Integrated refers to a state in which the diverse elements of physiological, psychological, and relational systems of functioning are differentiated and linked.
An integrated state of mind reflects the capacity to discern and weave together distinguished modes of processing – including affective and neuroceptive sensation, relational and regulatory perception, as well as semantic and sense-making interpretations. This state enables a spaciotemporal emergence of the here-and-now as it connects to the then-and-there and opens toward the new-and-next.
In the context of well-being, being integrated reflects a property of Self: the affective dynamic development of a coherent sense of Self with an Other in the World.
Ultimately, to be integrated is to be embraced and grounded in continual contextual coherence – a Self that is congruent and connected.
Integrated (adjective – state)
- Definition: The outcome or condition of having successfully linked differentiated functions into a coherent system.
- Connotation: Stable, embodied, reflective of past integrative work.
- Use: Describes the result of integration.
- Example: A person with an integrated sense of self can hold both pain and possibility without fragmentation.
- In clinical context: “Integrated” describes how someone shows up—with affect regulation, narrative coherence, and secure relational capacity.
