Ibogaine & Iboga Extracts
Overview
“When we do plant medicine, and we see love,
we realize right then and there that it was never apart from us,
that in fact it was a part of us.”
– Gerard Armond Powell
Iboga as Transcendent Teacher
Much of human evolution is contributed to sacred plants. Tabernathe Iboga, a shrub of equatorial Africa, is one such plant that emerged as a natural guide for humanity. The plant has aided in spiritual development for thousands of years in Gabon, and is now gaining global recognition.
The bark of the plant has psychoactive properties, and is distilled to provide entheogenic substance Ibogaine. Ibogaine was initially adopted by modern practitioners for its side effect of healing addiction, and is now gaining traction for its far reaching individual and collective spiritual applications, and potential to transform the Western world.
Sacred Origins
In the late 1800s, members of the Bantu tribe of Gabon fled to the jungle to escape French Christian missionaries attempting to eradicate traditional tribal beliefs.
While living deep in the jungle in an effort to preserve their cultural traditions, the Bantu intersected with Pygmy tribes, who shared their Iboga rituals. The tribe’s experiences with the sacred plant led to a collective transformation, both spiritually and culturally.
In church, they speak of God.
With iboga, you live God.
-Nengue Me Ndjoung Isidore, Bwiti leader
The incorporation of Iboga use by the Bantu led to a blending of animist cultural traditions, syncretic Christian beliefs, Pygmy ritual, and plant ceremony. This blend allowed the tribe to transcend past traditions, access deeper realms of being, and was the foundation of the Bwiti tradition.
While the Gabon government recognizes Bwiti as a religion, it is rather a way of being, in which spiritual practices facilitate direct access to deeper mystical insights, and communication with spirit.
More on Bwiti practices and rituals can be found here.
Science and Spirit, “One Heart Only”
In the same way that Iboga facilitated the merging of Bantu and Pygmy practices, the scientific and spiritual have been blended through its modern applications and subsequent research.
The most common modern application of Iboga has been for addiction treatment. However, the plant’s anti-addictive properties are actually a side effect of the overall impact of being initiated to the transformative plant spirit.
Iboga’s ability to reveal deeper connectedness and unity with all of life naturally allows for the release of addiction, as part of an overall integrative process that is far more profound and expansive.
In fact, anti-addictive properties were only discovered accidentally when psychonaut and researcher Howard Lotsof ingested the plant and found his craving for heroin subsided. This led Lotsof to contract clinical production of Ibogaine in the Netherlands, a patent for its use in the US in 1985, and its current medical applications for opioid treatment.
In recent years, Iboga providers such as ourselves have shifted the focus back to the psycho spiritual applications of the plant, blending existing scientific data and experiential knowledge of the Iboga to share its profound gifts and spirit.
More on the scientific and clinical studies of Ibogaine can be found here.
Spirit of Iboga
Iboga is a plant exhibiting incredible intelligence, bringing only what each person is ready to handle. Some are treated gently, while others are pushed beyond the edge of comfort, to face difficult issues to transform the very core of their being.
We have experienced the plant as a male grandfather spirit, however in some traditions is considered a female, so identification may be personal and what the person calls forth.
Iboga asks one to see themselves in wholeness, releasing notions of good or bad.
Iboga empowers one to see themselves as they actually are, the true consequence of actions.
Iboga allows for the release of habitual reactions and responses programmed by past experiences.
Through Iboga, we are given the freedom to exist in the present moment in connection with our true being, as the whole of creation.
More specific details on the Ibogaine experience can be found here.
Sessions
Our Thoughts on Approaching Ibogaine Treatment
Please investigate Ibogaine treatment on the internet or speak directly with those who have undergone treatment. We will provide names and numbers upon request. Please seek a match in what you feel are important issues to you. Everyone must find where they feel comfortable, and that the provider of Ibogaine you choose will be able to give you what you need for a safe and effective experience combined with good nutrition and proper recovery. There are many models of Ibogaine treatment, so finding the clinic or provider you feel most comfortable with is of top importance. We by no means feel we can help everybody. Each person’s needs are different- and we do the best with those who feel we are a match. Personal beliefs, spiritual beliefs, health, where you’ve come from, and where you’d like to go are all aspects that are important to take into consideration. This is an intimate experience: it is vulnerable & raw, and you become extremely emotionally open. There are times where you may feel exposed. Where and whom you go through this process with, and how they support & care for you is essential in gaining the maximum benefit of this medicine.
Ibogaine and the Self
Please note that Ibogaine therapy for any ailment – whether it be a psycho-spiritual malady or a chemical/physical dependency – is a serious therapy. You may be challenged and at times and experience various levels of discomfort. We realize that this is a stage, and you will create this experience any way you wish. We have continuously found ourselves as witnesses to this truth. However it goes, it is part of the healing process. Ultimately, you are responsible for the final outcome of the treatment. We have made every effort to make the Ibogaine experience as safe and comfortable as possible. We want to make sure you get everything you need for your mental, physical and emotional well-being. Our purpose is not to take on the responsibility or control over your life. This is a place for you to follow through with your decision to change and to own your own experience & healing. Ibogaine is an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a better life and future. The term initiation fully applies at times with this therapy.
This treatment is an addiction interruption, and is the beginning to living life without wanting or needing to use something from the outside to be able to function in this world. Our main goal is to help you reach a space where you will be able to make clear decisions free from the influence of chemical substances, and recreating a life that may have never had a chance to exist. The more time you’re able to spend away from your home environment the more you can introduce new ways of living so that when you return you have a stable foundation. We recommend people go to an after care program. There are some designed for post Ibogaine experience information is available upon request.
The Focus of our Current Practice
We at the Awakening in The Dream Group are currently focused on addressing how to best utilize the nature of the Iboga plant medicine to assist people who are already on the road to recovery. Our contemporary spotlight lies in helping people do the core inner work that steers or drives any motivation to self-medicate, self-abandon, to numb, to escape, to withdraw.
We do provide other treatments, including detox (upon request or necessity), but consider ongoing treatment for psycho-spiritual maladies or behavioral issues our current area of truest calling.
Our Environment & Facility
Our facility in San Miguel de Allende is our own home. When you are here, we operate as a “family” of Ibogaine therapy providers committed to furnishing our clients with a comfortable place to experience Ibogaine for both emotional and physical detoxification. We offer a safe, clean, and calm setting, and will assist you in whatever you may need to follow through with your decision to change.
This is an environment supported with the efficacy of Ibogaine. This is also a completey free will clinic. Your ability to move past your present circumstance depends on your intentions. We have a great respect and understanding of the path you have chosen, and we do our best to provide empathy rather than sympathy.
We do not allow friends or family at the clinic during the treatment or on the day or two following Ibogaine therapy sessions. It is important that the person doing this work has the opportunity to look fully into oneself, without any outside elements. If a friend or family member decides to accompany you, they will be responsible for their own food and accommodations.
The Awakening in the Dream House is not a traditional facility where the “client” is separate from the “staff.” Our intent is to dissolve the illusion of separation that is at the core of the addiction process.