James Lavrakas

About James Lavrakas

I have spent the past 15 years as an arts professional and worked 13 of those years at one of the top feature animation film studios in the world before leaving it all behind to pursue Psychedelic Integration Coaching. I use art therapy and storytelling techniques in my practice to uncover your inner shadow work and the harmful
stories we tell ourselves.

In 2016, two months before I was to be married, I had a deeply profound and transformative experience with MDMA. It was one of the first times that I was actually able to articulate what I was thinking and have my feelings truly heard, forever changing my perception of what I was capable of as an introvert. It made me realize that I have the ability within me to speak up and express myself in a way that can be heard and understood by others.

After years of pursuing this self-work path with the assistance of other plant medicines, entheogens and psychedelic substances, I was able to know what it meant to show up fully present for oneself. I pursued talk therapy, somatic therapy, reiki healing, shamanism, witchcraft,
and other healing modalities that would teach me the path towards self-expression and self-awareness. Create a place for me to be accepted, seen, and heard. It was a transformative journey and one that led me to be a better person for myself, my partners, and my family.

In 2020 I began training with the Psychedelic School of Higher Learning, now known as the PlaySkool of Integration and Soulpreneurship. Under Shiri Godasi’s leadership, I spent 12 months studying various integration practices, as well as interning for over 50 hours, working with
various medicines and learning around the country. I provide psychedelic education, coaching, and also hold monthly integration circles for people to process deep emotions through a psychedelic and psycho-spiritual lens.

James Lavrakas's approach to integration

I am passionate about using these ancient plant medicines and modern synthetic substances as tools for spiritual and personal development. They are intelligent and are alive, calling us to use them to learn and grow. They allow us to travel through the many layers of our psyche and radically transform the way we perceive ourselves, our loved ones, and our environments.

The many steps of building this bond and healing include:

• Preparation for a psychedelic journey
• Development of psychedelic navigation skillsets
• Roadmapping your goals and contextualizing your growth and shifting identity
• Educating family and friends whose support you choose during this process
• Exploring the emotional and physical impacts of the psychedelic experience in the short and long term
• Contextualizing the story that occurred during your trip
• Setting intentions for future psychedelic journeys Implementing meaningful behavioural change
• Connecting with an Integration Circle or support group system

We live in an age with access to many different religious, cultural, ancient, and modern modality systems for processing physical, mental, and emotional states. They have survived the tests of time for a reason because there are deep inalienable truths to them that help us rise above our
own stories and keep in touch with our true nature.

Some of the methods that I am experienced in and use in my practice are listed here:

• Art Therapy
• Depth Psychology
  • Jungian Psychology
  • Adlerian Psychology
  • Identity work
  • Attachment theory
• Philosophy & Ethics
• Ritual & Ceremony
• Meditation & Active Imagination Exploration Storytelling
• Connecting to Nature & Mother Earth
  • Exploration of Shamanic Core Principles
  • Indigenous Traditions & Reciprocity
• Body Work
  • Breathing Techniques
  • Holotropic Breathwork
  • Somatic Therapy

Credentials

I studied under Shiri Godasi and the Psychedelic School of Higher Learning, now known as the PlaySkool of Integration and Soulpreneurship, from January 2021 to March 2022.

I have also taken an additional course “Ketamine: Therapeutic Effects” through Psychedelic Support online coursework.

James Lavrakas's offerings

• $100 per hour
• $80 per hour if a 4x session is pursued