Psychedelic Integration Guide: The Elemental Growth Protocol

Artwork by Alex Grey.

Hey you beautiful souls, I am Ashley the founder of Elemental Growth. I am here today to share our signature protocol so you can get the most of your psychedelic expierence. For decades the psychonaut mantra was “Set & Setting” and that was all the Harvard Psychedelic club was preaching around safety. Today we know so much more. These ancient psychonauts knew more too. For instance, Dr. Andrew Weil moved into the Integrative Nutrition space and Richard Alpert traveled to India and became a disciple of Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba who gave him the name Ram Dass.

What really allowed me to develop this protocol was my expience working with freshly cultivated mushrooms. Psilocybin’s stem looked so much like an umbilical cord it blew my mind. I knew in that first glimpse that psychedelics (specifically mushrooms) were our connection to mama nature and the collective consciousness, Psychedelic Integration is a lot like the birthing process and in this article, I am going to walk you, step by step through what we call REBIRTH.

Conception: This is the point where you decide to work with psychedelics. This is when you dive down the rabbit hole. In my practice this is when we help people to know if they are ready for a psychedelic expierence and provide to them the research specific to them. We help people tune into their intuition at this time while also bringing in some peace and decisiveness needed to proceed into the pregnancy phase.

Pregnancy: Every parent knows of the book “What to Expect When Your Expecting” because it helps prepare us for each phase of the pregnancy & the infant years. I was gifted this book too, never read it but absorbed enough of it while in my presence to know that preparation is important. When I was pregnant, I was more into books like Hypno Birthing, Childbirth Across Cultures, and Doula books. Also, some biographies like Home Grown and Squirting Milk at Chameleons, which truly made the pregnancy phase enjoyable.

When preparing for a psychedelic expierence like pregnancy, books aren’t everything. Research isent everything either. What’s most important is how you train your mind & body for all that’s about to happen for you. At Elemental Growth we dive into mindset work, nutrition, and activities like Kundalini Yoga (which includes breath work and mantra) so our clients are fully equipped for all the changes coming.

Rebirth Day: In one famous psilocybin study participants suggest that their expierence was meaningful and spiritually significant. They further endorse that psilocybin was either their “among the top 5” or “the single most” significant life expierence to increase well-being and life satisfaction. From my expierence pregnancy with my own son and our all-natural home birth event one Friday the 13 was in itself a psychedelic trip. It’s one so intense that it takes a life time to integrate.

Psychedelics are both the same and different, this is why its important to know your substance and know your dose. Pregnancy provides us 9 months to prepare, the birthing process is on average 6h, and the integration often takes a lifetime. Psychedelics are all over the place which is why I always recommend planning a sacred ceremony, preparing an atmosphere (set and setting), surrendering to your dose, and taking the time to integrate. I get asked all the time “how often do you take psychedelics”. My rule of thumb is “the more intense the expierence, the more time you need to integrate”. On average I would say 1-3 years for an intense trip, 6m for a mediocre trip. Integrating is a lot like the breastfeeding phase which ill get into later.

Expecting parents are almost always thinking of the birth. Just as psychonauts always think about the trip. There is so much more that comes before, and even more that comes after. To keep things short and sweet today I am just going to walk you through how we celebrate Rebirth day’s here at Elemental Growth. First step of course is getting in the mood with some intention setting, smudge, and anything else you feel needs to be done first. When your ready, you can consume your dose. Some people take a little at a time, I don’t recommend that. In my mind once you have made a decision go all in. It’s never easy to surrender but when you diddle the dose or indecisive you may not receive all you can out of your expierence.

Surrender as I said can be hard. I am 17 years into my psilocybin journey and still learning more about surrendering control. This is especially hard for trauma victims who are often the ones called to work with these medicines for healing complex-ptsd, ptsd, addiction, and grief. What helps me surrender during ceremony / meditation is Kundalini Yoga. Moving my body in anyway helps me release control and surrender to the forces much HIGHER than myself. In doing this I am also opening myself up to receive clear and conscious downloads from my expierence.

Early Years:  When we see life through the eyes of a baby it must be some psychedelic trip – time, visuals, all the other senses heightened beyond belief… Mystical-type experiences induced by psychedelics like psilocybin facilitate a closer connection to our personal meaning and spiritual significance, up to 14 months later. During this first year I teach my clients how to nurse from nature, I even wrote a book on this protocol titled Be The Change. This protocol walks you through a year of transformation using natures cyclical cycles (Moon, Sun, Seasons) to manifest the changes you want to see in yourself.

The first seven years are so important for children and our own rebirth too. Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man”. Having spent 7 years, myself studying the chakras professionally and being a mom, I see how the two integrate and with excitement about to share these secrets with you.

❤️ 1st year (root chakra): foundation, safety, security, survival, mantra “I am”.

🧡 2nd year (sacral chakra): flow, pressure, sense of self, creativity, mantra “I feel”.

💛 3rd year (solar-plexus): willpower, purpose, strength, intuition, mantra “I do”.

💚 4th year (heart chakra): love, compassion, balance, acceptance, mantra “I love”.

💙 5th year (throat chakra): communication, truth, expression, tone, mantra “I speak”.

