Life as a Psychedelic Integration Coach
Just over a decade ago, I made the risky and out-there decision to launch AfterLife Coaching, a business solely dedicated to Plant Medicine and Psychedelic Integration. Back then, this was literally unheard of; integration wasn’t a buzz word, and even the most popular Ayahuasca retreats weren’t offering it. The popularity of psychotropic medicines was just picking up steam, but the emphasis was solely focused on the actual experiences, not the aftermaths.
Yet I had been in this space for 8 years already, and as an organizer and apprentice for Ayahuasca ceremonies, it was abundantly obvious to me how needed integration support was. I had already informally assisted hundreds of folks to prepare and integrate ceremonies, as this was an integral part of organizing and hosting. I gave so much of my time and effort to making sure folks understood the aftermath of their life-changing experiences, I felt I had no choice but to try and turn it into a business, as it was consuming my life. In order to sustain my desire to be of service, an energy exchange became a necessity. But I wasn’t in the least bit confident folks would actually see the value and be willing to pay me.
I’m happy to report I could not have been more wrong about that assumption. Within a few short months, I had a thriving coaching practice. I hired the Life Coach of Life Coaches to help me build my business, and his insight and feedback gave me heaps of inspiration and encouragement. I went full throttle into this business, and within 2 years, I gave up my corporate gigs and completely dedicated my life to the Plants, and the people who respectfully work with them.
Lo and behold, now it seems like the vocation of Psychedelic Life Coach is the new it career. People are popping up daily with promises of safety and know-how in the aftermath of altered spaces. As such, there are numerous schools and online accreditations promising to aptly prepare enthusiastic people from all walks of life to be successful coaches. On the whole, this brings me great joy, validation, and inspiration. But since I had no one to give me the lowdown about what this career would entail when I took the leap, I’m here to share two core perspectives for all those who need some guidance:
1) What to look for in a truly competitive and effective Psychedelic Integration Coach
2) What life is like if this is indeed your vocational calling – the trappings, the glorious elements, all the things!
How to Choose the Right Psychedelic Integration Coach for You
It used to be there were just a few of us with the Integration Coach title, so there wasn’t much to choose from. Not anymore. Skim the bios of Instagram profiles and you’ll see countless devotees to the art of integration. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect coach to guide you through the preparation or aftermath of a psychedelic journey, here are some core things to consider before you book that session:
· What is the coach’s training?
Some folks go a more traditional and academic route, first attaining Life Coach accreditation from one of the major schools, and they may even have a scholarly background in psychology or therapy. This is aces if you’re after a Western approach and feel most comfortable with someone who has gone to school to learn to help folks.
Others, like myself, learn in the shamanic spaces we trained in. These people are experts in the art of working with the plants/psychedelics more so because of experience, not academic study. Both paths are fantastic, as is a combo – whatever works best for you.
Please do NOT trust a coach that hasn’t had SOME form of formal training, be that from an academic institution or a shamanic apprenticeship, or any combination of the two. There are scads of folks who have a handful of Ayahuasca ceremonies that become self-proclaimed coaches, and quite often their advice, which lacks solid understanding or training, ends up causing more harm than good. Do your homework, ask questions, and be discerning. Please also do not trust a coach that hasn’t had a LOT of experience with the plants/medicines you are seeking support with. That is literally the most important factor.
· What plants / medicines are you working with?
More and more, coaches and integration specialists are narrowing our focuses to very specific niches. Since I am a carrier of Ayahuasca and Huachuma, they are inherently my specialty. I do my best to help folks in the aftermath of medicines like Bufo and Ketamine, but they are quite simply not my area of expertise, as I have limited experience with them. This is absolutely essential if you want credible guidance and advice. All Plant Medicines are NOT the same, and that’s equally true for synthetics.
· What is your medical history?
If you’re dealing with serious health issues and/or a history of emotional + mental challenges, you’ll want a trauma-informed coach that deeply understands what you’re going through. I have a history with bulimia, suicidal ideation, and a bi-polar diagnosis, so I’m intimately familiar with how the Plant Medicines work with these challenges. Other folks are experts on things like addiction, narcissism, certain attachment styles, and related psychological attributes. Likewise, if you’re working with healing major health issues, you’ll want a coach that also has an expertise in nutrition or herbalism, along with a legitimate understanding of anatomy and biology.
· What makes you feel safe?
Does feminine energy create safety for you? Perhaps you trust the masculine more? Maybe you’d prefer a queer-friendly or non-binary being. If your core wounding is around something like racism, you can manifest a coach that has personal experience in healing this. Be aware what it is you’re working with, and what energy feels safest and most effective at helping you move through it.
· How long have they been coaching, and how many clients have they worked with?
Please don’t trust your deepest vulnerabilities to someone brand new in the field, unless they have given you full disclosure and perhaps are willing to work with you for free or at a substantial discount. I did free consults for the first year of my practice, but no longer offer them due to a very full schedule. With every single person I’ve been honored to coach, I’ve learned so much about how best to support people, and myself.
