My Journeys with Iboga

Soul Medicine- My Journeys with IbogaFirst of all, WHAT IS IBOGA? This amazing and powerful plant is becoming more and more known to the western world due to its awesome capacity to act upon our neurotransmitters and help with substance addiction issues. 
I was “called” and also invited to work with this sacred plant medicine because a dear beloved of mine had been struggling with addiction with various substances (which at the root of this was issues of self worth) and so when committed to attend this Iboga ceremonial retreat in Costa Rica he extended the invitation to me and I said Yes. 
The below passages were written by the wonderful Elizabeth Bast who I had the pleasure of meeting and receiving guidance from on the SOUL CENTROBwiti initiated retreat team, with regards to navigating and working with this plant medicine…
​“Iboga is an entheogenic (psychedelic) plant medicine held sacred by the indigenous people of Central West Africa. The medicine is found in an inner layer of root bark from the Tabernanthe iboga plant as well a broader group of perennial shrubs belonging to the Apocynaceae family, found in the tropical forests of Gabon, Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo.

The ceremonial and reverent use of the Iboga root is integral to the Bwiti tradition for spiritual initiation, spiritual and physical healing, shamanic diagnosis and prescription, community celebration ceremonies, self-study, prayerful microdosing, direct communication with nature spirits, fertility and aphrodisiac purposes, an endurance and vision aid during long hunts (in light doses), spiritual travel through space and time, and communion with ancestors as well as the healing of ancestral lines. Iboga is considered to be a sentient spirit and master teacher, not a mere substance to consume. 

Knowledge of iboga was first held by the Babongo people, otherwise known as the Pygmies, who then passed on the practice to sects within the Bwiti tradition. As the 2nd oldest genetic line in the world, the Babongo people may have worked with iboga since ancient times. 

Like Ayahuasca, San Pedro (Huachuma), Peyote, and Psilocybin mushrooms, it is a sacred visionary plant medicine, yet iboga is an utterly unique spirit. More recently, iboga and its active alkaloid ibogaine have been proven to have powerful addiction breaking effects in medical studies and observational research. 

