The Importance of Prep and Integration
Standing in front of a graffiti mural that depicts vision
Preparation and Integration are rather contemporary additions to the ceremonial container, bridging ancient indigenous wisdom with aspects of Western psychotherapy. When looking to work with sacred medicines, it’s important to hold preparation and integration as a significant part of the experience. This really helps to build and ensure a safe, meaningful, and transformative container while minimizing potential risks and harms.
In the book, Allies for Awakening, Ralph Metzner suggests that participants should spend as much time on prep and integration as they would within the ceremony. So that means if you plan to spend five to seven hours in a sacred medicine ceremony, you should also plan to spend five to seven hours doing preparation and at least five to seven hours working to integrate it afterward.
The ceremonial container includes two preparation sessions before the actual ceremony. This process begins with filling out a thorough intake form that goes over your mental, physical, medical, and spiritual background. We will then hop on a call and go over these results together, so that I may have a better understanding of your past and how you have organized your life. I will also walk you through any dietary restrictions leading up to the ceremony and help educate you on what you can expect throughout the entirety of the experience. If you are taking any medications, it is helpful that you talk to your physician ahead of our call in order to discuss any possible interactions and to receive the green light to move forward with this work.
The next preparation session will be your intentions session. Together we will work on setting your intentions that will act as your North Star, pointing you in the direction that you would like your sacred journey to unfold. While it is always a good idea to have an intention, it is equally as important to be able to let that intention go and surrender to the conversation you and the sacrament are having. Being in the right mindset for this work is important. I will help ground you in your intention and offer advice on how to develop your own relationship with these powerful teachers. I often suggest praying to the sacrament leading up to your ceremony, which helps you to start developing that relationship while also preparing you both mentally and spiritually.
Coming back into ordinary consciousness after a sacred medicine ceremony can feel disorienting at times. Our first integration session which is called the Themes, involves remembering and making meaning around your experience. This is where we connect the dots and help you settle into what just occurred. The second integration session is where we start assigning tasks to your newfound wisdom and co-create a roadmap of how you want to show up differently in the world. Without this step, your experience will melt back into the background and not much change will occur.
It’s also to remind folks that journeys oftentimes build upon one another, so it’s important to make sure you have integrated the material from your ceremony before you jump into your next one! I put together a list of some helpful tools that may aid in your integration outside of the ceremonial container in case you find it helpful:
Journaling and Artistic Expression:
Write in a journal to capture your thoughts, emotions, and visions during and after your ceremony. Use this as a tool for self-reflection and tracking your progress.
Create art, whether it’s painting, drawing, sculpture, or digital art, to visually represent the insights and feelings you experienced. Art can serve as a powerful way to externalize and process your internal world.
Mindfulness and Meditation:
Develop a daily mindfulness or meditation practice to maintain a connection to the insights you gained. Meditation can help you stay grounded, present, and connected to your intentions and lessons.
Nature Connection:
Spend time in nature to deepen your connection with the world around you. Use the experience to cultivate a sense of awe and wonder, and to reflect on the interconnectedness of all life.
Dream Exploration:
Pay attention to your dreams after the medicine ceremony. Dreams can provide additional insights or symbols related to your journey that might not be immediately apparent.
Movement and Dance:
Engage in movement practices like yoga, dance, or tai chi to physically express the energy and emotions from your experience. This can help you release any residual tension and integrate the experience on a somatic level.
Ceremonial Practices:
Create your own personal rituals or ceremonies that allow you to revisit and reconnect with the lessons of your ceremony. This could involve meditation, visualization, or other practices.
Remember that integration is an ongoing, creative process, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The key is to find activities and practices that resonate with you personally and help you embody the insights gained from your sacred ceremony in a meaningful way. Most importantly, remember to be kind and gentle to yourself as this work continues to unfold and you begin showing up differently in the world.
