According to the Synthesized Model of Integration proposed by Bathje, Majeski, & Kudowor, 2022, integration can be understood as taking place across 6 continuums. Acknowledging these continuums and seeing past the paradox can help you approach integration holistically.
The Conscious-Unconscious continuum reminds us that integration and change after psychedelic experience happens in ways we are consciously aware of but can also impact our unconscious patterns, structures, and meanings. The Conscious-Unconscious continuum most directly relates to integration in the domains of Spirit and Lifestyle but connects to the other domains as well.
Perhaps you are drawn to Jungian psychology and want to examine how your experience may be showing up in your dreams, symbols, or shadow. Perhaps you are participating in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and working formally on the reprocessing of memories or traumas.
Many psychonauts report mystical experiences and integrating these can involve both conscious re-examination of belief and unconscious behavior changes arising from new approaches to meaning or emotion. You can also use integration to bring more awareness to your unconscious or to make changes in your routines or habits.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that every aspect of society would be fundamentally transformed if it was born from a worldview that integrated the insights from mystical experience. In our own lives, integration of mystical experience entails aligning our lives and our livelihoods with the truths that we find inside. Mystical experiences are a gateway into seeing the potential for us to live our dharma, live our calling in a wildly expanded way to be in service of life.”
So, I invite you to take a moment now, eyes open, or eyes closed, and consider are there ways you could be integrating the truths that you know in your heart, in the work that you do?”
If you are interested in exploring this continuum, here are some activities to help you get started:
- Mind-Body-Spirit Alignment: Explore practices that align the mind, body, and spirit. How can you create harmony and balance between these aspects of yourself in your daily life?
- Identify specific actions or habits that align with the positive aspects of your journey. In what ways can you introduce these practices into your life to enhance your overall well-being?
- Journaling: Reflect on the visuals or symbols that appeared during your journey. What do you think they represent, and how do they relate to your life?
- Journaling: How did your experience respond to your intention (also considering opposites of your intention that might be barriers)? It may help to start by assuming the experience was just what it needed to be.
