Integrative Psychology

A psychedelic trip can be among the most profound experiences it is possible for a human to have. Many people encounter past memories, new perspectives, and dimensions of consciousness they did not previously know to exist. While these encounters can be incredibly meaningful, and engender great healing, they can also be confusing, or even scary and traumatic. Many people find themselves feeling greatly disoriented as they try to assimilate their experience into their ordinary state of consciousness.

This is where a good therapeutic container is important. It is worth pointing out that the term Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT) places emphasis on the therapy, not the psychedelic. In other words, the psychedelic experience is there to facilitate the therapeutic process, not replace it. This is why outcomes in well-designed clinical trials, or traditional ceremonial settings, tend to be better than those experienced by people pursuing underground experiences out of context. Integration is an important part of the PAT process. It provides a structure, support and methodology through which meaning-making can occur, and new understandings can be incorporated into everyday life.

I use a combination of somatic work, psycho-education, and “parts” work when doing integration therapy. As a component of this work, I ask all of my clients to familiarise themselves with the IFS “parts” model of the mind, as this framework is gaining increasing recognition as an approach that is particularly compatible with PAT work. The book Self Therapy by Jay Earley is a great starting point, and I would recommend it as a system for self-inquiry to anybody considering a psychedelic pathway, whatever stage they are at in their journey.