Online Psychedelic Integration Therapy
Online Integration Therapy in California
Integrate /in-ti-greyt/
verb
To Make Whole
To Bring Parts together
When someone has undergone a journey with psychedelics like MDMA, psilocybin, DMT, Ayahuasca, LSD, or dissociatives like ketamine, there may be some “residue” or leftover feelings from the experience. Perhaps shadow material surfaced, dark thoughts arose, or confusing or overwhelming experiences were witnessed. The experience may have even felt like a “bad trip.” These residual memories and experiences can feel like missing pieces to a puzzle or even like overwhelmed or distressing side effects (not feelings as clear about reality as before the psychedelic experience).
While these side effects are expected and generally resolve within several months, psychotherapy can significantly assist and enhance healing. Integration therapy can assist this process and bring these missing pieces into consciousness to make a person feel stronger and more “integrated” and whole than before the experience. In in-depth psychotherapy, this integration process refers to uniting the conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche.
Lovewell is pleased to provide integration sessions for psychedelic-assisted therapy (MDMA, psilocybin) and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy online in collaboration with medical clinics.
Lovewell does not administer ketamine or psychedelics but can provide vital integration services to those receiving ketamine therapy administered in the Bay Area, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other cities in California.
What is Integration Therapy?
Integration therapy is a holistic (whole person) and multi-disciplinary approach to psychedelic and ketamine-assisted therapy that combines ideas and techniques from a harm reduction, mindfulness, psychodynamic, and depth-oriented principles and practices and is based on past and current research with psychedelic-assisted therapy. Integration therapy assists clients in integrating their psychedelic experience and may be an ongoing process or a few sessions. Integration therapy helps clients explore and make meaning of their experience, process challenging aspects of the experience, make positive changes in their lives based on new insights, use tools like journaling and creative expression, and connect to their support system. Integration therapy should always be client-directed.
Benefits of Integration Therapy Treatment
- Helps make meaning of experience and extract values and goals
- Helps process challenging or painful aspects of the psychedelic experience
- It helps integrate the experience into daily life.
- Aids in making positive values-based changes during the window of time when one’s brain is most neuroplastic following a psychedelic experience
- Maintains benefits of the psychedelic experience
- Reduces possible harmful temporary emotional effects of psychedelic experiences
- It helps connect with somatic and emotional experiences.
- Assists in processing intrusive thoughts and feelings.
Who is a Good Integration Therapy Candidate?
18+ in California
Anxiety or depressive disorders
No unstable medical conditions
No contraindicated psychiatric disorders
No uncontrolled substance use disorders
Received ketamine therapy at a clinic
Received psychedelic dosing experience either during a clinical trial, in another state, or elsewhere
What to expect in Integration Therapy?
You can expect a different experience than traditional therapy. As in traditional therapy, the therapist holds a nonjudgmental, supportive stance. However, integration therapy tends to be less directive than traditional therapy and assumes the client is the expert in their own life. The goal of this approach is to support rather than to direct this therapy and to empower the client in their psychedelic-assisted journey. This does not mean the therapist is entirely passive. They will provide information, appropriate knowledge, and reflections for the client’s understanding.
What is the Process of Integration Therapy?
Suppose you begin integration therapy before being administered psychedelics or ketamine. In that case, you will have a psychotherapy intake and a minimum of 2 additional sessions with the therapist in preparation for the process.
During the preparation, the therapist will develop an understanding of where you are, what you know about psychedelic therapy, and what you want to know more about. While psychedelics have far less addictive potential and fewer overall health risks than other substances, the therapist will discuss risks and benefits with you in addition to helping you mentally and emotionally prepare for the process.
After the first dosing session, our recommended process is generally one follow-up and integration session per session. These weekly sessions integrate therapeutic techniques and address ketamine-specific concerns as well as general therapy concerns.
After the ketamine or psychedelic sessions are complete, 3-4 integration sessions are recommended at a minimum. Some people choose ongoing therapy, and others choose to close the therapy now. Ongoing therapy is recommended for more chronic conditions.
While at Lovewell, we believe that ongoing therapy and integration is the best course for most people. Not everyone that comes to us needs this level of support and care. If depression and anxiety are mild, four integration therapy sessions may be enough to see lasting results for months.
How Long do the Antidepressant Effects of a Psychedelic Last?
This varies according to substance, but the antidepressant effects of ketamine - which is the most widely studied and available - sink in as soon as the dosing session ends and last for about two weeks if another follow-up dose is not taken. If a protocol of 6 weekly sessions is followed, generally, results last much longer - at least 3 or 4 months. Depending on the severity of symptoms, some people require more than six dosing sessions to see lasting effects.
How is Psychedelic Integration Therapy Different from Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy?
Psychedelic integration therapy happens outside of a clinical trial. It addresses client needs, co-occurring mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, integrating insights and feelings from psychedelic experiences, and coordination with other providers. Psychedelic-assisted therapy occurs with the oversight of medical providers and, at this time, as part of a clinical trial.
Please get in touch with us to see if one of our psychedelic integration specialists can be of support to you on your integration journey.
Can Psychedelics Cure Depression?
Some early clinical trials show promise that psychedelics like psilocybin can effectively treat depression in specific doses, settings, and timelines. Ketamine is currently being administered legally to alleviate treatment-resistant depression, based on studies demonstrating the efficacy of between 50 and 80% when specific therapeutic protocols are followed.
