Why Would I Need An Integration Program When Psychedelics are the Healers?

It is true that invaluable insights, lessons and healing opportunities present through the entheogenic journey, and these on their own can be utterly life changing. It is thought that entheogens are amplifiers of the psyche (personal and collective), shining a conscious light on content that can be beneficial for the journeyer to know at that point in their lives. While the finger is pointed at that which needs to come into awareness, oftentimes the information is left at that, without an obvious correlation to the journeyer’s life or an understanding of how to utilize it. The idea behind integration is an intentional engagement with these insights through a metabolic process that takes place outside of the psychedelic space, where the rubber meets the road in everyday life. Mindfulness that is cultivated prior to a journey and in the time that follows conditions a high state of awareness where the individual is alert to psychedelic symbolism and can choose to relate it to real-life issues. Any lessons gained through this awareness can be interpreted into hands-on action steps diligently applied to ultimately improve on the issues and design an optimized life. One can definitely engage in this process on their own. The benefits of participating in a dedicated integration program is the intentional container that is staked in the participant’s life, essentially a living, breathing claim that they are ready to do this work and are ready for it to take up space in their lives - through invested time, physical location, finances and mental energy. Meeting times provide anchors of accountability and reminders to your commitment to your Self. The nature of the integration path is to be unpredictable and undermining to our core personality foundations; as a person that has walked the same path the integration professional will provide you with tools and strategies that will help you make sense of your integration journey, provide framework overcome challenges and keep you feeling secure. Through consciousness exploration, with allies by your side feelings of safety often increase. Together these all translate into a magnification of the internal integration process: there is more depth and breadth of knowledge, a quickened pace of emotional and mental processing, an intensified investment in personal healing, an increased trust in oneself and in the universe, and a happier life.