Psychedelic Integration Guide
Hashiveinu — hashiveinu.org
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Psychedelic integration — a practical guide.
Intentionality before and after the experience is what makes the medicine work. You are ultimately the medicine. These are simply tools to support what's already happening somewhere deep inside.
Before you begin
A quick note
The more you put into this experience, the more you'll get out of it. Clinical trials for psychedelic medicines have impressive results because they include numerous hours of therapy and meditation before and after. Having very little intention — or lacking follow-through with integration — is far less likely to produce the kind of results you may be looking for.
Completing a full course of treatment with at least four psychedelic sessions is also more likely to generate a meaningful shift than discontinuing after a single session. We recommend all clients have a primary therapist; these techniques pair very well with ongoing work.
Before the journey
Set your intention
Setting your intention is essential. What are you trying to get out of this experience? These medicines enhance your thoughts and emotions — when you steer them in a direction, they often yield more constructive experiences.
Question Set #1 (MAPS)
- Think of an experience in your life that has not been integrated. Something that needs your attention.
- What gets in the way of you doing the work of integration for this thing?
- What would you need to understand to begin the integration?
- Is there something you will miss when it becomes integrated?
- Who will be upset or disappointed with you if you do the work? (Even a part of yourself.)
- How will you know that you are doing the work of integration?
Question Set #2 (Journey Space)
- Where in your life do you feel most powerful, most alive? Where do you feel energized? Drained?
- Where in your life do you feel the most need for change?
- What's working? What's not working? What's missing? What's next?
- What are your biggest strengths and gifts?
- What energy are you working with — or would you like to work with?
- Create a simple "I am…" statement of the energy or healing you are inviting in. ("I am whole." "I am love.")
Question Set #3 (from the documentary, "Dosed")
- What types of answers do you want to help you move forward in life?
A formula (Adele LaFrance)
- Choose a verb: "Help me with…" / "Teach me about…" / "Show me…"
- Combine with a difficult emotion (fear, anger, guilt, sadness, shame, joy) — or an essential human quality (peace, love, compassion, connection, forgiveness, spirituality).
- Examples: "Show me — my fear." "Teach me about — love." "Help me experience — joy."
Stan Grof recommends that the intention always center around "Be open to what the medicine wants to teach me." Whatever your intention, openness is essential.
Before the journey
Media diet
Taking a break from TV or social media — or consuming intentional media beforehand — can prime your mind for a journey. Trust yourself about what feels appropriate.
- Fantastic Fungi
- How to Change Your Mind — Michael Pollan (Netflix series & book)
- Aware: Glimpses of Consciousness
- Soul (Pixar)
- The Power of Now or A New Earth — Eckhart Tolle (book)
- Man's Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl (book)
- Infinite Potential — Lothar Shafer (book; pro-science, quantum physics)
- The Mind Explained — Psychedelics (Netflix S1E5)
- Unwell (Netflix S1E5)
- The Goop Lab (Netflix S1E1)
- A Trip to Infinity (Netflix)
- Connected — "Digits" episode (Netflix)
- Gratitude Revealed
- The Tim Ferriss Podcast (episodes with Gabor Maté and Stanislav Grof)
- The Entheogenic Evolution Podcast (great for 5-MeO-DMT preparation)
- A New Understanding: Science of Psilocybin
- Dosed (2019)
- Hamilton's Pharmacopeia
- Films with interesting themes for journey prep
Groundhog Day, Inside Out, Arrival, The Matrix, Human (Yann Arthus-Bertrand), Interstellar, Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring, The Tree of Life, A Hidden Life.
Before the journey
Other preparations
- Journal
- Meditate
- Garden
- Time in nature
- Rest and sleep
- Self care
- Set goals
- Any form of creative expression
- Massage, acupuncture, reiki, or bodywork
- Embodied movement — yoga, tai chi, somatic practices
- Spiritual practices
- Make a gratitude list
- Therapy
- Talk to friends/family for support
- Spend time in a float tank
- Clean your room, car, home, office, or anywhere you spend time
- Take a walk (especially directly before the journey)
- Stretch (especially directly before the journey)
- Meditate with binaural beats
- Meditate on images from the James Webb telescope
- Trust yourself and do whatever feels right
After the journey
Directly after — journal & ground
As soon as you can, listen to the music a few times and write down everything you can remember.
Grounding ideas
- Walks in nature
- Hot baths
- Heavy food — or light food
- A cup of tea
- Massage
- Refrain from alcohol, cannabis, or other recreational compounds
- Drawing, painting, or any creative expression
- Moving or dancing
- Gentle music
- Touch from a loved one
- Sit quietly and give yourself space to be with what happened
24–72 hours after: psychedelics make it easier to change your brain during and directly after the experience. Use this opportunity to be intentional about the changes you're trying to make.
After the journey
What even is integration?
- Connecting the dots between experiences that feel isolated or disjointed.
- Bringing consciousness to all that is happening to you.
- Bringing all your experiences into harmony.
- Moving into your life in a way that is authentic to all parts of you — even those not yet conscious.
- Making practical changes related to the insights from the journey.
- Remembering that psychedelic work is a process, not a single event.
After the journey
Journal prompts
From MAPS
- What in me has been touched — sensations, feelings, thoughts?
