Integration Providers
are Analagous to Pastoral Care
By. Dr. Chuck Crisco
Is there a difference
between Christian pastoral care and entheogenic integration specialist’s
service? Of course, there are similarities and differences. Explore some of
those with me.
From elementary to
middle school, I attended a private Christian school. I then received a B.S. in
Bible, a Master’s of Divinity degree and a Doctorate in Practical Ministry. I
pastored four churches, planted churches and did missions work in India over
the span of 25 years.
During that time, one of
the most rewarding periods was when we created something called Simple Church.
In addition to our non-denominational Christian services held every Sunday in a
large facility, we offered a bi-weekly “house church” setting for people who
wanted to go deeper into their faith. A typical Friday night meeting consisted
of food brought by the attendees, live music, spontaneous times of personal
ministry with each other using our spiritual gifts and guidance regarding
spirituality, spiritual experiences and life issues. It was not unusual for us
to discuss or experience physical healings through prayer, or visions and
dreams being interpreted, prophetic utterances that were spoken and evaluated,
and psychic type insights the Bible calls “words of knowledge”. It was the
quintessential discipleship setting where we practiced our Christianity with a
goal toward personal growth.
In addition, I regularly
provided counseling for marriages, personal problems and spiritual growth using
the Bible to help individuals to navigate their spiritual lives. I also
designed and taught discipleship programs. The word “disciple” is an
English translation of the Greek word “mathetes,” which means
“learner” or “pupil.” The roots of discipleship are found
in Judaism in the first century when teachers of the Law of Moses frequently
had learner-followers just as pastors and Christian teachers do today.
I say all this to
establish my credentials that I am very familiar with the foundational
principles of Christian discipleship and pastoral care. As such, this article
is to demonstrate the analogous relationship between the entheogenic
integration provider and the Christian pastor/priest or teacher using both
comparisons and contrasts. We discover that though there are differences of
context, the basic foundational principles are the same.
What is Pastoral Care?
Part of the pastoral
care model involves using the Bible through loving relationships called
discipleship to help followers of Jesus experience the “Christ
within,” interpret their spiritual experiences if they arise, and
integrate biblical commands into their lives so they can become like Jesus,
their model. The sacrament is variously interpreted in this context, but it is
essentially intended for those who partake to experience union with Christ.
What is an Entheogenic
Integration Provider?
Entheogen simply means
“the divine within” and they are substances traditionally used in spiritual or
religious contexts to induce expanded states of consciousness. Entheogens
include ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD or our sacrament Psilomethoxin. An
entheogenic integration specialist is a type of coach or mentor or pastor who
helps individuals integrate their mystical experiences with entheogens so that
they can be their authentic unburdened selves.
Similarities Between
Entheogenic Integration Providers and Christian Pastors/Priests/Teachers.
Both are there to
provide comfort and aid to those who have had profound or painful experiences.
Both may offer guidance and support to individuals who are seeking spiritual
growth and development (Tupper, 2014; Hook & Cohen, 2019).
Both provide spiritual
direction and counseling and seek to create an environment of love and kindness
which makes it easier for participants to work through difficult feelings and
new insights.
Both entheogenic
integration specialists and Christian pastors may be involved in the process of
helping individuals make sense of their mystical experiences and finding
meaning and purpose in life (Pahnke & Richards, 2016).
Both may help
individuals develop a stronger sense of connection and community (Newberg et
al., 2018; Loizaga-Velder & Verres, 2014).
Both use sacraments as a
part of their connection to divinity.
Both practitioners of
entheogenic integration and Christianity may draw from various therapeutic and
spiritual modalities at their disposal while working with individuals.
Integrating mystical experiences in a healthy and productive way can be aided
by meditation, mindfulness (“practicing the presence of God”), counseling, and
other related practices.
Differences Between
Entheogenic Integration Providers and Christians Pastors/Priests/Teachers
Christian pastors work
within the context of their religious tradition. Entheogenic integration
specialists work primarily with individuals who have had experiences with
entheogens or psychedelics (Loizaga-Velder & Verres, 2014).
