What is Psychedelic Therapy?
We are currently witnessing a “psychedelic renaissance” in the mental health field, as groundbreaking discoveries continue to unfold regarding the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. Researchers, journalists, and mental health advocates alike are sharing exciting findings about how these substances can support recovery from a variety of mental health challenges. You may have heard about their role in helping resolve PTSD, facilitating deeper self-awareness, or reconnecting us with our lineage and purpose on this planet.
The research shows that psychedelic therapy has the potential to enhance “empathy, improved relatedness, and increase capacity for social connection” by reorganizing psychological structures in a foundational way (Vaid & Walker, 2022). This promotes self-integration and holistic health, offering transformative opportunities for healing.
While psychedelics have only been integrated into psychotherapy for the past 80 years in more limited contexts, they have been used for thousands of years in sacred cultural practices worldwide. Modern research is uncovering the ancient role of psychedelics in healing, spiritual growth, and social cohesion. For example, in *The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name*, Brian C. Muraresku explores how psychoactive rituals likely shaped Western culture and religious frameworks, dating back to the Eleusinian Mysteries of 1500 BC. Many indigenous cultures have long utilized psychoactive substances with great reverence to treat psychological and physical ailments, mark rites of passage, and deepen spiritual and ancestral connections.
In contrast to the traditional Western pharmaceutical model of symptom management, psychedelics serve as amplifiers of the human psyche, offering a way to illuminate and unlock what has remained hidden. Rather than merely suppressing symptoms, these substances bring deeply ingrained emotional patterns and unresolved material to the surface where they can be consciously acknowledged, processed, and integrated. For many, this process can be cathartic and transformational, leading to lasting shifts in perspective and lifestyle.
Recent research and clinical trials have shown promising results using psychedelics with participants experiencing existential distress in palliative and cancer care, MDMA for PTSD (including Complex PTSD), treatment-resistant depression, and those diagnosed with autism.
As decriminalization efforts continue to expand across the country, more people are exploring psychedelics, highlighting the increasing need for harm reduction, preparation, and integration support.
At Syzygy, we provide educated support through practitioners who have extensive training in psychedelic therapy. We are here to help you navigate these potent healing experiences with care, expertise, and intentionality.
What We Offer…
Psychedelic Integration Therapy
Significant change often requires more than just receiving a gift—it involves the work of unwrapping it. You could think of Preparation as sowing seeds, the Journey as water, and Integration as the fruit that bears from this work. The word "integrate" comes from the Latin *integrare*, which means “to make whole,” and this is the essence of what we do.
Psychedelic Integration Therapy is designed to support the meaning-making process of your psychedelic experience, helping you deepen the insights you received during your Journey and integrate them into your daily life. We believe that the healing power of psychedelics lies not only in the experience itself, but also in how these insights are woven into your ongoing life journey.
At Syzygy, our therapists are trained in Psychedelic Therapy Integration and have completed the necessary training to support individuals before or after their psychedelic experiences. Whether you are seeking support post-ceremony, after Ketamine-Assisted Therapy, or simply needing help finding grounding after a psychedelic journey, our team is here to support you with expertise and compassion.
Psychedelic support at Syzygy includes both Preparation and Integration, offering harm reduction practices before and after your experience. For some, however, the integration process alone is what’s needed to help process and apply the experience, and Psychedelic Integration Therapy can offer valuable support as you move forward.
Preparation
Journey
Integration
The Preparation Phase takes place before your psychedelic experience and focuses on harm-reduction education and holistic support to help you approach your Journey with clarity and intention. We provide a safe, confidential space to address any questions, set intentions, and prepare you emotionally and mentally for what lies ahead.
Integration follows your Journey and offers a welcoming environment where you can process and make meaning of your experience. This phase may involve exploring shifts in perspective or new insights through therapeutic modalities such as somatic therapy, expressive arts, EMDR, and approaches like Hakomi, IFS, or Gestalt therapy.
Research has shown that it takes, on average, anywhere from 18 to 254 days to establish a new habit. Psychedelics have been shown to enhance cognitive flexibility by temporarily shutting down the brain's default mode network (DMN), a network of brain regions associated with the ego, self-referential thinking, and habitual thought patterns. By disrupting the DMN, psychedelics facilitate neural plasticity, creating an opportunity for accelerated change. Studies have demonstrated that psychedelics such as psilocybin and MDMA can enhance neural connections and promote adaptive brain function, which aids in breaking entrenched patterns and encourages new ways of thinking and processing emotions (Carhart-Harris et al., 2012; Davis et al., 2021). With proper preparation and integration, you can harness the critical neuroplasticity periods these substances offer, supporting lasting changes in your life.
We offer a warm, confidential space for those navigating Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness (NOSC). These profound experiences can be deeply mystical, full of new realizations and insights, but on their own, they may not always lead to lasting change. Psychedelic Integration Therapy creates a space for continued self-exploration and deepening, helping you integrate these powerful insights into new patterns and practices for lasting transformation.
Carhart-Harris, R. L., et al. (2012). "Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(6), 2138–2143.
Davis, A. K., et al. (2021). "Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial." JAMA Psychiatry, 78(5), 455–463.
*Although this practice does not provide, condone, or support the use of illegal substances, and there can be significant legal and medical risks associated with use of psychedelics, it is important to acknowledge that people do choose to take the risks of using these substances to explore their own minds, mental health concerns, and/or spirituality. The material on this page is provided for informational purposes only and is not designed to prescribe, diagnose, or treat any physical or mental illness. None of the information presented here should be treated as medical or professional advice. We acknowledge that harm reduction and psychological support can help support someone’s safety with psychedelic compounds. This practice does not include providing any controlled substances, referring to “underground” resources for such substances, recommending use, guiding, supervising or otherwise being present with a client during a psychedelic experience. Clients should not attend therapy sessions while under the influence of any psychedelic or any other controlled substance without being under the direct care of a qualified healthcare provider.
