Psychedelic ceremonies, integration therapy, and policy debates all
share a strange mix of clinical, spiritual, and legal language. People
walk in and hear words like archetype, spiritual bypass,
Schedule I, and set and setting with no easy way to
look them up.
This psychedelic glossary defines the most common terms
in one place. Each definition is short and written for non-clinicians.
It draws on Jungian psychology, trauma research, the harm-reduction
community, and US drug policy.
How to use this glossary
Use the A–Z nav below to jump to a letter. Or use your browser's find
function to search. Many terms link to a longer guide on this site —
for example, integration links to our
integration therapy guide,
and Schedule I links to the
legal status by state tool.
Carl Jung's terms for the inner feminine (anima) in a man and the inner masculine (animus) in a woman. In a psychedelic context, integration often involves making peace with the side that the person has spent a lifetime ignoring.
Archetype
A universal pattern from myth and religion that lives in the collective unconscious — the Hero, the Mother, the Trickster, the Wise Old Man. Psychedelics often surface archetypes; recognizing them helps name the experience.
Attachment (psychological)
The story you identify with that keeps your life safe and small. It is not who you really are. Integration work often starts by noticing attachments and the shadow material they hide.
Attachment style
From John Bowlby and updated by Amir Levine: secure, anxious, avoidant, or disorganized patterns of relating shaped in early childhood. Psychedelics can soften these patterns; integration helps them last.
Ayahuasca
An Amazonian brew that contains DMT plus an MAOI vine. Legal in the US only through four DEA-exempted churches. See our ayahuasca guide.
B
Bathje model
The integration framework most widely taught in clinician training, which structures post-session work around four domains: cognitive, emotional, somatic, and behavioral. Adopted by MAPS.
Belief
A habit of mind held as true without proof. Psychedelic experiences often loosen old beliefs long enough for new ones to take hold.
Bypass
See spiritual bypass.
C
Ceremony
A structured psychedelic session held in an intentional, often spiritual frame. Can be religious (ayahuasca, peyote), facilitator-led (psilocybin retreats), or clinical (trial dosing days).
Container
The agreements, space, and people that hold a ceremony or therapy session safe. A good container includes screening, ground rules, and post-session support.
Collective unconscious
Jung's term for the shared layer of human psyche where archetypes live. People who do not believe in it still tend to recognize the patterns when they appear.
D
Decriminalization
A policy change that removes or lowers criminal penalties for personal use, without making a substance fully legal. See our cities that decriminalized psilocybin guide.
Default mode network (DMN)
A brain network linked to self-referential thinking and rumination. High-dose psychedelics quiet the DMN, which researchers think underlies the dissolution of the usual sense of self.
DMT
N,N-dimethyltryptamine, a short-acting psychedelic. The active compound in ayahuasca; also smoked or vaped on its own. See our DMT guide.
E
Ego death
A temporary loss of the normal sense of self during a high-dose experience. Researchers usually call this ego dissolution. It is not literal death and the brain returns to baseline as the drug wears off.
Empathogen
A drug class that increases feelings of empathy and connection — MDMA is the main example. See our MDMA guide.
Entheogen
A plant or substance used in a spiritual or religious context to generate an experience of the divine. Many ayahuasca, peyote, and psilocybin practitioners prefer this word to "psychedelic."
F
Facilitator
A trained guide who supports a person through a psychedelic experience. In Oregon's Measure 109 program, "facilitator" is a state-licensed role. Not a synonym for therapist.
Four F's of trauma response
Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn — automatic ways the nervous system reacts to perceived threat. Trauma therapist Pete Walker added Fawn (people-pleasing) to the original three.
Flashback
A spontaneous re-experience of part of a psychedelic trip, usually brief. Persistent or distressing flashbacks may be HPPD — see below.
G
Grounding
Practices that bring attention back into the body and the present moment — feet on the floor, breath at the belly, naming five things you see. Useful both during a hard trip and during integration.
Group ceremony
A psychedelic session with multiple participants in the same space. Common in ayahuasca, 5-MeO-DMT, and some psilocybin retreats. Different containers than 1:1 therapy.
H
HPPD
Hallucinogen-Persisting Perception Disorder — rare condition in which visual disturbances continue after the drug has worn off. Risk is low but real, especially with frequent high-dose use.
Harm reduction
An approach that accepts people will use drugs and tries to lower the risks. Testing kits, sober sitters, and SSRI washout guidance are all harm-reduction practices.
I
Integration
The work of making sense of a psychedelic experience and turning insights into lasting change. Usually done with a trained therapist. See our integration therapy guide.
Integration of self
The ongoing project of bringing the parts of yourself — mental, emotional, physical, spiritual — into a single whole. Includes embracing the shadow.
Integrity
The state of internal alignment, when thought, word, and action match. Without integrity, integration tends to stall.
