A Guide to Starting a Community Psychedelic Integration Circle
In May 2017 the first psychedelic integration circle was hosted in Los Angeles with the purpose of creating a safe space for people to talk about non-ordinary states of consciousness, offer emotional support and educational information with harm reduction strategies to individuals who use psychedelic substances. Nearly three years later, PsychedeLiA integration circles are now held on a weekly and bi-weekly basis across the greater Los Angeles area drawing anywhere from 3 to 30 people per meeting. This is in addition to other local psychedelic integration organizations offering their own circles and serving more guests. Clearly, there is a high demand for these meetings, and a primary response received from new guests is that they wish they knew about the circles sooner.
Though we are completely out of the psychedelic closet, I sometimes half-humorously refer to PsychedeLiA’s integration circles as “Psychedelics Anonymous”, simply because the organic evolution of our meetings seems to have surpassed the original intentions. Our circles have become somewhat of a subculture, becoming the primary place to meet “The Others” intimately. With the meetings being open to the public and the guest composition completely spontaneous, no circle is ever the same. They are typically a blend between regulars that have been with us since the beginning and newbies that just recently found us through a Google search. The personal psychedelic experience ranges from curious after reading Michael Pollan’s “How To Change Your Mind” to decades of use of various substances. The demographic served is not limited to but is mostly white male (quite interesting for a LA’s melting pot), and the age ranges from 18-75 human years.
The circles always start with an intention to “co-create the space”. Together we share experiences, stories, dilemmas, concerns, hesitations, ideas, questions, information and news. Some members come in with the intention of silent presence, showing solidarity and support with the community. Through the different voices in the council, a theme is woven to discuss topics such as ego transcendence, spiritual emergence, communing with God, samadhi states, personal traumas and struggles, and safety preparation techniques. Like other genre-specific meetups the crowd the circles attract seem to share similar philosophies, outlooks, values and lifestyle aspirations. More than an evening’s event, the personal relationships forged overtime serve as witnesses of the members’ ongoing integration journey, provide accountability measures and feedback to the progress (or lack thereof). The sharing circle becomes testing ground for new ways of being, a vehicle of growth for all individuals and a live connection to the collective consciousness, which many attendees have witnessed through psychedelic exploration. As a result, deep friendships are forged and connections extend well beyond the circles as we recognize one another to be members of the same tribe and the family we choose to walk the human path with. The community bonding, we have come to realize, is in fact the medicine’s most potent healing property.
If you’re interested in starting psychedelic integration circles in your area and not sure where to begin, here are some guidelines to get you going:
Preparation
Decide on ideal size of group, duration, frequency, cost, rules of conduct and structure of meeting (PsychedeLiA structure is outlined below).
Prepare your materials: laminated group signs, contribution signs, group rules and guest sign in sheets. Gather objects for your sacred altar and a talking stick that can be passed around. A kettle for tea, tea selection and cups.
Location: can be a local event space, yoga studio, a park or your living room. Anywhere that is inviting and accessible will work. Though not necessary, I personally have a preference for closed spaces as they feel more contained and thus have an effect on the depth of conversation.
Advertising: through Meetup, Facebook, Instagram, Eventbrite, yoga/meditation studios, conscious stores/businesses in your area. Collaborate with other psychedelic organizations in your area. You can also build a basic and free website through platforms like Weebly, and integrate a calendar into the website. Gather emails through the sign in sheets to create a mailing list.
Consistency is everything: hold the circles at predictable times (ex. first Wednesday of the month at 6-8 pm). This makes is easy and predictable for guests to plan ahead without waiting for a meeting announcement.
Space Set Up
Arrive 30 minutes prior to the beginning of your circle to set up room in a circle format with pillows, back jacks or chairs. Prepare an inviting tea corner.
Have a welcome table with a sign in sheet, group rules, payment contribution bowl with sign, cards, list of additional support resources (help hotlines, local emotional support organizations, integration professionals).
Arrange altar that includes sacred objects, flowers and a talking stick. Be mindful of candle use as a potential safety hazard.
May play soft music to set mood at entrance and replay at end of circle as guests interact and network.
Welcoming Guests
It is highly recommended guests are over 18 years old and presenting to be completely sober i.e. not under the influence of any substance.
Welcome every guest warmly, make sure they have arrived to the right event and ask them how they heard of it, for advertising reference.
Encourage guest to sign in legibly, read the rules and provide their contribution as they enter the room.
Not necessary but a no-shoe policy adds to the cozy/comfort factor.
As guests settle in, encourage them to introduce themselves to other guests in the room and make new friends.
Circles should start and end on time.
Consider not allowing entries 15 minutes past the start time of the circle (unless guests drove from far away/got stuck in abnormal traffic). Late entries will potentially compromise the safe container of the circle and all guests will be affected by latecomers.
Facilitation and Leadership
Circle leaders are peers that are ideally personally experienced with non-ordinary states of consciousness, familiar with various psychedelic substances and not only knowledgeable about psychedelic integration but are a testament to it. This of course can be interpreted in various ways; my interpretation of a well-integrated person is a grounded, present, authentic and happy individual that embodies medicine wisdom, someone one would want to learn from and potentially emulate in some ways.
Maintain a sense of non-judgemental and kind presence, make eye contact and remain open and approachable. Listen attentively to the circle conversation.
Allow the circle to flow naturally; make room for silence.
Keep an eye on time and make sure every guest has an opportunity to share and contribute, including toning down dominant participants. May wish to use a timer and allow each member a set number of minutes to share.
Attempt to not intervene in the circle content, unless some of the information that is presented is factually inaccurate (opportunity for an educational moment).
The objective of the community integration circles is to offer a peer-support environment. While peer-led groups have a myriad of benefits they are not substitutes for therapy or professional mental health services; do not attempt to provide either. If you recognize a situation that you feel could be better addressed by a professional, offer a reference to a friendly resource. If you are not aware of anyone that local, consider referring to the MAPS integration list.
Encourage community connection and networking following the circle.
My Integration Circle Altar
The PsychedeLiA Integration Circle Structure:
Totals 90 minutes not including time before/after to connect. Each facilitator uses this structure with a variation on its different elements to create their own personal signature circle:
- Welcome by leader, personal introduction
- Define what is Psychedelic Integration
- Mission purpose of the organization
- Legal disclaimer
- Centering meditation
- Introductions and intentions round of guests
- Read group rules
- Community council (integration circle)
- Conclusion & final announcements
- Community mantra, gratitude & contribution reminder
I hope this information serves you and your community well as we continue to safely and mindfully navigate through collective psychedelic integration.
For more educational material on psychedelic harm reduction, therapy and integration, check out our courses here.
This article was originally published on Psychedelic Support Network