Some people have referred to iboga as the “Mt. Everest” of psychedelic medicines. Iboga can be a rigorous physical, mental, and spiritual journey—and yet there is always a profound and loving intelligence at play through the challenging moments. At times, journeys may also be playful or bizarre. Initial “flood” doses or high ceremonial doses can be accompanied by intense purging/vomiting and other cleansing reactions, temperature changes, trembling muscles and limbs (ataxia), and general physical discomfort. The journey can last up to 24 to 48 hours—with 12 hours being the most intense psychedelic phase. Visions may or may not be a part of the journey, depending on the needs of the individual. One may experience answers to our deepest questions, insights, guidance, soul healing, realizations of one’s divine nature, shadow work, facing fears, releasing attachments, premonitions and warnings, and visitations from ancestors or loved ones who have passed on. In initial journeys, one may experience the “mind purge” in which all the contents of the psyche, both lived and imagined, arise in a rapid storm. The intelligent purpose of the mind purge is to truly “look into the basement” of our consciousness to be pristinely aware of what is there—and then to make new space for what one is calling in.”
For more tremendous resources and to learn more, Visit her website HERE
I never could have imagined that I would have the profound privilege and opportunity to commune with this powerful plant medicine Iboga, but life unfolded in its mysterious way to open this path to me. 
Iboga and Ibogaine (one of the 13 alkaloids of the Iboga root) have become more known in the Western world over the last 10 years for its miraculous ability to help heal addiction by helping a person get to the root of their traumas and underlying reasons for their addiction. However, this medicine is not just necessarily for people with addiction problems  (although I do think that most people have addiction problems!)- It is over all a very healing plant that is used to detoxify the mind and body. At the psycho-spiritual level, this medicine is the ultimate “truth seeker”- it helps you to see and know all the thought-forms that get in the way of being aligned with the Truth of your soul. 
Communing with Iboga was definitely not a “fun” experience- it was actually one of the most uncomfortable and challenging experiences of my life. I already have a pretty “overactive” mind so I definitely was curious (and a little nervous) of what my experience would be like. I remember when I was “in the thick of it” thinking “I don’t ever want to do this again.”   I will attempt to describe my experience from the beginning:
The ceremony begins around the fire pit around 8 pm. A water buffalo horn is blown in the four directions and the fire is lit. One of the facilitators goes around the circle with a torch or aromatic resin and herbs to cleanse each participant. The medicine is given one by one- We state our full name and then are fed a spoonful of the rootbark which we then wash down with water. And then the “fire talk” begins. Various “truth topics” are brought up for discussion. Sometimes there would be a posed question and we would go around the the circle and we would all get a chance to speak and share our perspective. “What do you know about love”….”How do you know the truth?”…..”What obstacles get in the way of being present?” The medicine begins to take effect in 30-60 minutes. Before closing the fire talk, each person is to look into a mirror that is held in front of their face and answer: “Who are you?” “Who do you love?” “Why do you love yourself?” When that is complete we are led back to our mats, and by then I was feeling the medicine. It is emphasized to “take it slow” as quick and sudden movements can bring on nausea and dizziness. 
There is traditional Bwiti ceremonial music being played over the speakers. I layed down on my mat and put an eye mask on. With eyes covered the medicine is experienced much more and the inner journey can begin.  Each person is given more medicine- specifically measured for the person- this time in the form of a capsule containing the “Total alkaloid” extract of the root bark- so one capsule can be up to 7 spoonfuls of root bark. The first ceremony I received one capsule and the second ceremony I received two (everyone got more medicine on the second night). Then the journey begins to deepen. 
The music has quite the synergistic effect with the medicine and I would say plays a big role in the journey. One of the main instruments heard in the music is the the mougongo, which is mouth harp made of carved bent wood with a string that is played with a small stick. While the mouth changes the sound that is produced changes in tone. The other instruments that are heard are the shakers. With the eye mask on the auditory senses are very heightened and visions come easy. The music that is very repetitive and chaotic in rhythm (many times having at least four different rhythms going on) plays a powerful role on the brainwaves, putting you in a trance like state. The facilitators also used shakers along with the recorded music and it felt like we were being washed with sound as they shook the shakers all around our bodies. The facilitators actually call this sound effect “the chisler”- because if feels like its chiseling you. My body began to shake and tremble, I could feel it acting on my nervous system- which was one of my intentions- to heal my nervous system.  In my inner visions I could see the musicians playing this music, I could see their faces in detail. My body felt waves of heat burning through it.
At some point one of the facilitators came to me and anointed my third eye with “pygmy paste” which is a special recipe only known to the older women of the Bwiti. And then began the “Soul Journey”- for which I had prepared a set of succinct personal questions. A facilitator guides this journey for an individual if they feel like the person is ready and able and they utilize the questions within the journey so that the individual can derive truthful answers from the clearest part of themselves.
 Everyone’s journey and experience with the medicine is different, just as everyone’s soul is a unique expression. Some great advice I received before coming into this work was “release your expectations.”  For instance, not everyone has really vivid- “clear as day”- visions. I did not, actually. They were more like impressions and glimpses of images and at first I wondered “am I just imagining this?” and I found myself not trusting in what I was really seeing- but then I realized that this is actually a pattern of mine- of self doubt and the tendency of comparing myself to others. Sometimes this self judgement can sound like “I can’t even do THIS (the medicine) right!”  which is a thought that is not helpful or kind. Instead, what is needed is more TRUST in and COMPASSION for one’s Self.  
I won’t go into too many details of my journey’s because of the personal content. First, I was guided to “find my soul” which may be, say, in your room of your house for example.   I went through a conversational process with my soul with the questions I had come up with and then ultimately I merged back with my soul, which I had unconsciously “pushed aside” from various traumas in my life.  This may hve been the the most meaningful insight I got from my soul journeys- was that I had abandoned my own soul- “pushed her out” from her rightful place for the over-caring and over-consideration of others- which in turn left me feeling out of touch with my own needs and desires.  And then I was guided to fly to Grandmother Moon, where I met up with either an ancestor or someone dear to me that has passed on. On the first night the person who I met with was my dear sister Natalia who passed away several years ago. She gave me clear insights into self love and self care and being true to myself.   In the second journey I met up with my grandma who affirmed my soul’s purpose- to share music from my soul(not for my soul).  Then you fly to the brightest star that you can see in the universe and touch it to receive its light to illuminate my life’s body, mind and spirit!  In the first soul journey I was guided into my brain/mind as well as my heart to “clean out” these spaces. My “cleaning techniques” just came to me, as clear insights. Basically, it was a practice in trusting the first “truth impressions” that would come to me.   
