Psychedelic integration therapy in Seattle
For when something opened that you don't know how to close. Or shouldn't close. Or need help understanding before you decide.
Practice details
Something surfaced
Maybe it was ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca. Maybe it was last week or six months ago.
And now you're carrying something you weren't carrying before.
It might look like:
Memories you didn't know you had — Images, sensations, or fragments from childhood that surfaced without warning. You're not sure if they're real. You're not sure what to do with them. They won't stop replaying.
Grief that doesn't have a name yet — Something broke open and you've been crying for days—or you can't cry at all but the weight is unbearable. You're mourning something you can't explain to anyone.
Your sense of self just shifted — Everything you thought you knew about yourself, your family, your life—it's all rearranged now. You saw something true and you can't unsee it. But you also can't integrate it into ordinary life.
Shame that came roaring back — Maybe queer shame. Religious shame. Body shame. The stuff you thought you'd processed years ago returned with full force and hasn't left.
You can't stop dissociating — The journey ended but you don't feel like you came back. You're foggy, disconnected, watching yourself from a distance. Your body doesn't feel like yours.
You glimpsed something profound and it's slipping away — The insight felt so clear, so important. Now it's fading and you're terrified you'll lose it entirely—or you'll go back to being who you were before.
You're more destabilized than before you started — You went in hoping for healing and came out worse. More anxious. More depressed. More confused. And now you don't know who to talk to because most therapists don't understand.
The experience cracked something open. But opening isn't the same as healing. What you need is someone who can sit with what happened without rushing you toward meaning, without pathologizing it, and without leaving you to make sense of it on your own.
“we are voyagers, discoverers of the not-known, the unrecorded; we have no map.”— H.D., The Trilogy
What actually helps
Integration isn't about declaring what the experience "meant." It's not spiritual bypassing dressed up as therapy. And it's not a clinician who's never sat with psychedelic material treating you like you're fragile or delusional.
What helps is someone who takes the experience seriously and knows how to work with trauma when it surfaces.
I'm a trauma therapist with specialized training in psychedelic-assisted therapy. I work with people who've had experiences—legal or otherwise—and need help processing what came up.
If you're still destabilized: We start with grounding and stabilization. You don't need to make meaning of anything yet. First we help your nervous system feel safe enough to land.
If trauma surfaced: We process it using EMDR, Brainspotting, or Flash Technique—the same evidence-based modalities I use with all trauma clients. The psychedelic context doesn't change the clinical approach. Trauma in the body is trauma in the body.
If you're sitting with big questions: Who am I without my defenses? What does my history actually mean? How do I want to live now? This is where my existential-phenomenological training meets the material psychedelics often surface.
If you want to do more journeys: We talk honestly about whether that's actually what you need—or whether integration of what you've already seen is the real work. If you move forward, we discuss harm reduction, preparation, intention, and set/setting.
What I don't do:
- Facilitate or attend illegal psychedelic experiences
- Provide or help you access substances
- Act as a ceremony guide or "trip sitter"
- Push you toward experiences you're not ready for
For legal ketamine therapy, I offer full KAP services through Journey Clinical—preparation, dosing sessions, and integration.
Why trauma survivors need specialized integration
Psychedelics can surface trauma. They don't resolve it.
If you're a trauma survivor, psychedelic experiences can be especially intense—and especially risky without skilled support afterward.
What happens without proper integration:
- Painful memories surface but never get processed
- Old shame resurfaces and you feel worse than before
- Dissociation or emotional flooding that doesn't stop when the substance wears off
- Profound insights that fade within weeks, leaving you wondering if any of it was real
- Destabilization without anyone to help you restabilize
- Re-traumatization disguised as "healing"
Psychedelics are not inherently therapeutic. What makes them therapeutic is what happens before and after—the preparation, the set, the setting, and most importantly, the integration.
The integration is where I come in. Learn more about my approach to trauma therapy →
What integration looks like, on the inside
The most common version I hear is some form of: the experience has stopped feeling like a thing that happened to me and started feeling like a thing I metabolized. It's part of the story rather than a chapter I'm still managing.
Specific shifts people name: the dissociation that was there for days or weeks afterward isn't there anymore. The insight that felt urgent and important and then started to fade — actually concrete now, with implications you're living out rather than just remembering. The trauma that came up during the journey, gone through the processing it needed instead of waiting indefinitely for it. The shame that came roaring back, found its way back down. Being able to think about what you saw without your chest tightening. Being able to talk about it with someone without watching them try to spiritualize it or treat you like you're fragile.
