Integration is the part of psychedelic therapy that comes after the drug session. A COMP360 therapist-training paper names three phases, preparation, the psilocybin session and integration, and describes integration as a process that unfolds over time as the person makes changes (Tai et al., 2021).
In trials it is concrete. The Johns Hopkins safety guidelines describe a meeting, typically the next day, to check psychological stability and talk through the experience (Johnson et al., 2008). In one COMP360 study, integration sessions with the lead therapist took place on day 2 and at week 1 (Goodwin et al., 2023). Oregon’s licensed psilocybin services, which are not a medical treatment program, include preparation, administration and integration sessions (Oregon Health Authority).
The word has spread well beyond trials, into retreats, coaching and peer groups, where it has no single definition or standard. How much integration contributes to outcomes, separately from the drug and the support around it, has not been tested on its own. This is a description, not a recommendation.
Sources
- Tai et al., Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2021
- Johnson, Richards and Griffiths, Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2008
- Goodwin et al., Neuropsychopharmacology, 2023
- Oregon Health Authority: What are psilocybin services?
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