Post-Burning Man Decompression Integration in 5 Steps
Growth doesn’t end when you get off the playa. This is when it starts. Realization without integration is like having grilled cheese without cheese.
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Burning Man. A week in the desert surviving alongside the most radically expressive group of souls. At least 168 hours of dusty realization opportunity. And then it ends. Where do we go from here?
We experiences the highest of highs, the lowest of lows. We experience radical life changing realizations, come to terms with decisions, and find ourselves while getting lost at the same time. We can’t just overhaul over system after becoming this new, improved, human 2.0 version of ourselves. And we can’t just leave our realizations in the dust. We need an integration process. This compression and layering process is what makes crystals so strong in the same way that it makes us strong. We must consciously decide which layers to start with, which decisions serve us, and which require preparation.
Below is a series of steps for putting chaos into structure.
- The first step is to express and capture the main themes of the journey that stuck out most. Include your original intention for attending and how that intention evolved by the end of the journey.
- Next, lay out the map of the journey starting with the most life altering realizations and look for links connecting the themes together.
- Put definition around which chunks are rising to the top. What needs more clarity and what is obvious? AKA what do you know for sure?
- State conscious decisions that need to be made and create structure around the new way of being and thought, asking yourself the major questions listed below.
- Craft a timeline and a progression for the integration process. Which of these can you start implementing today? Ending a job? A relationship? Starting a new company? Determine the immediacy and begin taking action.
Ask yourself
What was your intention going into Burning Man? Did that intention shift by the end? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What are the top 3 experiences that stand out to you from Burning Man? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Where did you experience resistance and challenge? How did this add more depth to your personal growth, expose you to new ways of thinking, or help your open up to new perspectives? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Celebrate your top 5 achievements. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who inspired you and who do you want to stay intentionally connected to beyond Burning Man? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who or what are you ready to release from your life?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1–10?
Self care?
Radical self reliance?
Radical self expression?
Communal effort?
Radical inclusion?
Gifting?
Leaving no trace?
Participation?
Immediacy?
Communal Effort?
Radical inclusion?
Gifting?
Leaving no trace?
Participation?
Immediacy?
Communal Effort?
How does this mirror the way you show up in the default world?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What did I learn watching my emotional vibration daily? What was the most common negative emotion that I experienced? How did I accept and allow myself to move up the emotional scale?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How did I fully enjoy what I was doing without wanting to be anywhere else? How could I be more present in my daily life?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
No matter the questions you ask and the realizations you have, ensure you have an integration plan in place post burning man. It is too easy to get swept into the daily grind of life and bypass the life altering integration that could come from a simple process surrounding your personal evolution.
