It is one of the first questions to come up after an intense experience: how long is this going to last. Sometimes it is asked out of impatience to get back to normal, and sometimes out of the opposite wish, that what you lived through will not fade. In both cases the honest answer is the same: it depends, and there is no timetable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even so, it is possible to describe typical phases, factors that lengthen or shorten the process and, above all, signs for knowing whether you are heading in the right direction. That is what this article is about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most active part of integration is usually concentrated in the first few weeks. From then on, the process becomes slower and less visible, and it can go on for months. Some experiences keep giving you food for thought for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no end point at which everything has been integrated. What there is instead is a moment when the experience stops occupying center stage and becomes part of your story, without urgency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are a rough guide. Not everyone goes through all of them, or in this order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tiredness, sensitivity, emotions close to the surface. Sometimes euphoria, sometimes bewilderment. It is a time to rest, write down what you remember and not decide anything. Interpreting is still premature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the period when the experience is still most alive. A systematic review of the afterglow<\/a> compiles the effects observed between one day and one month after taking classic psychedelics, including improvements in mood and well-being and greater openness. It is when changing something is easiest, and also when the risk of making hasty decisions is highest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around the second or third week a slump is common: the glow fades, routine returns and doubt creeps in about whether it was real or did any good. It is not a step backward. It is the shift from the experience to the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What you experienced is put to the test by real life. The changes that hold begin to show in concrete things. Others fall away, and that is fine. Sometimes new material appears: memories, emotions or insights that were not clear at the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The experience becomes a reference point you return to from time to time. It can take on a different meaning when your circumstances change. It no longer demands attention, but it is still available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They are usually unspectacular:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last one is important. Making progress is not resolving everything, it is being able to live with what does not get resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting stuck is not failing. It usually indicates that you need to change tools, for example moving from thinking to doing, or from doing it alone to doing it with someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once a month, during the first few months, spend half an hour answering in writing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you keep a log, compare it with the previous month’s notes. There are specific exercises in integration exercises: journaling, body, nature and routines<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are situations in which waiting is not the answer. If after a month you still have intense anxiety, insomnia, a sense of unreality or difficulty getting on with your life, a professional assessment is advisable. The signs are described in anxiety or depersonalization after a trip: when to ask for help<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no correct time frame, but there is a useful criterion: when the previous one has settled and you can calmly explain what you want another one for. If the answer is that the first one was left half-finished or that you miss how you felt, probably not yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At RILOFU we support integration processes at each person’s own pace, both right after the experience and months later. We do not sell or supply substances. For an overview, see the guide on what psychedelic integration is<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOne to six months<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In the long term<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What lengthens and what shortens the process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Signs that you are making progress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Signs that you are stuck<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What looks like progress and is not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to review your own process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When it stops being a matter of time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
And the next experience, when?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Supporting the process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n