What It’s Like to be a Psychedelic Integration Coach
If this is your calling, I am here to support it tenfold. This is an utterly magical, challenging, incredibly rewarding profession, and I have to pinch myself on the regular that I get to wake up each day and talk about the cosmos and healing with conscious, courageous, and beautiful people. There are many inherent challenges, however, so I’ll break down a few core obstacles and some suggested solutions:
· Training and Accreditation
This is a highly personal choice, but I first want to empower any of you that don’t want to be indoctrinated into the “system” – it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to go to some fancy coaching school and get a gold star. You do need to have ample real-world experience regardless of whether you play in or out of the system. Now, if you’re truly interested and called to get an official accreditation in some discipline (like Life Coaching, etc.), go for it! Any knowledge is golden. Just please don’t mistake a few Zoom classes for actual experience. What is most important here: If you are going to help people integrate psychedelics / Plant Medicines, you have to know them intimately. I’m not talking a few ceremonies or sessions – I’m talking dozens if not hundreds. Plant Medicines are conscious beings with a level of intelligence and ancientness that literally blows our minds. If you are representing yourself as an expert, be one. That means you’ll likely want to focus in on 1-3 that you can really, intimately get to know. No one is an expert at all altered spaces. No one is in intimate partnership with every single entheogen. Find your niche, and be a forever student.
· How to know you’re ready to start coaching people
You know you’re ready when you notice yourself already assisting others in their integration organically. It starts happening in your life on the regular; people trust your feedback, and start viewing you as someone credible in this space. You know you’re ready when it’s clear who your ideal clients are; the types of people you know you’ll work best with. And you know you’re ready when your relationship with one of more of the Plant Medicines blossoms into a true partnership. You’ll feel their invitation. And it will be obvious and empowering and terrifying, all at the same time.
You don’t need to wait until you feel like you know everything, of course, because ultimately, as an Integration Coach, we don’t have the answers, we simply help guide our clients to discover their own truths. What we need to know is the language of the plants; how they operate, their inherent personalities and trickiness, and the core of their teachings. From there, we work with our clients to help decipher the mysterious world of the subconscious, and for what we can’t bring clarity to, we help people celebrate the mystery.
· A reminder about what we cannot assist with
We are not doctors, therapists, or medical professionals (unless you have that training too!), so please do not think you can advise on pharmaceutical medications and physical ailments. People will ask you on the regular to help them ween off things like SSRIs; not only is that outside our wheelhouse, it’s a legal liability to pretend you have the awareness. Advise them to do such things with their doctors. It’s essential we stay in our own lanes as one wrong piece of advice can cause serious harm, which in turn also damages the credibility of the whole tribe. The same is true for suggestions on who to sit with or where to source the plants: Don’t do it, unless you’re recommending places in legal settings that you have personal experience with.
· Get used to saying “I don’t know”
Psychedelic coaches don’t need to have all the answers; we are partners in our client’s journey to integration, but the conscious mind isn’t the only tool we use. One of the most honest and powerful expressions we will say on the regular is “I don’t know, but let’s figure it out together.” Good coaches don’t lecture or preach to clients, nor do we impose our beliefs or views on others. Instead, we are on journeys with our clients to assist with healing and self-discovery. They have the answers, our job is to ask the right questions to help them discover their own truth.
· You are always coaching yourself
Since I’ve been at this for over a decade, I’m astonished how the people most called to work with me at any given time are mirroring my own energies and shadow work. When I first started as a Plant Medicine integration coach, I was healing bulimia, and so many of my clients were, too. I didn’t advertise this, it just happened; we are always coaching ourselves, after all. Nowadays, my focus is personal safety and energetic protection, so folks seeking the same seem to find me on the regular. This is pretty darn magical and points to the larger story that is unfolding before our eyes. We are in service to ourselves first and foremost, and it’s very empowering to stay keenly aware of this. It also helps us remain humble, which is essential to our safety and integrity.
· Never stop working on yourself and your personal toolkit
We are only as strong as our awareness of ourselves, and the process of expanding personal consciousness is literally endless. A good coach is therefore always being coached. We must have our own support staff, and a sincere commitment to continuing our education, healing, and awakening. The toolkit will never have too many tools. So if you are answering a calling to be of service, your first commitment will always be to your own journey.
This is just the tip of the proverbial coaching iceberg, but my sincere prayer is it enlightens and empowers you on your own journey. If you feel called to work with me, either in coaching sessions, courses, master plant diets, and/or in the Plant Medicine Integration training we offer here, I would be oh so honored to be part of your journey. Regardless, thank you for answering the call, and for showing up for yourselves, the world, and these incredible plants. You are needed. Go forth and co-create a magical shift in consciousness.
About the Author
Tina “Kat” Courtney, The Afterlife Coach, has worked with Ayahuasca since 2006, with a decade as a shamanic apprentice. She works as a Psychedelics and Ayahuasca Coach, guiding others through the integration and preparation process with sacred plants and master plant dietas. She’s the co-founded and CEO of Plant Medicine People, Inc, and the author of Plant Medicine Mystery School Vol 1: The Superhero Healing Powers of Psychotropic Plants. She’s a transformational junkie with a major love of polarities, and she lives for helping others love their darkness too.