Timing varies more in integration than in standard trauma therapy. Some people need two or three sessions to land an experience. Others stay for months, processing what came up — and a journey that brought up trauma is often the start of a treatment arc rather than the end of one. There isn't a protocol for how long it takes, just whatever the actual material requires.
Who this is for
You've had an experience—planned or unexpected, profound or terrifying—and you're carrying something you need help with.
Maybe you did ketamine therapy and the integration sessions weren't enough. Maybe you took psilocybin hoping it would help your depression and trauma came flooding up instead. Maybe you're months out from an ayahuasca ceremony and still don't know what to make of what you saw. Maybe you microdosed and something shifted that you didn't expect.
Maybe you're LGBTQ+ and queer shame surfaced—the stuff you thought you'd worked through years ago. Maybe you're a man and emotions broke through that you've never let yourself feel. Maybe religious trauma came up. Maybe you saw your family patterns with devastating clarity and don't know what to do with that knowledge.
Whatever happened, you don't have to figure it out alone.
Common Questions
Is psychedelic integration therapy legal?
Yes. Integration therapy is completely legal—we're processing your experience after the fact, not facilitating substance use. I work with people who've had experiences with any substance, legal or otherwise, and need help making sense of what came up.
What if I had a "bad trip" or overwhelming experience?
That's exactly what integration is for. We start with stabilization and grounding—helping your nervous system feel safe again. Then we process what came up using trauma-informed approaches like EMDR, Brainspotting, or Flash Technique. A difficult experience doesn't have to stay destabilizing.
Can you help me prepare for a psychedelic experience?
I can discuss harm reduction, intention-setting, set and setting, and what to expect—but I don't facilitate or attend illegal psychedelic experiences, help you access substances, or act as a ceremony guide. For legal ketamine therapy, I offer full preparation, dosing support, and integration through my KAP practice.
How is this different from talking to friends who've had similar experiences?
Friends can offer support and shared understanding, but they usually can't help you process trauma that surfaced, work with dissociation or destabilization, or integrate insights into lasting change. I'm a trauma therapist with specialized training in psychedelic-assisted therapy—I know how to work with the specific material psychedelics bring up.
Do I need to tell you exactly what substance I used?
It can be helpful for understanding your experience, but it's not required. What matters most is what came up for you and what you need support with now. You won't be judged regardless of what you share.
How many sessions will I need?
It varies widely. Some people need 2–3 sessions to land an experience and feel settled. Others stay for months processing trauma that surfaced or working through identity questions that emerged. There's no set protocol—we go at the pace you actually need.
Do you offer psilocybin therapy?
No—psilocybin therapy isn't legal in Washington State. Oregon and Colorado have state-licensed psilocybin service programs, and some people travel there for legal experiences and come back to integrate. I also work with people who've had psilocybin experiences outside any legal framework. What I don't do: provide psilocybin, recommend it, or help anyone access it.
What about MDMA-assisted therapy?
MDMA-assisted therapy isn't legally available outside research contexts. The FDA didn't approve the 2024 application and additional Phase 3 trials are required before another review. I can integrate experiences from clinical trials, expanded-access programs, or experiences outside any legal framework. I don't provide MDMA or facilitate access.
What's the difference between an integration therapist and a psychedelic guide or trip sitter?
A guide or trip sitter is present during the experience itself—often outside any clinical or legal framework. I'm a licensed mental health counselor. I'm not present for the experience and I don't facilitate or attend one. My role is before and after: harm-reduction conversation if you're considering an experience, and trauma-informed integration once you've had one. Different roles, different training, different legal standing.
Can you help after an ayahuasca ceremony?
Yes. Ayahuasca often surfaces dense material—ancestral content, somatic memory, ego-dissolution that doesn't fully resolve back. We work with what came up using EMDR, Brainspotting, or Flash Technique. If the ceremony was destabilizing or you came back with material you can't make sense of, that's exactly what integration is for.
I had a difficult experience years ago—is it too late to integrate?
No. Integration isn't time-bound. People often come in years after the experience—sometimes decades—because something that surfaced then is still affecting them now. The work is the same: process what came up, settle what's still activated, make meaning of what felt important. Old experiences integrate as well as recent ones.
How I think about this work → Approach
If you are experiencing a difficult psychedelic experience and need immediate support, contact the Fireside Project at 623-473-7433 (62-FIRESIDE). For all crisis resources, see our FAQ page.