Creating supportive communities to integrate the psychedelic experience is just as important as ensuring a safe setting for the experience itself. Watch our interview with Rosalind Watts, a clinical psychologist and the founder of ACER Integration, UK!
If you prefer a podcast version, here you go:
“Clinical trials provide valuable insights, but without long-term community support, many clients and therapists are left feeling isolated once the trial ends,” says Dr Rosalind Watts. And she knows what she’s talking about—having served as Clinical Lead for Imperial College’s psilocybin trial. As a prominent voice in psychedelic research, she believes that building strong communities must be an essential part of the psychedelic space. Without connection to our communities, integration and healing become significantly more difficult.
The substance is merely a catalyst; the real work often begins after the experience. To support this process, Dr Watts developed a community-based integration cycle—ACER (Accept–Connect–Embody–Restore)—which forms the foundation of a growing online community built around psychedelic integration circles. Ultimately, this is what psychedelics are about: fostering a sense of connectedness, helping us come home to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us.
If you would like to learn more about the ACER circles, and Rosalind’s reflections on nature, spirituality, and other vital topics, please watch and share our interview filmed at the International Conference on Psychedelic Research 2024 in Haarlem, the Netherlands!
