What is Integration?

Great question! There are many approaches to working with and defining integration of expanded states of consciousness. But in a general sense, Integration is someone or something becoming part of a whole or larger structure.

The integration process can be seen as consisting of a series of 3 distinct phases, sometimes labeled as preparation, session, and integration, or alternatively/complementarity separation, threshold, and integration.

My teacher says, “we do a lot of work here (being in the ceremony itself), however, the real work begins when you leave here and go back into your daily life”.

Preparation refers to what you intentionally bring into your mind, energy and spirit. This can consist of the media we watch or listen to, our inner and outer dialogues , our personal practices, how we balance rest and work. They are all part of the preparation process. Starting a journal or ritualizing your intentions are great ways to prepare. Intention setting is a beautiful way to stay on course, making sure to not become  too attached to your intention(s). It is useful to examine the expectations for your journey; experiencing an expanded state of consciousness is not a panacea, but a tool to keep working your path. It is helpful to prepare by putting something in place before your journey to help with integration upon your return. Maybe that's a daily practice such as meditation, yoga, breathwork, altar sitting, journaling, communing with nature, or a talisman, to name a few.

Ceremony or Session is the journey itself, the challenge that you have been preparing for. This can also be seen as the Ordeal, the time of testing, learning and growing. The ceremony can be breathwork, plant medicine, vision quest, any expanded state of consciousness. This is the sacred time wherein you are able to transcend your normal, habitual states of consciousness, through catharsis, and open your awareness to new possibilities and potentialities.   

Integration begins as the ceremony closes, and continues as we weave ourselves back into our worlds. In an integration circle, we begin our process by bringing our internal experience to the external world by sharing some of our experience. Something that I have seen folks struggle with, is how to take such a profound experience and bring it back into their daily life. This is very common. There are basic integration tools you may already work with such as journaling, creative practice, movement, self care, or nature based connecting.

In our society we tend to focus on being in the altered states of consciousness, rather than quietly sitting with what it means to nurture the seeds of change that we've been given -through processing it. In my Psychedelic Integration studies with ICEERS Academy, I have acquired additional tools to support folks through a deep dive into their integration process. If there is a part of a journey or experience that you are struggling with or having a difficult time integrating back into your life, we will work with a series of weekly or biweekly exercises to support you over 3-10 sessions.