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The ups and downs of psychedelic integration can be a lot of navigate!
A couple of days ago one of my clients wisely stated, or more accurately shouted:
This healing is really confusing. Just when you think you made progress, you feel like you’re thrown 10 steps back!
This made me think back to the time when I felt exactly the same way on my journey. I doubted myself. I wasn’t sure if I am on the right path or if I am still totally lost?
I wished desperately to understand why I was feeling that way.
And I did, in the end. That’s what integration is for, to make sense out of your experience. Not only I mean the ceremony experience but your life experience in general. With this in mind, I offer you the following insights to help you ‘make sense’ out of your experience!
1. Understanding the Nature of Time
Why do we keep revisiting the same old wounds, the same old places over and over again? What do we do about the many ups and downs of psychedelic integration?
Does this mean we are stuck in a vicious cycle? It is possible, but not necessarily so.
In the West, most of us have an understanding of time as something linear and progress as something exponential, meaning that things have to be better and better. In case they don’t, if things get worse, we talk about regression, which is understood as the opposite of progress.
So, most people during their healing process, when temporarily they feel worse or relapse into old dysfunctional behavior, think that they are doing something wrong, or the medicine is not working for them anymore, or they need more medicine to feel better again.
To resolve this situation, first you have to understand that time is not linear.
Imagine it more like a spiral following cycles and rhythms that was described by many before. One of the most famous examples is the Mayan Calendar.
Based on this model, progress is not something straight forward, linear and exponential.
More like ebb and flow, expansion, contraction – up and down while expanding and moving forward.
When you can tune into the movement of this energy, you will feel what I am talking about.
When looking from this perspective, we understand that temporary regression is part of progression in general and growth happens through many ups and downs. In terms of healing, often things get worse before they get better and going through a dark night of the soul is a vital part of the healing process.
Tip:When you find yourself in a temporary relapse in your healing process, remember that it is a natural part of growth and ask for support to continue on your path. Don’t give up on yourself.
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