PSYCHEDELIC PSYCHOTHERAPY INTEGRATION
WHAT IS IT?
Psychedelic Psychotherapy is becoming more and more popular and showing promising results for PTSD, treatment resistant depression, anxiety, addictions and other disorders. Although most psychedelics with the exception of ketamine and now in certain states psilocybin, are illegal, people are attending international retreats and underground places for healing and relief.
MDMA-assisted therapy is currently in the process of being legalized through the FDA by 2024. Click here to learn more about the
current research: https://maps.org/mdma/ptsd/phase3/
Psychedelic Psychotherapy Integration is therapy sessions, Pre and Post someone's journey with psychedelics and/or into expanded states of consciousness. Prep sessions help one navigate if using psychedelics therapeutically is right for them and can potentially help a person at that time. It's an important time to discuss, whether a person is psychically, emotionally and/or physically ready to enter into these deep states of consciousness. As well, it's a good time to assess if one has a proper support system prior to doing such deep work. Pre sessions also help prepare people what to expect; answering questions, addressing concerns and clarifying what one's intention is prior to going in. Using psychedelics is a serious process and needs proper preparation in order to help ensure safety and to gain maximum benefit from the process. A good way to think of psychedelics is analagous to surgery. One wouldn't go straight into a surgery without researching the doctor and knowing what they are going in for, as well as any questions/concerns they have so they can go in with ease of mind.
INTEGRATION
Post a psychedelic session it is important to take time for self care, slow down, and integrate what came up during the journey. People are usually in a very sensitive and more vulnerable state, and most don't understand that a lot of the potential healing work can unfold days, weeks, and even months after the actual journey itself. Research is demonstrating the importance of integration work as being a huge part of the healing process, just as much as the psychedelic trip itself in order to help make lasting impactful changes. Integration means to "make whole again". Many times people lose parts of themselves through life, trauma etc. with psychedelics these "lost parts" can be felt again and retrieved. Post one's journey it's important to now integrate and make whole again these lost parts into the person's identity and anchor them in further to the psyche so they don't go forgotten again. This is where psychotherapy integration sessions can be helpful. The work just begins after the journey. The medicine may "open the door", but now you need to actually "walk through the door" in real life.
Sometimes people report having a "bad trip"where hard material surfaces and they are overwhelmed. This can result in not being able to"get back to themselves". Having an experienced practitioner help "unpack" the material that came up during the session can sometimes make a huge difference in getting back to daily life or not.
Other times, people can have very "positive" or spiritual experiences; gaining insight, clarity, and perspective on their life that they were never able to access before in regular traditional therapies. This too is important to continue processing and discerning more deeply.
Even if one did a psychedelic journey months or years back, I can provide support via psychotherapy integration sessions in order to help further anchor your growth and healing; maximizing the benefits of the journey into a more lasting impactful and permanent way.
​
*Here at AuthenticRoots, LLC I do not provide, condone, or support the use of illegal substances. There are significant legal and medical risks associated with the casual use of psychedelics.
I acknowledge that people do sometimes choose to take risks that are not medically supervised. This is why I believe it is important to offer proper psychological integration support in a safe, non-judgmental, and confidential space in order to process non-ordinary states and their potential for personal transformation.
​*I am currently researching psychedelic experiences and expanded states of consciousness, and am conducting interviews. If you are interested in being interviewed in a confidential, safe space please email: dina@authenticroots.org
​
