Because insight without practice is a memory. If you do not build the new understanding into daily behavior — journaling, therapy, community, boundaries — the old defaults quietly return. The medicine opens the door; you still have to walk through.

Most integration coaches suggest a minimum of 3–6 months between ceremonies for beginners, and often longer. If you find yourself wanting to go back because integration is hard, that is usually a signal to stay and do the work, not to drink again.

The honest answer: longer than you think. The first three months are where most of the visible change happens — habits shift, relationships get renegotiated, the body settles. But integration is really a years-long practice of living what the medicine showed you. A ceremony is a doorway; integration is what you build on the other side. Weekly circles, a body practice, and honest conversations are what turn insight into a life.