Entheogenic integration
specialists may view entheogenic substances as tools for spiritual growth and
healing, while Christian pastors may have reservations about their use
(Winkelman, 2017; Hook & Cohen, 2019).
Entheogenic integration
specialists may draw from a wide range of spiritual and psychological
traditions to help individuals integrate their experiences, while Christian
pastors typically draw from Christian scriptures and teachings alone (Tupper,
2014; Loizaga-Velder & Verres, 2014).
Entheogenic integration
specialists may work with a diverse range of individuals from different
cultural and religious backgrounds, while Christian pastors typically work with
those who identify as Christians or are interested in Christianity (Winkelman,
2017; Hook & Cohen, 2019).
Entheogenic integration
specialists work less with people about faith because they work more with
primary religious experiences instead of secondary ones.
Mystical Experiences
Christianity, depending
on the particular denomination, primarily works with the Bible as a Holy text
and uses interpretation methods called hermeneutics to explain the mystical
experiences of those characters in the texts. In these secondary experiences,
i.e. reading about someone else’s experience, a high value is placed on
trusting the veracity of another person’s story written thousands of years
prior. In a sense, then, the Bible is the past interpretation of mystical
experiences rather than the primary experience itself.
The Catholic Eucharist
is believed to be the literal blood and physical body of Jesus Christ after the
priest blesses it. Its purpose is to provide a mystical experience wherein the
one who partakes realizes their union with Christ. The actual experience of that
union is something that must be accepted by faith. Occasionally it is reported
by the Church that evident spiritual experiences have occurred as a result but
this is not the norm. Other, more experiential groups like the Pentecostals or
Charismatics, report more primary experiences.
Entheogenic leaders use
various plant medicines, such as Psilomethoxin, as a sacrament. The purpose of
the sacrament is the realization of one’s union with all things as well as
healing self-discovery.
The entheogenic
sacrament nearly always initiates a mystical experience of some kind which
means there is a proliferation of primary religious experiences instead of
secondary ones. In this context, even more so than in Christianity, integration
specialists are needed to help people interpret their experiences and integrate
those truths into their lives to create more balance, harmony and peace.
Entheogenic
experience trumps the need for faith here. The “text” that the Church of
Psilomethoxin (aka, The Church of Sacred Synthesis) and others work with is the
experience itself. These providers work with primary spiritual experiences just
as those who wrote the texts of the Bible worked with primary
experiences.
Interestingly enough,
probably none of the characters in the Christian Bible entered into a mystical
experience by the means of reading a holy text. They are recorded as having
primary experiences such as entheogenic churches provide.
So while there are
differences between typical religious pastoral/discipleship care and
entheogenic integration within the contexts and frequency of experiences, there
are many important similarities as well and therefore they are analogous to
each other at the level of religious practice.
References:
Hook, J. N., &
Cohen, A. M. (2019). The intersection of psychedelic medicine and Christian
theology: Exploring similarities, differences, and potential points of
integration. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 51(1), 26-48.
Loizaga-Velder, A.,
& Verres, R. (2014). Therapeutic effects of ritual ayahuasca use in the
treatment of substance dependence: Qualitative results. Journal of Psychoactive
Drugs, 46(1), 63-72.
Newberg, A. B., Waldman,
M. R., Wintering, N., Amen, D., Khalsa, D. S., & Renshaw, P. (2018). Value
of life: An exploratory neuroimaging study of the effects of the entheogen
ayahuasca. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 384.
Pahnke, W. N., &
Richards, W. A. (2016). Implications of LSD and experimental mysticism. Journal
of Religion and Health, 55(4), 1214-1224.
Tupper, K. W. (2014).
Entheogens and existential intelligence: The use of plant teachers as cognitive
tools. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 46(1), 20-33.
Winkelman, M. (2017).
Psychedelics as medicines for substance abuse rehabilitation:
Evaluating treatments
with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 10(1),
48-57.
