Integration Support: A Guide to Entheogenic Experiences
Psychedelic and entheogenic medicines have been used by cultures across the world for centuries to expand consciousness, heal trauma, and reconnect the mind, body, and spirit. Whether experienced in ceremony, therapy, or personal exploration, these substances can open doors—but it's the integration afterward that helps us walk through them with clarity and purpose.
This page offers practical, grounded insight into several powerful medicines. You’ll find descriptions, common experiences, preparation tips, and integration guidance—rooted in respect, not hype. These are not endorsements or instructions, but reflections to support you on your own path.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This information is provided for educational and harm-reduction purposes only. It is not medical advice, nor does it promote or encourage illegal activity. Many of these substances are currently classified as controlled substances in various regions. Please know and respect the laws in your area. Always approach these experiences with care, intention, and proper support.
Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)
A naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms. Known for expanding perception, dissolving ego boundaries, and reconnecting us to emotion, nature, and the present moment.
Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)
🧬 What are they:
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in over 180 species of mushrooms. It’s known for its ability to gently open perception, shift emotional patterns, and dissolve ego structures—inviting deeper awareness of self, nature, and the present moment.
🌿 Origin & Traditional Use:
Used ceremonially for thousands of years by Indigenous cultures in Central and South America. Referred to as teonanácatl (“flesh of the gods”), it was used in rituals for healing, divination, and connection to the divine. Rediscovered in the West in the 1950s, it’s now studied extensively for mental health treatment.
🌌 Experience:
Effects typically begin within 30–60 minutes, peaking around 2–3 hours and lasting 4–6 hours total. Experiences range from joyful and connected to deeply introspective or cathartic. Common elements: vivid visuals, emotional insight, childlike wonder, and a dissolving of time and separation.
🧘 Preparation:
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Reflect on your intention
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Create a safe, calm, and familiar setting
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Light meals or fasting beforehand may enhance clarity
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Avoid mixing with other substances
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Have a trusted friend or guide if needed
🌀 Integration:
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Journal and gently revisit the experience
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Walk in nature or engage in grounding practices
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Don’t rush to make meaning—let insights unfold
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Talking with a coach or therapist can deepen clarity
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Prioritize rest and hydration afterward
⚖️ Legal Note:
Psilocybin remains a Schedule I substance in the U.S., but has been decriminalized in cities like Denver, Oakland, and Seattle, and legalized for therapeutic use in Oregon and Colorado. Always check your local laws and proceed with respect and personal responsibility.
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)
🧬 What It Is:
A semi-synthetic psychedelic compound first synthesized in 1938 and famously rediscovered by Dr. Albert Hofmann in 1943. LSD is known for radically expanding perception, enhancing pattern recognition, and amplifying inner landscapes.
🌍 Origin & Traditional Use:
Though not derived from traditional plant-based ceremonies, LSD became a central part of the 1960s counterculture and has since been studied for its therapeutic potential in treating anxiety, depression, and addiction. It’s often considered a bridge between scientific and spiritual exploration.
🌈 Experience:
Effects begin around 30–60 minutes after ingestion and last 8–12 hours. Users report visual distortions, synesthesia, emotional breakthroughs, and sometimes a profound sense of interconnectedness. It can also challenge the ego and bring subconscious material to the surface.
🧘 Preparation:
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Set intentions, but stay open to the unknown
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Prepare your space—quiet, safe, and free of interruptions
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Avoid external stimulation (TV, phones) unless intentional
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Be mindful of dosage and source purity
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Have a sober sitter if it’s your first time or a high dose
🌀 Integration:
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Don’t try to process everything at once—allow time
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Use journaling, movement, or art to express what emerged
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Discuss insights with a coach, therapist, or trusted friend
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Watch for the “afterglow” and use it to build new habits
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Rest well—LSD can be energetically and mentally intense
⚖️ Legal Note:
LSD remains a Schedule I substance under U.S. federal law and is illegal in most countries. However, research into its therapeutic use is ongoing, and global interest in its healing potential is growing. Always check local laws and prioritize responsible, ethical use.
DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine)
🧬 What It Is:
A powerful, fast-acting psychedelic naturally found in many plants and even produced in trace amounts in the human body. Often called “the spirit molecule,” DMT delivers intensely vivid and immersive experiences that can feel like stepping into entirely different dimensions.
🌿 Origin & Traditional Use:
DMT is the active compound in many Amazonian brews, most famously in Ayahuasca. Used ceremonially by Indigenous tribes for healing, divination, and spiritual connection. In modern times, it's also smoked or vaporized for short but profound solo journeys.
🌌 Experience:
When inhaled, effects hit in under a minute and last 5–15 minutes—though the experience can feel timeless. Users report contact with beings, geometric patterns, otherworldly realms, and ego dissolution. When part of Ayahuasca, the journey is longer (4–6 hours) and more emotionally immersive.
