What is Psychedelic Integration?
Integration is the conscious mindful practice of integrating lessons, insights, virtues, and wisdom into a purpose-driven life. It is a process of accepting the personal responsibility to heal, to improve oneself and to come into one’s truth and applying that into each decision. Think of psychedelic integration first as the process of receiving, unpacking and processing each experience, and then setting goals and establishing practices to work towards these goals. We do this to maximize benefits from each psychedelic experience by taking any insights gained and implementing them into our daily lives to facilitate lasting transformation.
Why is Psychedelic Integration important?
With all the powerful insights that psychedelic medicine can offer, they are not “magic pills;” the work is often not easy or straightforward. Working with the experiences and fully integrating them afterwards takes real effort. A psychedelic experience will often present you with the full range of the human experience, and all of these different states of being are a part of you. Integration process afterwards is about bringing all these parts into one whole.
The period following the psychedelic experience, no matter how big or small, presents an opportune moment for you to learn, grow and mature to a higher level. Your brain will be in a neuroplasticity state and that's the doorway to integrate new habits and behaviors, new pathways of thinking and feeling, for lasting change.
Visual to show increase connections in the brain under psychedelics:
These experiences can be incredibly powerful and transformative, but without integration, they eventually become nothing more than distant memories. In order to make the most of treatments, emphasis needs to be placed on the integration process.
How does Integration work?
Integration is a process of integrating what you know with what you are learning through your psychedelic experience. You are not solely transcending the former parts of yourself. You are transcending and including the parts of your past and current self that are true to you. You are reintegrating all the aspects of yourself that have previously been lost, in order to be whole. Integration is the process of refining your true self.
For true and complete integration we focus on the holistic approach, that includes the physical, energy and mental layers of your being. When developing an integration process for yourself, consider incorporating a variety of practices that will help support integration on every level.
Physical integration:
Get set up for a full-body detox
Hydrate properly through electrolytes
Eat plant based foods, green foods, exotic grains, nuts/seeds, omega fatty oils
Avoid processed foods, sugary foods, fast foods, excessive dairy, and fried foods
Exercise regularly moving at your own pace
Stretch your body often to improve flexibility and squeeze out toxins
Start a mind-body cultivating practice (yoga, martial arts, dance)
Get on a regular sleeping routine, early to bed and early to rise is best
Enhance your brain through minerals/vitamins, brain training/ stimulation
Get medical check ups and tend to eye, ear, dental, skin, and organ care
Energy Integration:
Monitor your words and attitude closely, words carry energy, declarations are powerful
Eliminate negativity, gossip, drama, cussing, harsh tones
Remove objects and substance that carry dark energy
Envision an imaginary boundary that surrounds you in a golden light bubble
Use sage, palo santo, incense, roses, sea salt, himalayan sea-salt lamp
Put gems or crystals specifically in the sunlight
Play high vibrating instruments clean music
Enjoy laughter, light-heartedness, compassion, kindness, tolerance
Incorporate breathwork techniques and energy practices like kriya/kundalini yoga
Mental Integration:
Let go of everything you are carrying in your mind
Learn to meditate, relax, and self-regulate
Look within for every situation for how to improve yourself
Get clear with intentions and preferred outcomes
Keep a balanced and accurate view of reality and possibilities
Speak positively to yourself and about your capabilities
Have positive & conscious conversations daily
Do things you enjoy
Structure accountability, measure your performance, track progress
Train your brain through games, challenges, learnings
Organize your thoughts by journaling, processing, reflections, and planning
Show gratitude for what you have and appreciation for what is to come
When moving forward with powerful experiences, be safe, work with trained professionals and take the time and energy to prepare adequately and integrate fully afterwards. To learn more about Psychedelic Integration or schedule a coaching session please follow this link to book with Irina Vlada via Evolve.
Irina holds a monthly Integration Circle, and invites you to join the group session via the Evolve App to express your psychedelic experiences and learn the best tools and techniques for integration.