Integration: what you need to know

Repost from Tricycle Day Newsletter

Amánda Efthimiou has had life-changing experiences with psychedelics, no doubt. But to her, integration is everything. That’s why in her integration coaching and consulting practice, she regularly works with people who’ve never once even touched a psychedelic substance.

We asked Amánda what psychedelic retreats and clinics often get wrong about integration, how corporations are using integration for leadership development, and why psychedelics aren’t the total solution many people make them out to be.

What motivated you to get your master’s degree in neuroscience? Did you have personal reasons for studying psychedelics?

It was definitely personal reasons. Growing up, I experienced tremendous anxiety and bouts of depression. I tried all kinds of pharmaceutical drugs to help with my mental health issues, but nothing really worked. That's when I realized I was just treating surface-level symptoms and not actually going within.

I started meditating and being more intentional with my body through movement and dance. Then I approached a community working with plant medicine, which opened up a whole new world of healing for me. It didn't cure my anxiety, but it gave me back some power. I found my ability to take care of myself and be my own best healer.

After feeling better from these experiences, I wanted to go deeper and understand what was actually happening in my brain. So I decided to go back to university for a neuroscience and psychology of mental health degree. The community that had introduced me to plant medicine was very much underground and ceremonial, which resonated with me. But I knew that wasn't the only approach, and I wanted to understand the scientific perspective too. I fundamentally believe we need to understand this process from both a scientific and a more transpersonal, spiritual perspective.

How did you come to realize the importance of integration? Were there specific experiences that inspired you to found INTEGRA?

There are three main dimensions that led me to start INTEGRA. First, while consulting for an investment group called Woven Science, I got a bird's eye view of the psychedelics industry. I noticed we were heavily focused on drug delivery but not on what happens after. Integration, I realized, is by far the most important part, yet we weren't really looking at it as an ecosystem.

Second, while working with El Puente Foundation, I was exposed to more traditional ways of using plant medicines. I saw that in indigenous communities, life is already integrated with nature. There's no separate need for an integration protocol. But in our Western context, we need integration because we don't live in that kind of interconnected, nature-rooted society. People go to retreats in the jungle and then have to go right back into the "concrete jungle" or "digital jungle.”

Lastly, my personal experience showed me that integrating my very first journey was crucial to my own growth process. I knew providing structure for integration could really help people.

As for what INTEGRA does, it's multi-dimensional. We consult with retreat centers, clinics, and other spaces that provide altered states experiences, substance-induced or otherwise. We help them design integration programs tailored to their specific populations. We also offer training through our Reciproco Method to help professionals become “psychedelic literate” and support their clients before and after altered states experiences. This could be anyone from coaches to psychiatrists to massage therapists, even those who don’t work with medicine directly. Finally, we offer one-on-one and group coaching around integration.

Integration approaches probably work best when tailored to the individual, right? Are there any key principles that seem to apply universally?

There are a couple. One is that we need to widen our definition of integration. Many retreat spaces say they offer integration, but what they usually mean is a sharing circle or a one-on-one therapy consultation right after the experience ends. I like to call this a transition or landing phase. It’s not really integration yet.

Another principle is recognizing that immediate group sharing isn't beneficial for everyone. People who've just come out of a high-intensity altered state are still processing their inner journey. They may not even have words for it yet. When you put people in a group setting to talk about their experience right away, you often get people trying to impress others or the facilitator, or struggling to wrap up a cohesive narrative when they haven't made sense of it themselves.

Real integration is about leaning into the body first and taking time for it to assimilate the experience. It's about rest and doing nothing, letting the body show the way. This might mean a lot of sleep or just feeling what's happening within us without trying to rationalize it.

In clinical settings, time and resources are often limited. Providers don't have the ability to let someone just be there for hours to assimilate their experience. That’s why I always advise designing for integration after a number of days, and only then including sharing if desired. We need to give space for the person's individual experience first.

Are companies outside the psychedelic industry interested in this type of work? What’s the most interesting project you've done for a corporate client?

Yes, there are some major corporations getting involved, but maybe not in the ways you might expect. They're intrigued by the concept of working with nature as a tool for self-awareness and leadership development. Although it’s easy to forget, nature is an accessible resource that offers rich knowledge and healing if we choose to look at it that way.

Some companies want to bring their leaders on a journey that reconnects them with nature. This kind of intentional offsite, even without substances, can still replicate some aspects of a psychedelic experience. They're interested in the concept of integration because they recognize that to become better leaders, they need to integrate all parts of themselves—emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual.

For example, I'm going to New York for Climate Week to do three events. One of them will bring corporate leaders to a park for a series of exercises. It's essentially a fast-track integration process for climate-aware leaders, without the psychedelics. We're working with people completely outside the realm of psychedelics or mental health—heads of impact at major corporations like Starbucks, for instance.

These leaders are intrigued by consciousness and altered states, and they want to explore how they can engage with these concepts to bring about positive change. Ultimately, it’s a systemic approach. The only way we can create a regenerative society is if we're working on regenerating our inner state. That's the perspective I try to bring to this work as much as I can.

You’ve said yourself that “psychedelics aren’t the solution.” Looking at the bigger picture, what should we be focusing on for the future of personal and societal wellbeing?

Right. Psychedelics aren't the solution; they're part of a bigger picture. We can't fully heal ourselves within a sick society, so we need to look at the social dynamics and structures around us. What we should really focus on is rebuilding community and social connections.

Many of us are living in a way that keeps us disconnected from one other. Even families are often isolated units. I believe we need to build tribes again. Where are the self-sustaining communities where people support each other through good times and bad? In these communities, people don't get left behind, and there's a natural equilibrium.

This means looking back to our origins and to nature. How can we learn from natural systems and indigenous peoples who have sustained themselves for a long time?

If we can create solid community structures, there won't be as much disconnection in the first place. People won't need to seek external solutions for problems that could be addressed within their community. Real communities are natural, sustainable mechanisms of support and connection.

For the future, we need to ask ourselves what we're really seeking when we turn to psychedelics. If it's connection with loved ones, let's create community structures that support that. If it's a spiritual or mystical connection, let's create groups or practices that help us get there. These are the ways we integrate as one.