- What have I discovered about therapy or about myself?
- What was hard or challenging?
- What new interests are seeking depth and exploration?
- What do I want to take from today, and how can I apply this in daily life?
- What homework did the medicine leave me?
From Navigating Psychedelics Integration Workbook
- What is a message that you received during this experience? Why is it sticking out?
- How will you care for the seeds you brought back? What intentions will you plant?
- What are the action steps you can take?
- What reminders can you give yourself if you start to feel off path?
- If you have not been working toward your goals, what has been stopping you?
- How can you adjust? Have your priorities shifted?
- Is there an area of integration to focus on — relationships, lifestyle/career, mind-body-spirit, mental/intellect, environmental, or spiritual?
After the journey
Domains of integration
Mental & Intellect
Are there new intellectual pursuits — school, a course, a way to mentally challenge yourself?
Relationships
Cultivating healthy relationships supports growth. How can you work on your relationships? Get involved in your community?
Mind-Body
Balance physical and emotional health. Are you exercising, eating well, tending your mental health?
Environmental
What is your physical environment like? Do you need to change scenery?
Spiritual Life
Do you have a spiritual practice? It can help bring meaning to what was discovered in the psychedelic space.
Lifestyle
What is your work/life balance like? Are you creating enough time for fun and hobbies?
After the journey
Practical ideas
Physical
- Exercise daily and regularly
- Eat healthy
- Doctor checkups
- Massages
- Acupuncture
- Dance and move
- Sing
- Get outside in nature
- Time away from technology
- Bath or cold shower
- Walk, run, swim, sports, physical hobbies
- Sexual life / needs
- Enough sleep
- Vacations
- Day trips
Psychological & Mental
- Personal therapy
- Read a book
- Decrease stress
- Cut out toxic energy
- Change your schedule or routine
- Pay attention to your inner world
- Attend to feelings, emotions, dreams, or visions
- Live music, workshops, museums, nature hikes — something new
- Stay curious and open
- Set boundaries; just say "no"
- Self-reflection and meditation
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Yoga
Emotional
- Time with friends and loved ones
- Limit time with toxic people or situations
- Reach out to someone important for a talk
- Stay connected with nourishing relationships
- Affirmations, self-love, positive self-talk
- Spa night, aromatherapy, favorite books
- Create space to process emotions — allow yourself to cry
- Laugh more; spend time with children
- Breathwork, yoga, meditation
- Allow yourself to be vulnerable and take healthy risks
- Turn off the cell phone and social media
- Therapy
- Healthy food / comfort food
- Somatic — get in touch with your body
Spiritual
- Meditation
- Self-reflection
- Continue to work with the plants
- Time in nature
- Connect with a spiritual mentor or community
- Be open to inspiration
- Notice nonmaterial aspects of your life
- Try not to be in charge or the expert
- Ask questions and be open to not knowing
- Identify what is meaningful to you
- Pray. Sing. Stay open to new experiences
- Volunteer; find a cause to back
- Read inspirational literature
- Aromatherapy, sage/smudge, dream work
- Trust the process
Workplace & Professional
- Take a break during the workday
- Connect with co-workers
- Set limits respectfully with colleagues and clients
- Negotiate for your needs (pay, benefits, time off)
- Organize and prioritize your tasks
- Say no to extra projects when needed
- Use your time off and sick time
- Identify nourishing projects
- Make quiet time to complete tasks
- Arrange your workspace to feel comfortable
- Develop a peer support group
- Attend a training, workshop, or conference
- Network with others
After the journey
Integration exercises
Journal exercise — 'Dear Pain'
Write a letter to your pain from yourself ("Dear Pain…"). Then write a response letter to yourself from your pain ("Dear ____ (your name)…"). Keep the dialogue going back and forth as long as you'd like. Repeat at whatever interval makes sense — before and after each journey, daily, or weekly.
Integration altar
Make a special place you can go to do integration work — whatever that means to you. Add flowers, candles, or meaningful items to liven it up.
Mind mapping
Sit with the general theme(s) of your experience — no more than three. Place each main theme in a circle in the center of a page. Branch out with sub-themes in short phrases or words. Add symbols, names, and colors. Continue until you've exhausted your thoughts.
Exploring your relationship with death — write an obituary
Write an obituary to refocus your life and prioritize what's important. What did you impact or change, and why? What character traits and values did you consistently demonstrate? Who did you care for? What were your accomplishments at 40, 50, 60, 70? What were you passionate about? What was your legacy?
Going on
Questions looking forward
- How do you intend to use this work in your life?
- What questions have come up — cosmological, spiritual, family of origin, mental health?
- What characteristics reassure you that your psychedelic work is benefitting you?
- What are some personal ways to integrate that help you?
- What do you want to do next as it relates to psychedelics?
- Are there certain experiences you want to have — psilocybin, LSD, or ayahuasca in a traditional setting?
- How would you know you are ready to dive in again?
One final note
On psychedelic enthusiasm
After a profound experience, you may be tempted to tell everyone in your life that they must try it. Everyone is on their own timeline; it can't be rushed.
The best thing you can do is make and sustain positive changes within yourself.
People will notice these shifts, and they'll be curious. When they ask what you've been doing, that's a great time to share what's worked for you.
In crisis right now?
If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, please call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).