Integration and Support Resources

The dictionary definition of integration is–to form, to coordinate, to combine or to blend for the purpose of creating a unified, functioning whole. Bufo, our Toad Sacrament, 5-MEO-DMT is a powerful medicine that brings us into our deepest formative selves, catalyzing profound, intricate processes within soul, psyche, and body. The Sacramental process draws out submerged, deep dwelling aspects of psyche, bringing fragmented aspects of our self to awareness, for release and healing. But entheogenic communion, the taking of the medicine, is only the first step in the process. The next step, after communion, is the assimilation process that comes in the days, weeks and even months following a sacramental journey. This is the integration period. The time where psychological healing and spiritual illumination come together again as a functioning whole. The time in the process when the work is done.

The Sacramental process establishes what is in a sense a new part of you that has been healed. A new and different part that must be returned, re-aligned, and integrated into your old familiar self. This can be an intense process, for some an overwhelming process. Here are a few ways to move through and stay grounded during the integration period.

Firstly, you want to allow the process to manifest in a space of awareness. If you let yourself become caught up in the hustle of life, you might miss the more subtle aspects of integration and lose the meaning the medicine intends to convey. Further, the intense aspects of integration might catch you by surprise, which can be overwhelming without some kind of mindfulness practice. As the medicine shows you things about yourself that were previously unconscious, you will get important insights into the meaning of your healing process. For this reason, you will want to have an internal space in your life that is grounded and peaceful, so you will be mindful enough not to suppress or ignore the medicine’s message because you are thinking you are just having ‘a bad day’. It is common that this kind of release and insight is the key that facilitates the integration of the new self into the familiar self, becoming the moment of healing and transformation.

An excellent way to work with the integration process is meditation. Meditation practices during integration will give you the internal stability to work with uncomfortable feelings skillfully. Integration is a natural process of non-resistance, that gives us a mindful detachment, that builds in us the skill to allow the process to happen unimpeded. Meditation can be a sitting practice with an object of focus, such as on breath. Some people who prefer more active means of meditation might try yoga, tai-chi, or esoteric visualization practices. It is important when choosing a meditation not to force yourself into a practice that doesn’t suit your temperament. For some people working with their hands, like cooking or woodworking are meditative, as is playing music or drawing.

Post ceremony diet is an important aspect of the integration process. Without stipulating what kind of food you should eat; a diet of hardy solid foods will go a long way to helping you stay grounded and in touch with your body. Drink plenty of water. Vitamin supplements can be good too. Stay away from alcohol and stimulants like caffeine, which harm the quality of, and can even destroy the integration.

Talking with others about what you are experiencing can be crucial in working through the integration process. It is good to have someone in your life you can share with openly what you are experiencing. If during the process you begin to feel overwhelmed, it’s important that you don’t isolate yourself. Having a friend or a social circle in the medicine community can be critically important during those times. If you feel overwhelmed, please consult the list below, which includes free counselling services for concerns related to entheogen issues. Also, because the medicine can trigger a variety of unresolved aspects of self, we have included an extensive list of mental health related services for a diversity of communities.