Pre-Integration: A Missing Link?

Pre-Integration: A Missing Link in Psychedelic Use

Preparation >> Experience >> Integration

Preparation, followed by a psychedelic experience, followed by integration is a commonly agreed upon three-phase process to optimize the possible benefits of psychedelic experiences. Pre-Integration may be considered a missing link that can be inserted between the preparation phase and the psychedelic experience phase. This expands the psychedelic process into a four-phase system:

Preparation >> Pre-integration >> Experience >> Integration

Pre-integration is a phase that serves to enhance all phases of the intentional use of psychedelic medicines. Building from the preparation phase, the pre-integration phase involves actively envisioning what life will look like after a psychedelic experience. It is based on both the intention one sets for the experience and the anticipated productive changes following the experience. Pre-integration is predicated on the idea that the integration phase following a psychedelic experience holds the key to lasting positive changes. By practicing the principle of pre-integration, daily life changes may be more likely to be achieved following a psychedelic experience.

Pre-integration is like the saying: “If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand”, usually associated with the “law of attraction”. It’s also like visualization, a common tool used by coaches, sports psychologists, and in therapy and hypnosis. It is a technique that?helps people think deeply and in detail about certain positive outcomes in advance of an event. In creative visualization, one uses imagination and concentrated mental imagery to manifest their desires and goals.

This process has been shown to make a future version of oneself or one’s life a reality.

Preparation:

Preparation typically involves cultivating the best possible ‘set and setting’, that is, mindset or mental state and the environment where the psychedelic experience will take place. Preparation may also include the following elements:

·??????Establishing good rapport with a guide or community to create a mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually safe container for the psychedelic experience.

·??????Identifying music, chants, mantras, objects and other sensory and cognitive aspects that will be part of the psychedelic experience.

·??????Setting intentions through therapy, journaling, reading, connecting with nature and other people and a belief in a higher power (if that is part of an individual’s values).

Experience:

Experience refers to substance, dosage, timing, and the arc of the experience itself consisting of a beginning, middle and end of the psychedelic experience. The experience usually includes all the elements discussed during the preparation phase as described above.

Integration:

Integration following a psychedelic experience refers to the process of incorporating the insights and perspectives gained during the experience into one's daily life. This can include reflecting on the experience, discussing it with a therapist or guide, and finding ways to apply these new understandings to one's relationships, career, and personal growth. The process of integration is continuous and most effective when pursued long after the psychedelic experience itself. Integration involves:

·??????Self-care practices such as journaling, meditating, spending time in nature, exercise, prayer, reading, etc..

·??????Incorporating different techniques to sustain positive changes in ones behaviors, emotions, thoughts and spiritual practices such as breathwork, specific therapies, body work, etc..

·??????Exploring new perspectives, beliefs and values.

·??????Finding ways to be true to oneself.