Psychedelic Integration
The aim of integration therapy is to provide a safe, supportive and non-judgemental space for you to talk about your psychedelic experience, and explore how the content and emotional themes might link to your personal history and future aspirations
Going on a psychedelic trip is not unlike physical travel in that returning home can often come as a shock to the system, sometimes taking weeks or months to re-adjust to your usual everyday life. Similar to travel, psychedelic experiences can also shift our perceptions about the world, pushing us outside our comfort zones and into self-realization. Returning to our regular work-life patterns can be psychologically jarring, particularly if we feel irrevocably changed whilst everything we left behind remains the same. Thus, reshaping our lives to mirror the inward changes we’ve undergone can be profoundly challenging. Integration therapy can help you meet this challenge.
The psychedelic experience can also produce a range of insights, from the personal to transpersonal i.e. phenomena that go beyond our personal identity or biographical understanding of the universe. Sometimes a person will gain a new perspective on who they are, perhaps leading them to re-evaluate a number of things across physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, and social dimensions of their life. Whilst for most people a psychedelic experience is positive, maybe even mystical or spiritual in nature, for some it can be physically and emotionally challenging. For example, perhaps you recalled and relived a personal trauma, or experienced trauma of a transpersonal nature such as experiences from another life, becoming one with the earth, or other life forms. Integration therapy can help you to explore these experiences and find the meaning. Whatever your experience, after an initial revelation any insights or knowledge gained can quickly fade into a dreamlike memory. Thus, it becomes important to set time aside to consciously work with these experiences. Integration therapy is that work.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance .”
― Alan Watts
“You don't find light by avoiding the darkness.”
― S. Kelley Harrell
“We don't heal
in isolation, but in community"
―S. Kelley Harrell
My approach
In practical terms, psychedelic integration therapy is the process of weaving the practical with the mystical, taking profound, ineffable experiences from the psychedelic state, and grounding them in our day-to-day lives in the form of enduring, positive changes. This process may involve finding the meaning in sublime as well as difficult or challenging psychedelic experiences.
Whilst the integration therapy I offer you is specific to psychedelics, it is informed by my training as an integrative counsellor. My aim is for you to feel safe and supported during our sessions. From a point of safety and curiosity, we can explore the content and meaning of your experience, uncover the emotional themes exposed, and explore how these connect to your personal history and future aspirations in life. In this sense, integration is an active intentional process, where you will consciously reflect on your psychedelic experience and what it means for you personally. As part of this we will explore how any insights can be translated into manageable actionable steps, perhaps for achieving positive long-term therapeutic outcomes. Each individual will be supported to find an authentic way of implementing their experience that suits their unique needs and personality. My goal is to offer you an experience and knowledge that you can carry with you until you no longer need me.
Examples of what I can help you with
Making sense of a psychedelic experience. My aim here is to help you discover the emotional themes your psychedelic experience exposed and how these might link to your personal history. This helps to give your psychedelic encounters a context that is meaningful to you.
Understanding and resolving a difficult psychedelic experience. Here my aim is to help you to safely reconnect with what happened in a way that enables curiosity. I’ll help to get you grounded and centred before working with you to uncover the place your fear and pain arose from as well as explore how you can begin to move forward in your life.
Benefit optimisation practices. If you are planning on taking a psychedelic, we can discuss safety and how to maximise any potential benefits. This might include discussing your mind set (including exploring your psychological intention for the journey), and considering the setting for your journey and how this can impact your experience.
Meditation practice. We can explore how meditation can help soften feelings of anxiousness, reduce stress, and calm panic attacks, all important skills that are useful for learning to safely navigate an intense psychedelic experience.
Whilst I trust I can help you in your needs, certain conditions may be beyond my capacity. If this is the case I will do my best to direct you to someone who can help.
Location & Cost
Each session lasts 50 minutes and costs £45.
Sessions take place via Zoom, but can arrange Face-to-Face if needed.
To contact me, please press the contact button below.
DISCLAIMER: I do not actively encourage or condone the use of psychedelic substances where they are against the law, all information and services are provided for education and harm reduction purposes. Please do not email asking about sourcing psychedelics, or psychedelic-assisted therapy. I am unable to provide that type of information.