Psychedelic Integration
Psychedelics have skyrocketed to the front of pop culture, the media, and clinical research. Everyone is talking about these substances for one reason or another. One thing that hasn’t had enough emphasis in regards to psychedelics is integration. So many people are now lining up for ketamine treatments, flocking to Peru for Ayahuasca, and using psychedelics at raves, but where is the discussion about the importance of integration? Integrating your psychedelic experience can be just as powerful as the experience itself. A psychedelic journey without integration often falls flat.
So what is integration?
Psychedelic integration is the practical process of applying insights gained during your journey to your life, creating positive changes. Integration starts with creating an environment that is conducive to receiving insights during your psychedelic journey, being open and willing to receive insights, and then taking those insights gained and applying them to your daily life. This part of your journey begins before you ever take a psychedelic. This process then continues throughout your entire journey and sometimes never ends.
When your journey is over, you will begin to process your experience and think about what you may have learned. It is important to allow yourself some time to do this. Once you have realized the insights gained, you may start to put in place steps to apply them. You could spend one day, one year, or an entire lifetime integrating a psychedelic experience. Without the psychedelic integration process, much of what you have learned or experienced will likely fade with time. If you don’t take the necessary time to integrate, you won’t achieve the growth. What is the point if there is no growth?
Psychedelics are not magic pills.
Sometimes when people are arguing a point against psychedelics, they will point to a person who does psychedelics frequently and say, “Psychedelics don’t help people; look at this person.” This person is bad and they do psychedelics all the time. ” The thing with psychedelics is that they are not magic pills. Psychedelics are not a cure-all. They have the power to help heal, but this does not mean they will heal you.
Without a person wanting to be better, and without them taking the psychedelics in the proper way, and without integration, the person will not grow. Often times, I think people take a psychedelic, have an enlightening experience, and then walk away thinking “That’s it! I’ve got the answers. I’m cured!” but then quickly after falling back into old patterns, thoughts, or behaviors.
When I had my first Ayahuasca experience, immediately after, I felt like I had gotten everything I needed to be healed, and I had. However, I was not healed. I have spent years after this experience integrating the insights I gained and working through healing my trauma. As I worked on integrating that experience, I realized exactly how important this process is. Having a psychedelic journey without integration is like taking a diet pill. Sure, you get something out of it while you are taking it, but as soon as it’s over, the benefits cease to exist.
-Stormy
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