 There were many more parts to these soul journeys and since they were very much reflections of my own life’s experiences and psyche I will not share them here, but instead will be creating artwork to integrate the insights I gained from my inner visions. At the very end of this, I will share some images I recently created (scroll down).
Iboga medicine lasts a very long time. Hours and hours….until morning and beyond. (The spirit of Iboga can actually stay with you for months- that is if you respect and honor it. I was told that drinking alcohol or communing with other powerful plant teachers is a sure way to “get Iboga to leave.”) At its most intense, I experienced a torrent of thoughts, one after the other, for hours- which is impossible to describe through words. Its termed a “mind purge”- it can be thoughts of moments of your life, it could be one thought that leads to the next- a fascinating study of the mind for sure! One may also experience physical purging- which I certainly did! I’m no rookie with purging, as I have been working with Ayahuasca for about 20 years, however purging on Iboga is another story! Purging root bark is much harder!  But back to the “mind purge” which was far more fascinating- The only way I could tolerate this intense hurricane of thoughts was to keep my center, practice non-attachment and to come back to the present moment, through my breath, through feeling the sensations of my body. I actually was able to find techniques in real time to shift and let go of my thoughts.  It all had to do with the attention I would give it.  And if a thought wasn’t based on truth, it would evaporate and disappear- because it was never really real! This is  a very valuable insight to have: that Only the Present experience is actually Real and True! 
A very precious insight I was given was a perspective of myself like I have never had before. I was able to SEE myself from outside of myself, as if I was looking at myself from someone else’s perspective. With this perception I was able to know the truth in we should never judge another person and we should also especially never judge ourselves. I got to see myself as a beautiful, sensitive, deeply feeling human being and I felt much love for myself in this perception. As I write this my heart swells with emotion. We are so hard on ourselves and most of the time we are judging ourselves unconsciously. These unconscious patterns must be brought to our awareness before we can even address them. And for this awareness I am profoundly grateful for plant medicines because they hold the potential to open our minds, widen our perceptions and help us be free from our rigid mental patterns we have come to believe to be “truth” and they can help us see the real Truth.
In this “mind purge experience, the underlying limiting beliefs and “self talk” that one wouldn’t want to admit to anyone gets put on the mind’s loudspeakers! When this would come up for me I would remember to give myself love and compassion. Fears, self judgement, criticism, and the like, can sound like many things…In fact it is quite common for people to have auditory hallucinations when working with Iboga.  For example, there was a person in the group that was absolutely convinced that I was yelling at him to shut up and all sorts of other terrible things! (Because in his head he was looping out loud my name and also in his head I was responding very harshly!) To him it sounded clear as day, but amazingly, it was all within his mind!  What we are actually “hearing” much of the time in our inner mental space are reflections of our own fundamental core beliefs, perceptions of self and conditioning. And if these core beliefs have been formed from harmful/traumatic events in our life they are going to manifest in ways that only serve to keep us stuck in that pattern- until we recognize it for what it is and “do the work” to re-pattern (which can look different for everyone!). 
What I found was that the only remedy for our true healing and empowerment is LOVE and AWARENESS.  It was very clear how our tendency to be stuck in the past or worried about the future keeps us from truly living!  Mental Illness is definitely a result of this tendency- and I got very clear insights from the medicine how most of us in the modern western world are, to some extent, on this spectrum of mental illness- in the way that we loop self destructive thoughts and are rarely present.  
The following day, the medicine is still very much at work, although the most intense part is over. I experienced the most clarity and profound peace of mind. My body felt amazing, purified and strengthened. However, the following day after that, my mind started to “creep back in” and with it all the feelings and thought/emotion loops. I realized, with humility, that Iboga is NOT here to “do the work for us.” It is here to SHOW us how we need to take our power back by loving and valuing ourselves enough to do the work that is required. It is a medicine for our mind and shows us how every thought has power.
 Iboga showed me the truth that I can never un-see. It showed me the good work I need to do- and primarily that work is LOVING MYSELF, TAKING TIME FOR MYSELF, and TRUSTING MYSELF.
This might look like practicing acceptance to release my tendency to control. It might look like getting more sleep, allowing myself to rest more. Drinking more water. Practicing mindfulness. Taking quiet time to myself and letting go of feelings of guilt and harsh thoughts that “I’m not doing enough”. More BEING, instead of DOING- and/or more BEING while I am DOING- practicing the art of being Present at all times, even when actively doing.  
Caring enough about myself enough to not care what other people think. Staying present to life, to my needs and desires-
  Cultivating the daily practices and techniques that will help me stay present and aligned with my soul’s purpose.  
MAHALO NUI LOA, So much Gratitude to the SOUL CENTRO team! I LOVE YOU. BASSE!

“For the Bwiti, there is no guru. No ‘big guy,’ that is prayed to or worshipped. There is only one prayer that the Bwiti use. Every morning, they thank the Creator for another day. It is a gratitude for life itself, for the gift of simply being alive.
“Life is a gift, and nothing goes above it.”
– Wisdom from a Bwiti Shaman
The Bwiti know that, from day one, the creator gave us everything we need. This truth exists deep inside of us. We do not have to ‘pay’ to be alive. We simply are.
The value of one’s life is held in the Bwiti’s highest regard. They treat themselves with care, and possess honor, courage and commitment for their life.  They deeply understand that we enter this world alone and we will leave alone, so nothing outside of themselves drives their internal happiness.
They recognize that they are a part of nature, and they do not abuse it. Nature is here for us to learn and grow from, to use for resources without abusing them. If nature is abused, we are essentially abusing ourselves on emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual levels. Conversely; by abusing themselves they are abusing nature.
They teach that life has always, and will always, begin inside of us. Nothing outside of ourselves will make us happy long-term. We must harness and nurture our truth to be happy within and to bring peace to the mind.”
Above passages are from the Awaken your Soul Website