Depth vs width and mindful psychedelic integration

We are in the early stages of a revolution of well-being globally. People realize that some of our old paradigms haven’t supported our needs well and that we need to create new ways of thriving to replace them. The future is all about reframing extractive and oppressive systems into more regenerative and compassionate ones. But that all starts with healing our own inner worlds.

To help us on that journey, we now have easy access to millions of videos and articles on wellness, hundreds of yoga platforms, endless courses and events that we can attend to do our healing work. And for some of us privileged enough to access them, a variety of psychedelic therapy sessions we could experience.

We’re living in wellness abundance

Since we live in the wellness information age, we must learn to manage the endless inputs coming at us and decide what will be most valuable. Because what we choose to consume also takes something from us. It takes our time and energy. It is a reciprocal agreement.

So it’s helpful to be mindful of how we consume all this wellness abundance so that it doesn’t consume us. By going too wide in our quest for thriving, we can lose our true north and never truly address our suffering because we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible. We’re exchanging quantity over quality. Width over depth.

Going deeper in our healing journey, with less

Bruce Lee, the martial arts master and philosopher, once said:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

People are always looking for something new to discover deeper fulfillment in their life. We’ve all been there, constantly searching for the next peak experience or latest groundbreaking teaching. A new technique, a new book on mindfulness, meditation, a new psychedelic journey. There is nothing wrong with seeking, but what about finding?

What about finding something and then going very deep on it? Going deeper allows us to find more profound relationships with what we already have available to us and peel away the deepest layers of our healing path.

Experiment with depth

Whenever you want to improve your life in some measurable way, an interesting way is to explore it in the form of an experiment.

For example: rather than buying any new books this year, try to simply re-read every book you have in your current library. Dive into each one with intention and awareness. I used to collect books, but now for a book to find a home in my library, it must be a book I want to live with for the rest of my life. This experiment will be completed once every book I have has been re-read.

Or, instead of jumping into another psychedelic experience, how about deepening our understanding and integrating of a previous one? It can take a lifetime to embody the insights of an experience.

You could design an experiment around this to see what you discover. Find a few things in your life, and go really deep on them. Take a thought, a mantra, or an integration practice that speaks to you and work it. Every day. Work it again and again in your consciousness until it becomes alive in you.

Until it becomes a living truth. This is deep integration work.

‍

This article was written by David Frank Gomes, a Nectara guide and mindfulness teacher. Want to learn more about psychedelic integration? Watch our expert panel exploring the basics.