Integration Coaching
What is integration?
Integration is a general term used to describe support for pre and post psychedelic experience. Integration does not have to be limited just to psychedelic experiences but can encompass any work with non-ordinary or holotropic states of consciousness such as breathwork.
There are a lot of different ways to approach integration work depending on the practitioners training and expertise. Some provide integration services through a coaching framework and those who are clinically trained in psychotherapy that there is no different between “psychedelic integration” and therapy. The process of integration is unique to the practitioner and her or his framework/approach.
Some also believe that psychedelic integration is also just focused on post experience. We believe that the “work” begins way before the experience. For example, when one might make the conscious decision to engage any type of work that incorporates non-ordinary states of consciousness, he or she may experience various emotions, feelings, and memories surface before the experience happens. This is normal. We believe that it is important to address these feelings or emotions before the sessions so that you are getting maximize benefit out of the experience.
Integration is a process. It is a process of moving towards and creating wholeness in your life. Integration also takes work. It takes conscious effort to create change. While we believe in the healing power of psychedelics and other holotropic states of consciousness, we also believe that change does not occur unless you make a conscious effort to work on the change that you are hoping to create.
Who is integration coaching for?
· You are looking to create change in your life.
· You are not afraid and are willing to put in the work to create change.
· You want to approach the work with non-ordinary states of consciousness with conscious intention to create change in your life.
· You want to develop a deeper meaning and understanding of your experience
· You want to implement the insights that you gained during your experience
· You had a difficult or challenging experience that you are still trying to understand.
· You are overall curious about your relationship to the universe!
Who integration coaching is NOT for?
· You do not want to put in the work pre or post experience.
· You believe that the change only comes from the experience itself and not about the intention you put into the experience or the work afterwards.
· You do not have a sense of curiosity about your experience
· You are not committed to creating change in your life
A Path Towards Integration
Integration has been a concept for me way before I even knew what the term meant. My integration process essentially began when I was 16 years old. At this age, I suffered from a traumatic snowboarding accident that fostered a near-death experience. Dancing with death at an early left me with a huge vision and high ideas about life. This experience took me to a place outside of time and space. It was one of the most psychedelic experiences I have ever had. Since this experience, I have dedicated my life to studying transpersonal experiences and holotropic states of consciousness and trying to understand how to move these experiences forward in life.
I have spent a great deal of time thinking about my experiences with holotropic states of consciousness and became so occupied with trying to “figure” it out:
· Was it real?
· If the experience wasn’t real, then what do I do?
· If the experience was real, what do I do with it?
· What does it all mean?
· How can I validate my experience?
· Was the experience just physiological reflexes of the brain?
· Maybe there is a biochemical mechanism that explains the experience
As time went out, I realized that I was spending so much time trying to “figure” it all out that I was not actually embodying my experience. I was not living my truth or the vision that was given to me. I also began to realize that integration is a process. It unfolds over time and that we sometimes just have to be patient. My thinking began to shift and I became less occupied trying to understand the mechanisms of the experience and began to shift my focus on embodying the experience and doing something with it. My thinking shifted, “So what if the experience was real or not real, did it impact my life? What am I doing with the experience? How does this experience continue to influence my life and choices?”
In 2014 I wrote an article about integration for the Inner Door: A Publication of the Association for Holotropic Breathwork™ International. In this article, I stated:
I’ve spent a good portion of my life trying to figure it out. Over the past few years, I have stopped taking the role of the researcher and asking how and why the NDE phenomenon happens. My main concern has shifted – what do I do with it, and how do I integrate it back into my life? How can I create wholeness in my life from this experience? These questions are much more important to me than seeking the ultimate truth or the mystical aspects of the experience.
This statement still holds true to me and I believe the embodiment of the experience is important. I am here to support you in your integration process.
My Approach to Integration Coaching
Transpersonal and Somatic Approaches
My academic background includes a B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology and an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis in Somatic Psychology. While I do not offer psychotherapy or clinical mental health services, my educational background feeds into my theoretical approach. I incorporate transpersonal and somatic theories into my coaching practice by offering psychoeducation and peer support.
What sessions may look like
Understanding where you are at in your process and what you are looking to integrate from your experiences
Holding space for you to share your story
Breaking down your experience into small goals
Working with your narrative/story based around the experience
Meditations and breath practices
Putting your goals into action
**Important - Please be advised, coaching is not mental health treatment/therapy and should not be a replacement for mental health services. I do not assess, diagnose, or provide treatment for mental health disorders.
Coaching Packages
You will receive a 60-75 minute call plus email support. You can schedule your calls on a weekly basis or you may schedule them whenever you would like to meet.
1 Call: $150
2 Calls: $250
5 Calls: $625
8 Calls: $929
Contact me today to schedule a free 15-minute call to see if psychedelic integration coaching is right for you!
Sliding-Scale: If money is an issue, please ask me about sliding-scale fees.
Psychoeducation
If you really want to deepen your education and knowledge around psychedelics and the psychedelic experience, I highly suggest checking out my program, Navigating Psychedelics: Lessons on Self-Care & Integration, offered by Psychedelics Today
