Where the term comes from

Psychedelic therapists have long stressed what happens after a session, but structured approaches are recent. A 2022 review of the concept found 24 distinct definitions and ten developed models of integration, all published since 2017. Its combined definition describes a process of revisiting and working through the experience so that its lessons are gradually brought into a person’s life.

What the research shows

Clinical trials include integration, but in very different amounts. In a Johns Hopkins trial of psilocybin for depression, participants had about eight hours of preparation and two to three hours of follow-up meetings in total. A trial at Imperial College London, comparing psilocybin with an antidepressant, gave about 20 hours of in-person support across screening, preparation, dosing and integration, plus up to six optional follow-up calls. A review of 11 psilocybin trials found the same three phases in each but different styles of therapy within them. No specific integration method has yet been tested well enough to be called evidence-based.

A lift in mood after a session is not the same thing as integration. A review of 48 studies with 1,774 participants found better mood and well-being between one day and one month after use, and noted that whether and how these effects turn into lasting benefit has yet to be shown.

How it differs from related ideas

Integration is more than retelling the experience. Integration therapists interviewed in one study described it as a bridge between the session and daily life that begins before the session itself. It overlaps with harm-reduction support, which is designed for people using psychedelics in any context, not only after supervised sessions. Our page on integration explains why we treat the months after a session as part of the work.

Related terms

Set and Setting: the mindset and environment of the session itself.

Psilocybin Contraindications: who should not take part in psilocybin sessions, and why.