Review of integration session with Ronald on 25 January 2025

A few days ago I travelled from the UK to Holland for an integration session with Ronald H, a psychosocial psychedelic therapist. I had done two MDMA sessions with Triptherapie in 2024, resulting in what I can only describe as a profound awakening – many insights, a newfound joy in life along with months of turbulent, intense emotions. I’d had to pass on the group integration session offered in December. However, sensing I needed to release the pain of my childhood at a deeper level than I’d been able to thus far, I set off for a bespoke integration session that a fellow psychedelic-journeying friend had organised.

We set off separately for Holland just as Storm Eowyn hit, nearly thwarting our travel plans. My bus was delayed and I arrived with minutes to spare for the 6.04am Eurostar from St Pancras, the earliest train of the day, half asleep, boarding the train just before it set off – to Paris, not Amsterdam! Luckily I managed to run onto the right train, across the platform.

Next day we set off from our hotel in Amsterdam to the small town where our session was to take place, first by rail to Eindhoven, then a bus journey. I started experiencing waves of anxiety as to how I would cope with the psychodrama used in the integration, which until that morning I’d been keen to experience 🙂 The bus began heading through a beautiful forest, and I relaxed a little. Then we realised the bus was heading away from we expected it to stop and the driver wouldn’t let us off… Once again, I reminded myself that this expedition to Holland was an adventure to be embraced.

The session proved to be very powerful for me. Ronald had a strong yet kind presence, setting up a safe, trusting environment for our small group. The three of us had spoken briefly over Zoom to discuss practical matters and our intentions for the meeting, but had not met in person until the afternoon of the session.

First, Ronald prepared the space. We were asked to invoke our ‘protectors’ – spiritual, human and animal, placing representations of them around the room and acknowledging valued aspects of ourselves. (I brought a photo of a Siberian husky.)

We were asked to pick a significant person in our lives with whom we had unfinished business. Each of us took it in turns to be the protagonist – playing the role of our significant person(s) in between being ourselves, and switching as Ronald directed. Sometimes the ‘observer’ was invited to step in to say what this person may have said, as voiced by the protagonist. We then shared our responses as observers – learning from each other is an important aspect of the work.

This was a great way to dive deep into the emotions within one’s family of origin, say, with an immediacy you don’t get from talking with a therapist one to one, or alone in a room to an empty chair. I quickly felt at ease with Ronald and began to express the hurt, anger, etc that I felt towards significant people in my past. Ronald interacted with us as our ‘plays’ evolved, guiding us towards insights, emotional release and resolution. When the session ended after two to three hours, I was trembling from the intensity of my emotion, and felt as if a heaviness had lifted from me.

I’d recommend Ronald’s integration session to anyone wishing to explore whatever has come up for them in psychedelic therapy. This type of therapy is creative, intuitive and potentially powerful, so I learned. For myself, coming to terms with years impacted by childhood abuse and neglect, it provided a great sense of relief and closure. My thanks to Ronald for guiding me to where I needed to go☺️