Integration therapy & coaching

Integration therapy and coaching are two of the newest integration techniques hat are popping up all over the US. Although different, the basic idea of integration therapy and coaching are the same: talking to a professional to help you unpack your psychedelic experience. However, the difference is important.

Integration therapy, or someone who is advertised as an "integration therapist," is more likely a licensed, clinical professional, either a psychologist or social worker, who has done some kind of professional training on psychedelics and integration. Therefore, these licenses professionals are bound to certain legal standards, like confidentiality and privacy. Coaches, on the other hand, are often unlicensed, and although they may be "wonderfully competent," they are not legally held to the same standards.

Integration therapy might very well look like normal therapy, a non-directive talking approach to help clients find meaning from psychedelics and other experiences, like childhood memories or dreams. Coaching might be more directive, and coaches might feel more comfortable giving clients more concrete advice on how to enact lessons in the here and now. If you're trying to choose between the two, it will depend on what kind of support you're looking for and the level of privacy you require. 

Yet, do you really need a professional to help you integrate? Well, no. Integration therapy is not necessary for everyone who does a psychedelic. Yet, most people who reach out for integration therapy do often have a history of depression, anxiety, PTSD, or similar condition, and so for them, an integration therapist gives them the extra support they may need going into and coming out of a psychedelic experience. If you are someone who wants to use psychedelics for healing and dealing with mental health conditions similar to the ones mentioned, enlisting a professional's guidance is a great idea and can be a really beneficial tool for your journey and continued growth and wellness.

If you're considering a psychedelic experience and also an integration professional you should schedule your first appointment before your ceremony. That way, the therapist or coach can help you decide if plant medicine is the best option for you, give you alternative ideas and help you prepare mentally and spiritually as well as for any possibly acute and post-trip effects and feelings.

**Excerpt From Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion, by Michelle Janikian