Psychedelics: Preparation and Integration Work

Psychedelic Artwork

Legality Statement

Psychedelics are illegal but some psychedelics are decriminalized in certain areas. Cannabis is legal in many areas and ketamine clinics exists in many places. Some people choose to leave the country to do psychedelic ceremonies. Some people are able to access psychedelics through legal clinical research—these studies are occurring all over the country and outside of the country (to learn more about clinical trials check out Psychedelic Support).

Some people find psychedelics to be so integral to their healing that they are willing to use them underground and feel like it is worth the risk. In Michigan, ‘entheogens’ are ‘decriminalized’ in Detroit, Ferndale Hazel Park, Washtenaw county (Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti)—that doesn’t mean that they are legal. Entheogens are naturally occurring plants such as psilocybin, peyote and ayahuasca—which means MDMA and LSD are not decriminalized in those cities. Decriminalization is not legalization and means that the city does not prioritize arrests for possession of these substances.

I do not recommend that people do psychedelics illegally but if you are participating in ceremonies or you are curious to learn more. Here are some tips for preparation, before the ceremony, and integration work that you can do together with a therapist or a trusted guide, after the ceremony.

Preparation

Discuss any fears or concerns you have

Discuss logistics of the ceremony (example: where, when, with who, doses, emergency procedures…)

Discuss music, comfort items, accommodations

Discuss Rules (examples: no phones, no touching, no nudity)

Get clear about your intentions

—What do I need to do to prepare my mind/body/soul before the cermenony?

—What am I wanting from this experience?

—What is missing from my life that I would like more of?

You can create a ritual to help you feel more intentional about your intention (example: writing an intention on a piece of paper, setting it on a alter with sacred items, stones, flowers, leaves or anything else that feels significant. Creating a poem, song or a chant. Literally anything that feels good and is symbolic to you).

Integration

Integration occurs after the ceremony and is a way to process and weave the psychedelic experience into your day-to-day life. This may look like trying to make sense of things that you experienced in the altered state, making a point to remember certain things that were discovered, recalling symbols and archetypes that were encountered or finding other ways to incorporate some of these lessons into your life.

Some Integration Questions you can ask yourself:

What is different now?

What were some of the positives and negatives of this journey?

What did I learn about myself?

Am I living in alignment with my values?

What needs to change for me to feel more closely aligned with my values?

Do I feel like I let go of/or need to let go of something that isn’t serving me?

What boundaries need to change?

What am I feeling inspired about?

What did I learn about nature?

Peyotes and San Pedro

Some things that go really well with integration work

-Expressive art work—Drawing, painting, doodling, sculpturing things that were seen on the journey.

-Journaling—About things that were seen on the journey and things that you want to remember.

-Dreamwork—Taking note of dreams that have happened since the journey.

-Somatic work—Noticing what feels different in your body. Do you feel more in tune with your body? Using the senses to bring back certain elements of the journey.

-Being in nature—Being more intentional about incorporating more nature in your life. Going outside, going to the park, going on a hike.

-Making music and listening to music that feels good to your body.

-Connecting and sharing your experiences with like-minded and safe people in your life.

-Creating rituals that can help you stay connected to your experience.

-Sandtray work—Making a scene in the sandtray that symbolizes what you learned on your trip. To learn more about sandtray read here.

-Internal Family Systems therapy—This type of therapy aims to help you get in touch with your true and authentic Self. Many people will encounter their true Self on psychedelics as well as their ‘parts.’ It can be really helpful to process these encounters with Self and the parts in IFS therapy. To learn more about IFS read here.

-Jungian therapy—Jungian therapy works with the unconscious mind, symbols and archetypes. When one is on psychedelics they will have a lot of access to their unconscious and are often inundated with symbols and archetypes. Jungian therapy can help you process these experience and what they mean to you. To learn more about Jungian therapy read here.

Some potential positive outcomes:

Feeling more present

Having more Self Awareness

Awe of life

Feeling more authentic (living in alignment with your true Self)

Empowered and confident

Connected/Belonging

Gratitude

Open Mindedness

Radical Acceptance

Letting things go

In touch with spirituality

Less fear of death

Warnings:

Do not make impactful large life decisions for two weeks after a journey. Some people see something clearly when they are on a journey and then may feel compelled to abruptly quit their job, leave their partner or move away. Give some big decisions like this time before taking action. If it still feels like a good idea after a couple weeks then check in with yourself and see if you want to take action.

Things that we repress usually come into full view during psychedelics which can feel disturbing or intrusive for some.

If you have PTSD or trauma—themes from the trauma can show up during the trip.

There are such things as ‘bad trips’ some people find these to be highly uncomfortable and intense but some may also feel like they still learn something from them.

Some people may encounter scary images and themes.

*Do have a trusted ceremony leader or trip guide to minimize some of these potential negative experiences and outcomes.

*Do take appropriate doses from quality trustworthy sources.

*Some medications don’t mix well with psychedelics so if you are on medication, ask a doctor or another trusted professional first.

Check out my booklist to find books about psychedelics. If you have any questions about psychedelic integration or questions about therapy—feel free to reach out.

Psychedelic Art