Heartlight Therapy
Online Therapy Services
Wendi Witter, LCSW
Preparation and Integration of Psychedelics
(Adults 21+ Only)
Why Work with the Preparation and Integration of Psychedelics?
There has been a recent surge in interest in psychedelics for the use in healing or improving the effects of PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety. Research is being done to assess the impact that psychedelic substances are having when done in a supportive clinical setting. The results so far are promising. While I do not work with people while they take a psychedelic substance, I do support individuals in the preparation and integration of psychedelic experiences. Psychedelics are not for everyone, and for some people have been life changing. I believe that it is important to be prepared when going into a psychedelic experience to gain the most benefit, and that integrating an experience afterwards can make a difference in the depth of the growth and learning that can occur. I personally have found value from these experiences, and I would love to support you in your journey with the preparation and integration of psychedelics. If this is something you have been wanting to explore, please contact me in the form below, or click on the "Book an Appointment" tab above to go to my secure site at wendiwitter.clientsecure.me to schedule a free 30 minute consultation to see if it would be a good fit for us to work together.
What does Preparation for the Use of Psychedelics Look Like?
Cover the basic needs of your body:
-Get enough sleep.
-Choose healthy foods and eat light. Follow the directions of your psychedelic leader on
diet. Certain types of psychedelics need specific diets for safety reasons.
-Check with your doctor or psychedelic leader about any medications you are taking and
risks related to the specific psychedelic. Check with your doctor or psychedelic leader about any mental health diagnosis and medical diagnosis that would rule you out as a candidate for psychedelics based on safety reasons.
-Heart Problems
-Seizures
-Bipolar or schizophrenia
-Move your body in ways that feels supportive and good to you. Stretching, walking,
exercising, yoga. Pay attention to the signals you receive from your body. Practice
caring for your body based on those signals (for example: sleep when you feel tired,
relax when you feel stressed)
Prepare your Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Needs for Psychedelic use:
-Take some time to reflect and contemplate what you want out of the experience.
-Set your intention
-Why do you want to do psychedelics?
-What do you want to see change in your life?
-How are you hoping this experience will help you?
-What are your fears around this?
-What supports do you have internally and externally?
-What are my defenses that may block my experiences?
-What are some things stopping me in reaching my goals now, and how can I
work with those?
-Build internal supports and connection, and find supportive connections in your life.
-Mindfully notice on a deep level how you feel, what your emotional needs are, what your desires are, what fears hold you back, what makes you angry.
-Being mindful means to notice and observe with compassion not judgement. Just stay present with what is happening without the need to change it. You may feel comfortable or uncomfortable. Just notice and stay present.
-Check inside and take time for journaling and going inside to contemplate your goals.
-Check that you are focusing on supportive and positive things such as your choices in
reading materials, streaming shows, movies, and TV. Consciously decide to choose
uplifting peaceful materials.
What Does the Integration of a Psychedelic Experience Look Like?
I believe in the inherent wisdom of a person to heal. Our bodies and spirits naturally have deep wisdom that we can tap into to learn and grow. Our western world is not set up to facilitate our inner connection to this wisdom. Using psychedelics can, at times, allow us to tap into this internal wisdom for our highest good. Psychedelic experiences are highly personal, and are always different for each person and each experience. How do we make sense out of our experiences so that we can gain the most benefit from them?
Integration with a trained therapist can be extremely beneficial. I have found that regardless of one’s psychedelic experience, taking time to process what happened can bring insights, awareness, and adaptive experiences that can change our lives. I have also found that integration happens over time and can continue unfolding long after the psychedelic experience is over.
Profound healing during psychedelic experiences can happen, but one may not always have the social/emotional skills to move forward in life to hold onto this new found awareness. People have lived the years of their lives entrenched in defense mechanisms for protection. Those defense mechanisms are like grooves formed in the road they have spent a lifetime traveling. Psychedelics can give a new awareness and optimism, and yet one’s path still has these well-worn grooves to do things the way one always has. It is easy to slip right back into that well-worn comfortable path. So, integration therapy, helps one to create new grooves and a new pathway with support.
Integration therapy is a process of reflecting upon one’s psychedelic experiences to understand the meaning it has in one’s life. Regardless of whether you have had the deepest visions and insights or experienced nothing, you can integrate what happened for you to gain insights and support. There are many tools that are used for support. Talk therapy is a small part of integration, and will be deepened with body centered work that includes Internal Family Systems (IFS) parts work, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming), Brainspotting, and compassionate mindfulness to help one reprogram old traumas that unconsciously impact us in the present. The goal of this work is to build a strong connection between one’s current awareness and one’s internal wise core self. Many of us have lost that connection or have a critical voice that shuts it down. The goal is to build that internal connection to our core wise self, and treat ourselves with compassion as we move forward in life.
Life has so much to offer, and it is possible to find that spark to have an engaging vibrant life. Humans are built to have connections and loving support. Integration therapy is a way to bring that back into our lives through first developing that critical connection to ourselves. Contact me to schedule a free 30 minute consultation to see if we are a good fit for your needs. You can call me at the number below for a phone consultation, or click the Book an Appointment to go directly to my secure site to schedule an online telehealth consultation.