🧘 Preparation:
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Calm your nervous system beforehand (breathwork, meditation, grounding)
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Know your setting—quiet, safe, sacred
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Have an experienced sitter or facilitator, especially for first-time journeys
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Avoid mixing with other substances (especially MAOIs if smoking DMT)
🌀 Integration:
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DMT moves fast—take time afterward to sit, breathe, and anchor
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Journal as soon as you're able, even if it feels abstract
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Be gentle with yourself in the hours and days that follow
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Share with someone who understands the territory
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Remember: just because it's short doesn't mean it’s shallow
⚖️ Legal Note:
DMT is classified as a Schedule I substance in the U.S. and many countries. Ayahuasca, which contains DMT, exists in legal grey areas depending on context and use. Always research laws and prioritize safety, consent, and respect.
5-MeO-DMT ("The God Molecule")
🧬 What It Is:
A potent, naturally occurring tryptamine found in the venom of the Bufo alvarius toad and some plant species. Unlike DMT, which often presents visual journeys, 5-MeO-DMT rapidly dissolves ego and launches consciousness into pure awareness—sometimes described as becoming “everything and nothing.”
🐸 Origin & Traditional Use:
Used in some Indigenous practices in Sonora and increasingly embraced in modern ceremonial contexts. It gained wider visibility through underground facilitators and retreat centers, often framed as a tool for spiritual awakening and trauma release.
🌊 Experience:
Fast onset (within seconds when smoked or vaporized), peaking within 5 minutes and lasting 20–30 minutes. Common themes include ego death, merging with source consciousness, overwhelming feelings of divine love, and occasionally fear or resistance during surrender. It’s not a “trip”—it’s an obliteration followed by reassembly.
🧘 Preparation:
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Nervous system support is essential (somatic work, breathwork, trauma awareness)
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Clear intentions, but no attachment—this is not a controllable experience
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Choose your facilitator with extreme care—experience, ethics, and integration support matter
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Avoid all stimulants or other substances beforehand
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Light diet, grounding practices, and emotional readiness are key
🌀 Integration:
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Be gentle—this medicine can leave your system raw and wide open
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Allow spaciousness for the days following (time in nature, journaling, silence)
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Integration support (coaching, therapy, community) is often vital
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Understand that not all downloads will make sense immediately
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Anchor what you felt more than what you “saw”
⚖️ Legal Note:
5-MeO-DMT is a Schedule I substance in the U.S. and many countries, though enforcement and context vary. Retreats exist in regions where it is legal or unregulated, but quality and safety vary greatly. Always vet your source and facilitator with care, and trust your gut.
Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)
A naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms. Known for expanding perception, dissolving ego boundaries, and reconnecting us to emotion, nature, and the present moment.
Ketamine
🧬 What It Is:
Originally developed as an anesthetic, ketamine is a dissociative compound with unique psychedelic properties. Unlike classic psychedelics, it works on NMDA receptors, often creating a sense of spacious detachment and deep introspection.
🩺 Origin & Modern Use:
Ketamine has been used medically since the 1960s and is now legally prescribed off-label for depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. It’s available through ketamine-assisted therapy and infusion clinics, making it one of the few legally accessible psychedelic therapies in the U.S.
🌌 Experience:
Onset is rapid—within minutes if injected or infused. Effects last about 45–90 minutes. Experiences vary from dreamlike states and ego detachment to “K-hole” journeys that feel like slipping into other dimensions or witnessing life from an out-of-body perspective. It can also feel gentle, soft, and emotionally clarifying in smaller doses.
🧘 Preparation:
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Light meals before (avoid heavy digestion)
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Reflect on intentions, especially around emotional healing
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Trust the container: medical setting, trained therapist, or calm ceremonial space
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Music matters—a lot. Choose a thoughtful playlist or trust your guide’s curation
🌀 Integration:
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Journaling often helps ground the nonlinear nature of the experience
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Movement (yoga, walking) can bring clarity afterward
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Talk therapy or integration coaching is ideal, especially if used clinically
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Treat the “afterglow” as a creative and neuroplastic window for change
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Hydrate and rest—your body still goes through a journey
⚖️ Legal Note:
Ketamine is legal in the U.S. for medical use and is increasingly offered in therapeutic settings. Recreational use carries legal and safety risks, especially when mixed with other depressants. Work with licensed professionals when possible and prioritize safe, intentional use.
Ayahuasca
🧬 What It Is:
A sacred Amazonian brew traditionally made by combining two plants: the Ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and a DMT-containing leaf like Chacruna. The vine contains MAOIs, which make the DMT orally active, allowing for a prolonged, immersive journey into the unconscious, the spiritual, and the ancestral.
🌿 Origin & Traditional Use:
Ayahuasca has been used for thousands of years by Indigenous tribes of the Amazon basin in healing, vision quests, and rites of passage. Often administered by shamans (curanderos), it’s considered a plant teacher—one that works with you, not for you. Each ceremony is a dialogue, not a transaction.
