Are Psychedelic Integration and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy the Same?
By: Dr. Denise Renye
As you likely know, psychedelics are becoming increasingly popular again. The psychedelic renaissance is here and many people are curious about them for healing psychologically as well as deepening their spiritual experiences. Just in the past week, Maryland senators introduced a bill that would provide free access to psychedelics for military vets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); there’s a drive to legalize psychedelic therapy in Missouri; and MDMA may soon go back to the FDA for approval to treat PTSD. My teachers Michael Mithoefer, MD and his wife Annie Mithoefer, BN have been on the foreground of this work for decades.
With all this attention on psychedelics, it’s easy to lump everything to do with them into the same category. Psychedelic integration is not the same thing as psychedelic-assisted therapy. This is often a confusion for many. And with all the recent publications, new stories, and general hullaballoo, I can see how you’d get confused because they can be intertwined!
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Also known as psychedelic therapy, psychedelic-assisted therapy involves ingesting a psychedelic substance while being in the room with a provider specifically trained in this approach. In other words, the patient is potentially in an altered state of consciousness during the session. I say “potentially” because a person’s reaction to any psychedelic is dependent on the dose and that person’s biochemical make-up. One person’s “disco dose” (a dose larger than a micro dose) could be another person’s “hero dose” (high dose).
There are two categories of psychedelics: entheogenic and empathogenic/entactogenic (there's debate in the scientific community about the best term). Entheogens cause a person to become inspired or to experience feelings of inspiration, often in a religious or spiritual manner. Entheogens include psilocybin (the active substance in “magic” mushrooms), ayahuasca, LSD, San Pedro, and ibogaine (African root bark used by the Biwiti tribe).
Empathogens or entactogens are not technically psychedelics but they produce experiences of emotional communion, oneness, relatedness, and emotional openness. A well-known example of an empathogen/entactogen is MDMA.
Many of these medicines are currently still categorized as schedule I or II substances but have been used as sacraments in Indigenous communities for many generations and the synthetics have yielded positive impacts on individuals and societies when used with right (mind) set and setting (environment). I do not condone illegal use of drugs or behaviors. Nor do I encourage clinicians to engage in any illegal or unethical activity, and I do believe in shifts from a governmental level to make available means that could heal individually and collectively.
And while Indigenous communities have used these substances for ages, we here in the West are relatively new to their use. Psychedelic use and research kicked off in the West in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1960s, drugs became symbols of rebellion, social upheaval, and political dissent, and thus the government halted scientific research to evaluate their medical safety and efficacy – including psychedelics. Then in 1971, President Nixon declared his “war on drugs” further criminalizing drug use. The recent resurgence in psychedelic interest in the past several years has spurred clinical trials (like with the FDA) and the ability for some therapists to use psychedelics as a part of their therapy. That is psychedelic-assisted therapy. What comes next is psychedelic integration.
After a psychedelic experience, a lot can be unearthed in the internal landscape of the psyche. One can experience depths that they did not know existed within themselves. This can bring with it a wide array of feelings and sensations. After an experience, whether it happened yesterday, two weeks, two months, or 20 years ago, integration is necessary. But , the real question is, what is psychedelic integration?
The concept stems from Carl Jung, who said individuation or integration consists in making one whole out of consciousness and the unconscious. In terms of psychedelic integration specifically,
if the psychedelic session was conducted through an expanded access clinical site with a trained practitioner, a patient will discuss with their therapist what occurred as a way to process the journey. Integration offers a person the chance to experience communion with their internal landscape, to reconnect with all of themselves. Without the integration piece, the psychedelic journey may be forgotten like an unrecorded dream. Integration makes real something that occurred in a symbolic or ritualistic act during the psychedelic journey. Doing so allows the person to reap the psychospiritual benefits of what they experienced while in a potentially mind-altering state.
Integration can also happen when not linked to therapy. In other words, no matter how a person comes to psychedelic use – a clinical trial, a retreat, traveling to another country, in the privacy of their home, etc., they can work with a psychedelic integrationist such as myself to process the psychedelic journey.
In my practice, I bring in somatic, or body-oriented techniques because doing allows for a person to embody the processing of the experience. It puts the person more deeply in touch with their physical form. This is very important because many people are dissociated from their bodies for a variety of reasons. Being dissociated has become the new norm for how to navigate this modern world of lived trauma, high-pressure school and work, and relationship/family tension. You can read more about psychedelics and the body in this post.
There are many skilled ways to integrate a psychedelic experience as mentioned in a previous post, but the expertise an integrationist has to facilitate the process is key. In the programs I tailor when working with people, I incorporate a multitude of modalities such as voicework, art and music therapy, writing, yoga therapy, the labyrinth, energy work such as reiki, spontaneous body movement, and bodywork. I work in conjunction with other providers when appropriate and necessary. Psychedelic integration work can be done individually or in a group setting.
If you’re interested in learning more, I have a psychedelic integration circle starting soon. This is a six week, closed group for self-identified women and starts on February 17. You can find more information by clicking here.
Also, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter – you’ll be the first to know when my new ebook drops. Click here for an audio psychedelic integration.
References
Jaeger, Kyle. “Maryland Senate Bill Would Provide ‘Cost-Free Access’ To Psychedelics For Military Veterans.” Marijuana Moment. February 9, 2022. https://www.marijuanamoment.net/maryland-senate-bill-would-provide-cost-free-access-to-psychedelics-for-military-veterans/
Mitchell, Jennifer M. “A Psychedelic May Soon Go to the FDA for Approval to Treat Trauma.” Scientific American. February 1, 2022. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-psychedelic-may-soon-go-to-the-fda-for-approval-to-treat-trauma/
Murphey, Mandy. “Why there’s a push to legalize psychedelic drug therapy in Missouri.” Fox 2 Now. February 8, 2022. https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/why-theres-a-push-to-legalize-psychedelic-drug-therapy-in-missouri/