The Art of Non-Doing
Why Less is More in Psychedelic Work
In a culture obsessed with doing—producing, managing, optimizing—it can feel counterintuitive to suggest that less is more. Yet again and again, in the realm of psychedelic healing, this paradox proves true.
I’ve found that the deepest medicine often emerges not from what is added, but from the spaciousness created when we step back and allow.
The art of non-doing.
Integration Circles: Holding Without Teaching
One of my first leadership roles in psychedelics was with the UBC Psychedelic Society and since I started offering integration circles with them back in 2016, I’ve been a a part of over a hundred integration circles now to date.
Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern: the less I try to manage the process as a facilitator, the richer the experience becomes.
There can be a temptation for facilitators to lean into “teaching”—to offer insights, frameworks, or lessons after someone shares. But I’ve found that what truly supports integration isn’t instruction—it’s simple presence.
When participants are given space to speak without being redirected or “fixed,” something remarkable happens. Their own words carry them deeper. The group itself becomes the mirror. Healing arises not because someone at the front of the room has the right answers, but because everyone in the circle has the courage to share.
Less facilitator. More community. That’s where the gold is.
Guiding Journeys: The Non-Directive Path
This same principle applies to guiding psychedelic journeys. In my work with Legacy Journeys, I’ve generally taken a non-directive approach when it comes to facilitating. I’ve learned that being non-directive doesn’t mean being passive. It means trusting the medicine, the resilience and inner healing intelligence of the participant as well as the process that is naturally unfolding.
A non-directive approach is helpful for facilitators because it prevents them from steering someone toward a particular outcome or imposing a narrative. Instead, it’s about creating the conditions for their own wisdom to surface. Sometimes that means sitting quietly. Sometimes it means offering a hand to hold, a song, or a gentle reminder to breathe.
This can be tricky sometimes because there is a human instinct to want to step in and help. I believe most people are wired to naturally want to support someone that appears to be struggling.
A careful discernment is developed over time and with experience and this is a reason why I think it is so important for facilitators and guides to not only have experience supporting people through challenging experiences, but also to have experience moving through deep levels of challenge themselves in their own psychedelic journeys.
Non-Doing ≠ Doing Nothing
Now, to be clear: non-doing isn’t doing nothing. It’s about discernment.
Knowing when to step back and when to step in.
In both circles and ceremonies, there are moments when intervention is essential. When someone becomes overwhelmed, when trauma surfaces, when a participant feels unsafe—that’s when skilled, responsive action matters.
Think of it like holding a riverbank. Most of the time, the water flows on its own. But if it floods, or if someone is drowning, we step in with clarity and care.
The skill of facilitation lies not in constant activity, but in responsiveness—knowing when silence is medicine, and when support is needed.
In other words, a non-directive approach is not effective unless it is paired with a highly responsive one.
The Paradox of Less
This paradox—that less is more—isn’t unique to psychedelics. We find it in meditation, where stillness reveals everything. We find it in art, where empty space gives meaning to what little is added. We find it in nature, where growth often comes from seasons of rest. We find it in programming where clear, concise and highly abstract code eloquently solves problems.
Psychedelic healing is no different. It’s not about doing more, adding more, or controlling more. It’s about learning to trust. To listen. To respond when called, and to rest when not.
In that space of non-doing, something greater than us has room to work.
And often, that’s where transformation takes place.
With psychedelic love, gratitude and the desire to do less,
Michael 🤍
Quick heads up for anyone based in Vancouver, this Friday we are hosting our first iteration of Eclipse; our new nocturnal offering designed to take you deeper into the realms of embodied liberation, expression and conscious connection. Join us for a night that blends immersive and deep sound, ceremony, embodiment and movement all in the service of exploring expanded states, sensual aliveness and the electric edge between shadow and light.
this is so interesting as a use case for "less is more"!