Intention
A clear, personal direction you set before a psychedelic session. Not the same as a goal. See our intention setting guide.
J
Journey
Common informal name for a psychedelic experience, especially a high-dose one. Borrowed from indigenous traditions.
L
Logic
A tool for cutting through illusion. In spiritual inquiry, logic can point to paradoxes that thinking alone cannot resolve.
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, a long-acting classic psychedelic. Schedule I in the US. See our LSD guide.
M
Mantra
A short phrase repeated for focus, often during meditation or a journey. Example: "I am safe." Useful when anxiety spikes mid-session.
MAOI
Monoamine oxidase inhibitor — a class of drugs that block the enzyme that breaks down serotonin. Ayahuasca contains MAOIs. Combining MAOIs with MDMA can be fatal. See our medication safety guide.
MDMA
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. An empathogen studied for PTSD. Schedule I in the US. See our MDMA guide.
Microdose
A sub-perceptual dose taken on a schedule, usually 1/10 to 1/20 of a full dose. Evidence for clinical benefit is mixed.
Manifestation
The practice of focused thought and feeling aimed at bringing about a desired outcome. Without action and integrity, it slides into spiritual bypass.
N
Neuroplasticity
The brain's ability to form new connections. Classic psychedelics appear to boost it for several weeks, which is why integration during that window matters.
P
Persona
Jung's term for the social mask a person presents to the world. Useful for survival; costly when mistaken for the true self.
Preparation
The non-drug work done before a psychedelic session — medical screening, intention setting, building trust with the therapist. The 2025 JAMA Psychiatry meta-analysis identified preparation hours as the strongest non-drug predictor of depression outcomes.
Psilocybin
The classic psychedelic compound in "magic mushrooms." See our psilocybin guide.
R
RFRA
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the federal law four ayahuasca churches use to claim DEA exemptions for sacramental DMT.
Right to Try
A federal pathway letting some patients with serious illness access drugs that have passed Phase I. The April 2026 Trump executive order directs HHS to extend it to investigational psychedelics. See our Trump executive order guide.
S
Schedule I
The most restrictive US drug schedule — high abuse potential and no accepted medical use, per federal law. Psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, LSD, and ibogaine are all Schedule I. See our legal status by state tool.
Schedule III
A less restrictive schedule. Ketamine sits here, which is why it is the only psychedelic-adjacent therapy with broad legal access in the US.
Serotonin syndrome
A potentially fatal reaction from too much serotonin activity. Risk rises when MAOIs, SSRIs, MDMA, tramadol, or methylene blue are combined.
Set and setting
The two key non-drug variables: mindset (set) and physical/social environment (setting). Both shape the experience more than dose, within a normal dose range.
Shadow
Jung's term for the disowned parts of the self — usually the parts the persona was built to hide. Integration often involves befriending the shadow rather than fighting it.
Somatic
Body-based. Somatic integration tracks posture, tension, breath, and movement, not just thoughts.
Spiritual bypass
Using spiritual ideas or psychedelic insights to avoid hard practical work. Skipping therapy in favor of affirmations is a classic example.
SSRI
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor — a common antidepressant class. SSRIs can blunt the psilocybin experience; most trials use a 2–6 week washout. See our medication safety guide.
T
Trauma
Lasting nervous-system change from overwhelming experience. Trauma is not the event itself but the imprint it leaves on the body and mind.
Trigger
Anything that activates an old trauma response. Triggers point to where healing is still needed.
W
Washout
The period between stopping a medication and starting a psychedelic, set to lower interaction risk. See our medication safety guide.
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Frequently asked questions
What does "integration" mean in a psychedelic context?
Integration is the work of making sense of a psychedelic experience and turning it into lasting change in daily life. It usually happens with a trained therapist over weeks or months. The 2025 JAMA Psychiatry meta-analysis found preparation hours were the strongest non-drug predictor of depression outcomes, but most clinicians treat integration as equally important in real-world practice.
What is "ego death" during a psychedelic experience?
Ego death is a temporary loss of the normal sense of self during a high-dose psychedelic experience. People often describe it as merging with the environment or losing the boundary between self and other. It is not literal death and the brain returns to baseline as the drug wears off. Researchers sometimes call this "ego dissolution."
What is "spiritual bypass"?
Spiritual bypass is using spiritual ideas or psychedelic insights to avoid hard emotional or practical work. Common signs include skipping therapy, ignoring relationships, or replacing actions with affirmations. Integration therapists watch for it because it can stall real change after a powerful experience.
What are the four F's of trauma response?
The four F's are Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn. They describe automatic ways the nervous system reacts to perceived threat. Pete Walker added "Fawn" — people-pleasing — to the original three. Psychedelic experiences can surface old four-F patterns, which is why trauma-informed integration matters.