Our Story
The Essence of The Integration Circle
The Greek word “Temenos”, means a separate peace of land, usually near a grove or a spring, that is designated as a sacred space. Psychologically speaking, it is a space that is separated from our day to day demands and challenges, a space that allows us to connect to our true psycho-emotional experience. In this space we listen, observe, reflect and engage with what is inside of us, as well as open ourselves to the relational, transpersonal and archetypal fields we are part of. Through this space, connection allows for new information, information opens the possibility of embodied transformation.
TIC was founded to be this space within the psychedelic science and practice worlds. All of us at TIC have had experiences that impacted us on multiple levels - emotionally, somatically, psychologically, and spiritually. After research (Cohen, 2017), our own experiences as therapists and participants of different shamanic and psychedelic traditions, we felt the depth and potential of these experiences. We saw the integration challenges in ourselves, our communities and clients, wondering how we relate to the complexity and nuances to create understanding, meaning, deep healing and sustainable, long term transformation. It became very clear that we needed bridges, ways to connect all the different aspects of these experiences - ways to conceptualize it, think about it, move through it, emotionally and spiritually engage in it.
We saw this pattern, of preparation, experience and integration, is a cycle of change that we go through more often than we think. With the right education, tools, and community we can practice integration with ordinary and out of ordinary experiences. We believe integration is an attitude towards life and an on-going practice.
We conducted research looking into the different dimensions of integrating entheogenic and psychedelic experiences using frameworks such as Jungian Psychology, Transpersonal cosmologies, Somatic practices, Shamanic Cosmology and Relational Psychology. We’ve found that an integrated approach creates those bridges, creates frameworks to navigate and understand the process of integrating altered states of consciousness.
Lastly, with the timely and inspiring re-emergence of psychedelic research, the surge in individuals attending retreat centers and ceremonies and a general increase in interest among the public, we saw the need to create educational opportunities to mental health professional, academics and the general public. We see the importance of offering classes and workshops from leading researchers and practitioners of all cultures, sharing knowledge and experience which can benefit the larger community.
