Psychedelic Integration: Psychotherapy for Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness is a trailblazing guidebook for anyone interested in psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration.

When psychologist and psychotherapist Marc B. Aixala began fielding questions from people around the world seeking help integrating their own psychedelic experiences, he couldn't find a singular source of collected research and support. What began as an attempt to help others became Psychedelic Integration, a work that traces the evolution of psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration research from the 1960s to the present moment, explains therapeutic techniques and outlines a clinician's real-world observations on the deep work of healing.

Written for practitioners and the generally curious, this book offers 11 metaphors for understanding integration and concisely explains the seven dimensions of integration, which Aixala sees as part of a process inextricably linked to preparation and the psychedelic session experience.

Grounded in the idea that integration work serves two main objectives: maximizing the benefits of a psychedelic experience and dealing with adverse effects, Aixala maintains that understanding why an individual seeks integration support can inform therapeutic techniques. Psychedelic Integration outlines foundational practices like rest and nutrition, spiritual approaches including water rituals and tarot, embodied techniques of dance and singing, and frameworks including Holotropic Breathwork, Gestalt therapy and integration circles.

The author acknowledges that psychedelic experiences can be difficult and even traumatic, and he confronts that reality with compassion. In this book, Aixala shares stories and artwork created by some of his patients as they progressed through their own integration journeys.

Psychedelic Integration is an essential companion for practitioners, their patients, and those seeking integration work not as a solution but as a tool for self and collective discovery.

About the Author
Marc B. Aixala is a telecommunications engineer, psychologist, psychotherapist and certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitator specializing in supporting people who face challenging experiences with expanded states of consciousness. Since 2013, in collaboration with the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Aixala has offered integration psychotherapy sessions for those seeking support after psychedelic experiences. At ICEERS, Aixala also works to develop theoretical models of intervention and trains and supervises therapists. Aixala has served as a team leader and trainer in emergency psychological assistance at Boom Festival through the Kosmicare harm reduction program. He also worked on the first-ever medical trial on the use of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, a study chronicled in the 2018 documentary, "Magic Medicine." He continues to work as a therapist in clinical trials researching psychedelic substances. Aixala is trained in the therapeutic use of Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness as well as in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Aixala works as a psychologist in his private practice in Barcelona, Spain and offers trainings, lectures, and talks related to psychedelic psychotherapy and integration. Jose Carlos Bouso is a Clinical Psychologist with a PhD in Pharmacology. He developed his scientific actitives while at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, the Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica IIB-Sant Pau de Barcelona, and the Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Medicas de Barcelona (IMIM). During this time, he developed studies about the therapeutic effects of MDMA ("ecstasy") and psychopharmacological studies on the acute and neuropsychiatric long-term effects of many substances, both synthetic and plant origin. As the Scientific Director at the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Jose Carlos oversees studies on the potential benefits of psychoactive plants, principally cannabis, ayahuasca, and ibogaine, with the goal of improving public health. He is co-author of numerous scientific papers and several book chapters.


Book Information
ISBN 9780907791393
Author Marc Aixala
Format Paperback
Page Count 360
Imprint Synergetic Press Inc.,U.S.
Publisher Synergetic Press Inc.,U.S.