Psychedelics.
Integration.
A teacher of mine explained that the psychedelic experience has three integral parts: preparation, the journey itself, and integration – each as important as the next, and all a part of the greater whole. Only through integration can the impact of psychedelics have an enduring and positive effect on your life. Psychedelic journeys can awaken deep questions within you, they can terrify you, or be tremendously disarranging, but they can also show you your truth, put you in touch with your desires, and help you walk your true path. The purpose of integration work is to absorb and apply useful lessons from significant experiences, no matter how powerful or overpowering they may be, in order to live a happy life and discover liberation and meaning.
Only through integration can the impact of the psychedelic have an enduring and positive effect in your life.
I call this aspect of my work “psychedelic integration,” and while my focus is on plant medicines and entheogenic chemicals, I believe that many of life’s profound experiences call for integration: integrating a meditation retreat, a meaningful visit with family, an evocative work of art, or a persistent existential question. Meaning can be found anywhere we choose to look, and integration is how we discover and incorporate that meaning into our lives.
