey.
When I was reintroduced to sacred plant medicine in 2015, the term integration was not something that I had heard of or even incorporated as part of my post-ceremony protocol. However, in 2017 the intensity of the emotions that I experienced after my ceremony changed the way that I approached my post-ceremony practices, including the way that I integrated my sacred plant medicine journeys into my life.
My favorite definition of integration describes the practice as “...a process that includes making sense out of the [psychedelic] experience filtering the content, assimilating and accommodating the experience psychologically, and implementing insights into lasting changes” (Loizaga-Velder, A. And Pazzi, A.L.).
Integration is not simply a one-time session following a psychedelic-experience, but a practice that helps to reinforce the wholeness and connection that you may have experienced during the psychedelic journey.
Prior to your psychedelic journey beginning, one consideration is a self-inquiry for your integration after your journey. These two questions have helped me tremendously:
How do you release and surrender to uncomfortable emotions or situations?
How do you connect to your soul?
Familiarizing yourself with practices that answer your self-inquiry questions may be beneficial to you, acknowledging that each person is unique, and each person’s psychedelic journey is unique. Memorialize your answers in a way that is accessible to you after your psychedelic journey (journal, note on phone, etc.). The answers to these two questions may help your integration process.
For me, integration can be trifurcated into the time immediately after your journey, (24-48 hours); the weeks and months following your journey, or short term integration; and the years and decades after your journey, or long term integration.
Integration Immediately After your Journey
Because the insights and messages immediately after a psychedelic journey continue to unfold, the following non-exhaustive list of techniques created by facilitators at a Brazilian Ayahuasca Church and its members maybe useful to implement:
Limit use of electronics if possible. Nurture the inward connection.
Limit any communication 12-24 hours following the psychedelic experience. This includes emails, social media, and phone conversations.
Allow the body sufficient time to recover by resting, hydrating, and taking walks outside.
Depending on the type of psychedelic, protocols may be necessary to follow regarding alcohol, diet, and sexual activity. Communicate with your facilitator or practitioner about these protocols.
Journal or draw as often as possible to capture insights and messages that continue to unfold.
Practice discernment when speaking about the psychedelic experience generally, but especially during the 24-72 hours following the psychedelic experience.
Arrange for childcare/caregiver if possible.
Take one day for yourself before returning back to your profession/occupation.
Avoid scheduling lunches, meetings or other social events for a few days following your journey.
Upon your return home, try to have a meal pre-prepared for you.
Be as quiet and contemplative as your lifestyle allows.
Short Term Integration
Your emotions and physicality may vary depending on the intensity of your psychedelic journey and the answer to your first self-inquiry question may be useful for you to utilize for anchoring or grounding when overwhelming emotions arise. For me, mindfulness meditation and breathwork are good anchors. Other anchors may include spending time with your pet or a yin yoga class. Bottom line…there is no right answer. Find what works for you and use it. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, turn to your anchor and use it as a guide to help you through any moments where you feel “stuck” or overwhelmed. Rather than stifling your thoughts, acknowledge whatever arises and remind yourself that thoughts ebb and flow. Surrender and be open to receive insights that you may receive during this time.
While it is common to experience a range of emotions, experiencing the following persistent symptoms : “(1) sleep disturbance for several weeks or months following an experience, (2) paranoid or delusional thoughts recurring for days or weeks after an experience, (3) thoughts of harming yourself or others, and (4) sustained manic behavior, depression, or anxiety” (Rivers, J.) If one or more of these symptoms persist, the practitioner should encourage the participant to consult a psychologist or a psychiatrist, especially one who has experience in psychedelic assisted therapy.
Long Term Integration
The profundity of a psychedelic experience often stays with you years, and sometimes decades, after your initial journey. Time and discernment can continue to impart different insights about your experience; your ability to record and assimilate these insights into your life can assist you in your daily spiritual, therapeutic, and wellness practice.
To assist in your insight “unfoldment”, determine if there is an activity or practice that brings you peace and alignment. Alignment is personal and unique to you. While my alignment is rooted in a mindfulness and contemplative practice, your alignment maybe swimming, painting, or surfing, etc. Amidst your alignment activity, you may find yourself experiencing the same connectedness or wholeness that was present during your psychedelic experience. When possible, record these insights, and consider how to incorporate them into your day to day life. This could be as simple as bird watching or a walk on the beach, or it could be or civic service or learning to play an instrument.
Remember and honor the sacredness of your experience and be compassionate and patient with yourself. Gift yourself the time and space that you need. I wish you peace and ease in your integration process.
Sources:
Loizaga-Velder, A., and Pazzi, A. L. (2014). “Therapist and patient perspectives on ayahuasca-assisted treatment for substance dependence,” in Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca, eds B. Labate and C. Cavnar (Berlin: Springer). 133–152. doi: 10.1007/ 978- 3- 642- 40426- 9_8.
Rivers, J., Ayahuasca Wisdom (Quantum Books, 2020).