🌌 Experience:
Journeys can last 4–6 hours, often including purging (vomiting, crying, shaking), emotional release, visions, ancestral contact, and ego dissolution. It’s not always gentle—but it is almost always profound. Themes of healing, forgiveness, and reconnection to nature or spirit are common.
🧘 Preparation:
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Follow a dieta: a light, clean diet without stimulants, alcohol, red meat, or sexual activity
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Emotional readiness and surrender are key
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Choose your facilitators with care—lineage, safety protocols, and ethics matter deeply
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Set intentions, but allow the medicine to guide
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Hydrate and rest well leading up
🌀 Integration:
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Journal everything—even the messy parts
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Be gentle for the next few days; your system is wide open
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Avoid overstimulation; spend time in nature, move slowly
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Seek integration support—a coach, therapist, or community you trust
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Sometimes the insights are immediate; other times they unfold over weeks
⚖️ Legal Note:
Ayahuasca contains DMT, a Schedule I substance in the U.S., though some religious groups have exemptions. It is legal in countries like Peru and Brazil. Many retreat centers operate in legal grey zones—research carefully and always choose safety over hype.
Peyote (Lophophora williamsii)
🧬 What It Is:
A small, spineless cactus native to the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, Peyote contains mescaline—a naturally occurring psychedelic compound. Unlike faster-acting substances, Peyote brings a slow, unfolding journey rooted in reverence, humility, and deep connection.
🌎 Origin & Traditional Use:
Peyote has been used for thousands of years in Native American spiritual practices. The Native American Church (NAC) continues to use it sacramentally in overnight ceremonies for healing, prayer, and communion with spirit. Peyote is not a “trip”—it is a sacred teacher. Its use is a rite, not a recreation.
🌌 Experience:
The journey can last 8–14 hours, with gradual onset. Effects include heightened sensory awareness, emotional release, visual visions (often subtle), deep spiritual insight, and connection to ancestors, nature, and source. It often involves extended prayer, singing, and community presence. Physical effects like nausea and purging may occur, especially early in the journey.
🧘 Preparation:
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Treat it as ceremony, not consumption
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Fast or eat lightly beforehand
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Enter with humility and clear intent—not to “get something,” but to offer your presence
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If attending an NAC ceremony, follow all guidance, dress codes, and protocols
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Respect the culture—don’t appropriate; be invited or work with authentic stewards of the medicine
🌀 Integration:
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Honor the slowness—less is more afterward
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Sit with your prayers, not just your visions
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Spend time in nature and in gratitude
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Let the teachings unfold in your actions, not just your insights
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Consider a tobacco offering or ritual to ground what you’ve received
⚖️ Legal Note:
Peyote is a Schedule I substance federally in the U.S., but legal for use by members of the Native American Church under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Outside of that context, harvesting, possessing, or using Peyote is illegal and disrespectful to endangered wild populations. Synthetic mescaline and San Pedro are sometimes used as alternatives but carry different energetic signatures.
Iboga / Ibogaine
🧬 What It Is:
Iboga is a powerful plant medicine derived from the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, native to West Africa. Its active compound, ibogaine, induces an intense psycho-spiritual experience that can last 12–24 hours or more. Known for interrupting addiction patterns, unlocking trauma, and reconnecting individuals to their soul path.
🌍 Origin & Traditional Use:
Iboga is central to the Bwiti spiritual tradition of Gabon, where it is used in initiations, healings, and rites of passage. In the West, ibogaine is also used in clinical and ceremonial settings to treat substance dependencies, PTSD, and deep-rooted emotional wounds. However, the traditional use is not just therapeutic—it’s spiritual, ancestral, and community-held.
🌌 Experience:
Often described as a waking dream state or “life review,” the experience can involve intense visuals, contact with ancestors, revisiting personal traumas, and receiving direct guidance. It is not recreational and should never be taken lightly. Physical effects may include nausea, tremors, and deep exhaustion—followed by a profound state of clarity or reset.
🧘 Preparation:
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Extensive medical screening is essential—iboga affects the heart and central nervous system
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Emotional and spiritual readiness is key—it will show you what’s been avoided
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Work only with trusted, medically informed facilitators or clinics
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Fasting may be required; abstain from substances and stimulants
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Set strong, clear intentions—but be prepared to surrender to what unfolds
🌀 Integration:
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The real medicine begins after the experience—give yourself weeks, not days
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Stay grounded with rest, hydration, nature, and gentle movement
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Support is critical: therapist, coach, or integration community
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Revisit any guidance received through daily practice—this is a long game
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Expect fatigue and emotional waves—it’s part of the “rewiring” process
⚖️ Legal Note:
Ibogaine is illegal in the U.S. and several other countries due to its Schedule I classification, but is legal or unregulated in places like Mexico, Costa Rica, and parts of Africa. Ceremonial and clinical use must be handled with the utmost care—cardiac screenings and ethical facilitators are non-negotiable.
