Psychedelic medicines such as ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA are receiving increased attention for their potential utility in treating significant mental health problems such as treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and PTSD. The biochemical nature of these medicines can help to alleviate symptoms of TRD and PTSD. These benefits are most pronounced when paired with integration.
What is Integration in the Context of Psychedelics?
When I refer to integration, I describe an ongoing process of mindfully reflecting on the psychedelic experience that promotes one’s ability to make meaningful changes in one’s life. There are many ways to engage with an integration process.
Let’s explore some integration options and why they are worth considering to maximize the gains you can experience from your psychedelic journey.
Integration Therapy
I recommend that anyone who is using psychedelics strongly consider working with a specialist who is trained in psychedelic integration therapy. Psychedelic experiences can be profound and even transformative, but they can also stir up unresolved issues or traumas that need additional therapeutic support. Integration therapy providers play an important role in helping you translate and digest the material that arises and then help you enact new behaviors, insights, or perspectives. They can help process challenging material, highlight new directions for growth, and help deepen the healing opportunities resulting from psychedelic work.
Journaling
Journaling can take many different forms. It aims to allow your brain to explore various aspects of your journey, reflect on memories or experiences that may have risen to the surface, or express complex emotional experiences in expressive language. There are several approaches to journaling, and each client should embrace a style and approach that is personal to them. Some people prefer to start with a prompt such as “How is my psychedelic work impacting my internal self-talk?” Others might find that free writing works better for them. In addition, you can always return later and re-read your journal entries. Your writings may have insightful material that are good reminders for you!
Here are some resources that expand on journaling and offer additional prompts:
https://psychedelic.support/resources/journaling-your-way-through-integration/
Creative Expression
Although journaling is one example of an expressive exercise, I also advocate that clients engage in many versions of creative expression. Visual art, music, carpentry, and even dance can all be unique ways of tapping into your internal emotional frequencies. In addition, finding verbal and non-verbal modes of expression is beneficial. Some elements of a psychedelic experience cannot be adequately described in words, and thus, it can be quite helpful to use art forms that don’t require language.
Mindful Exercise
Given the body can be a powerful barometer of internal emotional experiences, body-centered approaches are a valuable way of facilitating integration. Therefore, I often encourage clients to participate in a physical exercise program that allows them to have opportunities for mindfulness alongside the exercise. It could be as basic as mindful walking (slow walking with a heightened awareness of all layers of the experience), mindful weight training (feel the burn), or yoga (attuning to your body in space). The idea here is to have a blended combination of body movement and meditative attunement.
Connecting With Nature
For several reasons, creating time and space to connect with nature can be highly beneficial. Natural settings can be quite beautiful as well as grounding or soothing. This can lead to you feeling more connected to yourself, your environment, and other living things. Being in nature also invites opportunities for deeper reflection and introspection, fostering shifts in perspective as we connect with the vastness and interconnectedness of the natural world.
Final Thoughts
Each of these activities can be effective modes of integrating, and they often work best when used in combination with each other. Integration work is one of the most important aspects of creating lasting change, keeping in mind that the growth from psychedelics often occurs in the weeks, months, and even years following a psychedelic journey. The psychedelic journey is the first chapter. The integration journey is the rest of the book.
About the Author
Joey Tadie, PhD, LCP
Dr. Joey Tadie is a talented psychologist with a gift for connecting with people. He is trained in EMDR and psychedelic-assisted therapy. He brings his high-energy, encouraging style to his work with clients dealing with depression, relationship problems, and trauma. He has special expertise in exploring spirituality and religion in therapy.
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