What "Integration" Means

The short answer

"Integration" usually means support after a psychedelic experience, aimed at making sense of it and applying it to daily life. There is no single agreed definition, and the practices called integration have not been tested in trials the way the drugs have. This page is information only. It gives no advice about using any substance.

Evidence label used here: insufficient evidence (too little research to judge). Where nothing usable was found we write "Proper evidence not found".

What the word covers

A concept analysis of the literature found many definitions of psychedelic integration, covering a range of practices and techniques. Integration services are offered by therapists, coaches and other practitioners, or may be self-guided. [1] Another paper defines it more broadly as practices meant to minimize harms or maximize benefits associated with psychedelic use. [2]

Two things are often mixed together here, so keep them apart:

• Integration inside a treatment course. A planned follow-up part of a trial or licensed service.


• Integration after use outside any program. Support for someone who has already had an experience, in any setting. One clinical model describes working with patients who are using or considering using psychedelics in any context. [3]

How trials and licensed programs use it

• Trials. In the MDMA phase 3 trial, adverse events were counted from the first experimental session to the last integration session, so integration sessions are a defined part of the protocol. [4]
• Oregon. Licensed facilitators follow up with clients within 72 hours of an administration session and offer integration sessions. These let clients review their safety and support plans, talk about their session, and receive referrals to community resources and peer support networks. [5]
• Colorado. State-approved facilitator training programs must include at least 150 hours of coursework, with Integration listed at 10 hours. [6]
• Keeping roles separate. The FDA notes that a session monitor may be able to deduce a participant's treatment assignment and suggests that the in-session monitor not take part in post-session psychotherapy, to limit bias. [7]
• Follow-up for harms. Researchers' safety guidelines advise investigators to ask in follow-up about hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, a rare condition. [8]

What the evidence shows

Label: insufficient evidence. A 2024 paper reports that proposed integration models and methods are theory-driven or have a clinical history, but each lacks empirical support and so cannot be called evidence based. [2] The FDA says the contribution of the psychotherapy component of treatment has not been characterized. [7] Proper evidence not found for a controlled trial comparing a psychedelic course with and without an integration phase; we checked the FDA guidance, the concept analysis and the calls-for-research paper above.

This does not mean integration is useless. It means its benefits and its limits are not yet measured.

Who offers it, and a caution

Because the term is not standardized, an "integration" offer can mean very different things: a licensed psychotherapist, a licensed facilitator in a state program, a coach, or a peer group. [1]

• Rules depend on place. In Oregon, facilitators are licensed and must be present for preparation, administration and integration sessions. [9] Colorado licenses facilitators and clinical facilitators. [10] See therapist and practitioner qualifications.
• Therapists who support clients around psychedelic use outside legal settings face legal and ethical questions because the substances are prohibited in many places. [11]
• A person in distress after an experience should contact a licensed clinician or emergency help, not wait for an integration session. See acute psychological distress and when to seek urgent help.
• Boundaries matter in these relationships; see professional boundaries.

Related guides

• What is psychedelic-assisted therapy?
• Preparation in clinical settings