💜 6th year (third-eye): perception, imagination, vision, alignment, mantra “I see”.

🤍 7th year (crown chakra): wisdom, knowledge, spiritual connection, mantra “I know”.

Another important factor that comes into play during the early years is independence. It’s in these early years that children begin to find their own tribe just as you are now. After a psychedelic journey people often feel liberated and can see more clearly that which is holding them back from connecting fully. Once your faced with the fears and limiting beliefs keeping you from being fully present in your relationships it becomes easier to set healthy boundaries in existing relationships and attract the tribe you longed for as a child. 

Teen Years: There is honestly no stronger power in the world then a freedom-seeking teenager. They are the definition of liberated. I still think is so weird that there aren’t more teenagers singing in the streets these days – maybe technology is taking some of that power away right now. For others these teen years are a time to really master your energy, define your identity, and express FULL independence for the first time. These are the wild & free years.

Freedom is never free though. Teenagers must face their elders, figure out who they are in their own way, and so much more around emotions… hormones… etc… I know you remember the days! Like the teen years a psychonaut will go through these phases once again. Sometimes it’s a chance to reparent ourselves, other times its an opportunity to stand up, speak up, and revolutionize culture.   

Elder Years: When the powers of the teen fade into responsibility as an adult wealth & legacy really come into play. I learned to manifest money by going to college and getting a “real” job like most of you. Through psychedelic integration however I was able to release myself from a job into an impactful career. This part of integration is complex and manifesting money is a skill not everyone is tapped into, this said I have some great tips for you.

The Toltecs taught that the path to freedom is taking 100% responsibility. In the early years and as teens we get in the habits of blaming other people, lying, and making excuses for why were NOT doing our best. It’s part of the process, as an adult we learn to take responsibility (which is rewarded), and as elder we begin to share our wisdom which comes with more long-term benefits.

My three Elemental Tips for wealth & legacy are as follows; One, have appreciation and gratitude for all, and if its hard, do your best anyway. Two, if you don’t like something delete it, delegate it, or learn to love it. Three, know where you come from. Timeline your life, know your story, know your money story. The truth is we need more people like you making money, impact, and creating a ripple effect of health and happiness around the world. There is literally no excuse anymore

The benefits of psychedelic therapies are showing positive effects on mood disorders and anxiety. They also have long-term positive effects for patients with treatment-resistant depression and is also proving effective at treating addiction. Evidence is so strong that just one psilocybin experience can be a powerful driver for personal growth. In fact, one recent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that “a single dose of psilocybin” produced substantial and enduring decreases in depressed mood and anxiety along with increases in quality of life.

Research has also shown that psilocybin can be used to enhance one’s spiritual practice. In a recent study, 75 participants engaged in a six-month spiritual course involving meditation, awareness, and self-reflection. During the course, participants were given either a low or high dose of psilocybin. At the end of the six months, the participants given the high dose of psilocybin showed significantly greater improvements in measures of spirituality such as interpersonal closeness, life meaning, death transcendence, and forgiveness.

With all this in mind, many people believe psilocybin (and other psychedelics) could be a key component of self-improvement and self-optimization. By occasioning the experience of feeling connected to the universe and confronting the deepest part of yourself, many believe psilocybin can help you take the necessary steps to become the best version of yourself you can be. I personally believe psilocybin and other sacred plant medicine are here to help us navigate the challenges we face today.

They’re here to help us get the clarity we need to find our purpose, define a clear path, and experience true happiness as we change the world together. When we know how to integrate and implement what they show us we are finally able to create lasting change in our lives. This is exactly why having a guide on the side is such a great companion to have. What makes Elemental Growth unique is how it’s an integration process that uses nature to nurture the process of change in all areas of your life. It has a ripple effect I love to watch unfold.

I launched Elemental Growth in 2017 and began coaching recovering addicts heal themselves through nutrition but there was a missing piece of the puzzle still illegal in many parts of the world today – psychedelics. When clients invest in integration coaching today, we dive courageously dive into suffering as whole and we guide our clients to make their own tool boxes – this includes science, spirituality, nutrition, and legacy building. I continue to create and share, and I will continue until all of you are living happier & healthier lives, because you have a gift that this world needs!!!

The truth is, this is not enough. There are millions of people out there just like me and you that have potential to transform this world for the better, but are struggling. And it’s going to take every single one of us to change the way things are right now.

So, if you’re ready to be the change, book your intake now! These sessions aren’t for everyone, and we book out fast, so if there is a spot available grab it. As always, I am sending you mush love & positivity on your Elemental Growth Journey, 👁️🍄👁️

Ashley Michaud
Ashley Michaudhttps://elementalgrowth.org
Ashley Michaud coaches globally and is the founder of Elemental Growth. She places a strong focus on integration of indigenous medicines for healing and recovery, encouraging clients to explore the tools and modalities that can help them carry out their purpose on earth. Elemental Growth is an integration program at the forefront of the psychedelic field, designed by nature with experience and expertise in nutrition, mindset, sustainability, and energy work. Ashley published her first book, Be The Change, in October 2019, which has received praise from holistic health professionals around the world.