What is an Integration Circle?
Photo by Fabrizio Chiagano on Unsplash
We are in the middle of a psychedelic renaissance. After years of exile from the scientific mainstream, psychedelics – like psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca and more – are on their way back, carried forward on a wave of renewed clinical and academic interest.
And it’s not just happening in labs. According to research from Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, recreational use of psychedelics among those aged 18-25 jumped from 0.9% in 2002 to 4% in 2019.
For many trippers, these psychedelic experiences are positive and transformative: they change the way we relate to and understand the world, ourselves, and each other. However, the dangers that first drove psychedelics into the legal twilight have not disappeared, and psychedelic experiences still have the potential to be distressing, challenging, and even harmful to mental health.
These substances are neither new nor previously unknown to humanity. Indigenous traditions around the world – from ayahuasca use in the cultures of the Amazon basin to the Bwiti spirituality of Gabon – have incorporated psychedelic substances in ritual and social settings for millennia, and have developed social structures and outlooks influenced by these experiences.
However, for many of us living in urban, westernized societies, the psychedelic experience can sit uncomfortably alongside the obligations and assumptions that frame our daily lives. In many ways, we are still in the infancy of our relationship with these substances, and the structures that can support us in processing the insights of a psychedelic experience are still immature. Organizations like PsyCare UK exist to fill this gap, providing harm reduction to enhance self-exploration, and supporting those struggling with overwhelming or dangerous situations.
One powerful tool we have is the integration circle. An integration circle provides a trusted and confidential environment for individuals to come together and discuss experiences that feel unfinished, puzzling, or that they may be struggling with. The idea is that, by sharing with others, and hearing others share in turn, participants can provide the missing pieces of each other’s puzzles, allowing the whole group to heal and grow collectively.
At PsyCareUK, we base our integration circles around Person-Centred and Relational models of therapy. These approaches aim to create a non-judgemental setting populated with attentive, interested peers, where individuals are afforded the space and the support they need to explore their experiences, grow on their own terms, and develop healthy relationships with themselves and others.
Inside the circle
So how is an integration circle run, and what does it entail?
Firstly, for an integration circle to proceed in an orderly fashion, a facilitator is essential. This person is responsible for overseeing the agenda of the circle, and guiding the session from its opening to its conclusion. The facilitator ensures that the qualities necessary to a successful integration circle are maintained – that the space remains safe, respectful, and non-judgemental.
A typical PsyCareUK circle (currently online-only) will last around just over two hours, and unfolds as follows:
The circle begins with a check in. Participants introduce themselves and let the group know how they are feeling. The facilitator then leads a grounding exercise, such as a short meditation. This allows participants to become aware of their own experience before the session begins.
A group agreement is then established. Integration circles are premised on creating an environment of non-judgemental trust and confidentiality, and all participants play a part in creating that environment. This can involve things like respecting the experiences of others, but also covers practical issues, like how to politely leave the group in a non-disruptive manner. Everything is focused around making sure the circle is comfortable for all participants, many of whom may be sharing difficult experiences from an often vulnerable place.
The facilitator checks in with the participants to get an idea of how many people want to share, then the floor is opened for participants to discuss their experiences. These experiences can be positive or negative, life-changing or otherwise. The important thing is that the experience is treated with respect, on its own terms. The person sharing can choose to invite feedback from the rest of the group, with a focus on how the person’s share resonated, and any reflections or personal insights it brought – we discourage advice, critique or explanation!
The session ends with another grounding exercise. Participants are invited to summarise their experience in a short word or phrase. We then thank each other, and the circle is brought to a close.
Our circles run on the first Monday of each month, managed by facilitators with years of experience in counselling, harm reduction, and psychedelic integration, as well as personal experiences in the world of psychedelics.
If you are interested in taking part in an integration circle, whether you are dealing with experiences – positive or negative – stemming from your own experience with psychedelics, or just want to learn more, please do visit the link here.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5011870/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8905125/
https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2054/4/1/article-p4.xml