The lessons you learn on a psychedelic trip can be life-changing, but how do you make sure they stick?
Whether you’re taking psychedelics to meet God, work through personal trauma or simply experience a new state of mind, it’s likely you’re going to take something from it. That could be a new perspective on an old problem, an appreciation for a new type of music, or the meaning of life itself. But how do you stop these lessons from slipping away from you the moment you return to normal life? Two words: psychedelic integration.
Psychedelic is, in basic terms, the process of intentionally revisiting and engaging with the lessons, challenges and insights of a psychedelic experience in a bid to not only reap the benefits of the trip, but also to avoid (or work through) any potential trauma. According to Geoff Bathje, a psychologist, drug researcher and co-founder of Sana Healing Collective, not attempting to integrate a psychedelic experience into your life is a huge “missed opportunity”.
The practice of interaction isn’t specific to psychedelic experiences. As Bathje notes: “Integration is important even in psychotherapy – when you have an insight, you’ll ideally find ways to support that insight and integrate it into your life. That could be journaling about it, having a conversation with somebody or making some kind of life change to be more congruent with that insight”.
Psychedelic integration is just like this, but perhaps even more necessary. “With a psychedelic experience, you often have so many insights and profound moments, and so there are even more to capture,” says Bathje. “It’s like the difference between a short video clip explaining a topic to an entire degree’s worth of information, so you’ve got a lot more to make sense of, and to figure out what to do with.”
If you refuse to integrate your experience, the best case scenario is that, as Bathje notes, you miss an opportunity to genuinely improve your life or rush into making changes that you don’t fully understand (and therefore won’t last). But, worst case, failing to integrate a bad trip may leave you in a difficult place, emotionally speaking. “You could end up dysregulated or disoriented in a way that’s not helpful,” says Bathje.
SO WHAT DOES PSYCHEDELIC INTEGRATION LOOK LIKE?
Bathje and his colleagues, who wrote a research paper all about psychedelic integration, identified six domains of integration: mind, body, spirituality, lifestyle, relationships and the natural world. There are hundreds of different integration practices, from journaling and talking to spending time in nature, setting intentions, practising non-sexual intimacy, setting boundaries and volunteering in your community.
The fact is, integration is going to look different for everybody, and the methods you choose will depend on both your inclination towards certain activities and the lessons you’ve gleaned from your trip. If you’re not so inclined to get out of the city and into the woods, but you thought a lot about nature during your trip, for instance, you may want to think about incorporating nature into your integration process. If you’re into writing, journaling is likely to be a solid tool for integration, but if you’re more of an artist, drawing might work better.
That said, Bathje stresses that you should also get out of your comfort zone a little bit when it comes to integration. “The ‘hell no’ reaction to a certain practice could be just as indicative of a benefit as something that feels easy,” he says. This will ensure you’re holistic in your approach, accounting for each of the six domains of integration, and promote balance and wholeness both in your integration and your life.
HOW TO INTEGRATE YOUR PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE
If you’re planning a psychedelic trip, it’s a good idea to make a rough plan for how you’re going to integrate it afterwards. The most important thing is to allow yourself a few days to process after the trip, so keep engagements and obligations to a minimum (if possible). “It’s important to make some time and space for your integration, even if you just use it for rest,” says Bathje.
In that time, you can try out a few integration techniques that you feel you might enjoy, which can help you to really reflect on some of the insights you had on your trip. “Put a few things in place that you know are good for you,” says Bathje. “If you’re somebody who knows that you carry a lot of tension in your body, you might schedule a yoga class, massage or walk with a friend for the day afterwards to help with that.” Or you can pre-prepare some healthy meals so you don’t have to think too hard in the days following your experience.
It’s good to take a holistic approach. For your mind, you can try journalling, artistic creation (drawing, painting, etc), therapy, getting out in nature, breathwork and meditation. For your body, there’s yoga, dance, martial arts, massage, and rest. For spirituality, there’s intention setting, prayer, or tarot. Some people also write letters to loved ones to help reassess their relationships (you don’t have to send them).
After your initial integration, even if you’re busy, it’s a good idea to schedule more integration techniques for a few weeks following your trip. That could be for an hour or two in the morning or evening, or on weekends.
With all that said, it’s important to practise patience when it comes to integrating a psychedelic experience. While the insights you get may feel life-changing, it still takes time to actually change your life in the practical sense. This is especially true if you don’t have much control over your time – you work long hours, say, or are a full-time parent or carer. “You might need to plan for some patience and an incremental approach to bringing things into your life,” says Bathje. “It may not be possible to do it overnight.
“Conversely, if you have a tonne of privilege and a lot of money, and you could open a business tomorrow, you might need to put the brakes on and spend some time reflecting and getting input before making these big changes in your life or in the world.”