Psychedelic integration as a bridge between ordinary and non-ordinary states

Integration as a bridge between ordinary and non-ordinary states

Join us for our Monthly Art Integration Gathering

6:30pm - 8pm at Give Rise Studio in Frederick

I’ve recently been thinking about integration as a bridge. Integration is a process that bridges an altered state of consciousness with a non-altered state; as you cross this bridge, it’s important to remember to travel at your own pace. Integration invites intentional space to gently process your experiences so that they can then become part of your regular understanding.

I like to think of integration as a slow allowing, a gentle walk across the bridge, rather than a forcing, get-to-the-other-side-as-quick-as-you-can run. This process can be simple and soft, and when you allow the simplicity and softness, you invite spaciousness and insight. When you force it, you invite contraction and pressure. I think there’s also something about rushing the process that can invite feelings of “doing it wrong”, or “not enough-ness” that often show up in the process of healing. 

When you take a look at the complexity of psychedelic experiences, or really any change in state (a change in a relationship, a change in job, a move), sometimes the complexity of your experience means that words don’t always fully capture what you’re moving through.

For me personally, I have found creativity to be a soft guide across the bridge as I integrate experiences in my life, psychedelic and otherwise. Leaning into practices such as song, art, and dance has allowed me to process my experiences in a way that words can’t fully capture, and in ways that help me understand myself better. 

As a therapist, I love talking about experiences. I love verbal processing. I also know that sometimes words don’t accurately convey what’s happening inside. You might catch yourself saying something like, “I just can’t explain it”, or “it makes so much more sense in my head”, or “I wish I could show you the image in my brain”. When words aren’t the right choice for the moment, creative practices can help you cultivate more depth of understanding of what’s happening internally. 

Integration is so important because it creates a connection between the insights that come from a psychedelic experience and your day-to-day life.

This bridge asks: how can you allow the insights to impact you as you move through the world? How can you hold them close, hold them softly, so that they actually make a difference in your experience and how you show up?

Creativity offers a space to slowly allow the insights to land, gently explore them, articulate them without analyzing, and approach yourself with curiosity and kindness rather than forcing yourself to get somewhere more quickly than the pace you are moving. 

If you’d like to explore creativity as a means of integration, I would love to invite you to our monthly Art Integration Gathering.

Led by Missy Scherr-Phillips, our amazing art therapist, this gathering offers a calm, supportive environment to gently process what you're moving through with art and creativity as allies. A variety of materials will be available for you to choose from so that you can gravitate towards what speaks to you without the pressure of a set finished product to work towards. Here, we're focused on the process rather than the end result. 

Learn more here: mindbwellness.com/artgathering