6th August 2020 • Sticky Post

Iboga Therapy: 5 Good Reasons to Explore This Unorthodox Option

There is no journey you’ll ever take in life more difficult, or more rewarding than the journey from addiction to recovery. Addiction has a host of hideous effects on your body, mind, spirit, and relationships with the people you love. Breaking free from addiction will allow you to build the life you want, and offer you a chance at happiness, health, and fulfillment. But beating addiction won’t be easy. In spite of years of research into the best methods and strategies for getting clean and staying that way, relapse remains a threat for everyone who goes through the initial stages of treatment. Conservative estimates put relapse rates at somewhere between 40-60% of all addicts in recovery, similar to those for chronic recurring diseases like asthma, diabetes, and hypertension. It’s enough to make you consider alternatives to traditional modes of treatment, and the success stories of people who’ve undergone iboga therapy offer 5 convincing reasons to try a method which has demonstrated its ability to guide addicts down the path to recovery.  

1) Minimised Withdrawal Symptoms

Iboga Therapy

The first obstacle to treating addiction is the fear of withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can cause intense physical and psychological pain. They can even be life-threatening. But for those clearing their systems of heroin, other opiates, and opioids, iboga therapy has been proven to dramatically reduce the symptoms of withdrawal. There is anecdotal evidence that iboga therapy can also lessen withdrawal symptoms for those withdrawing from cocaine and crack. The nightmare of the physical and mental withdrawal symptoms when detoxing from opioid-based pain medications and heroin have stopped many addicts from attempting to reclaim their lives. Iboga therapy can reduce the nausea, intestinal pain, restlessness, tremors, irritability, anxiety, diarrhea and muscle and joint aches that are often associated with opiate and opioid withdrawal. You’ll find that it’s a lot easier to embrace the treatment process when you aren’t in agony.

2) One Size Does Not Fit All

Iboga Therapy: 5 Good Reasons to Explore This Unorthodox Option

As evidenced by the fact that approximately 50% of drug addicts in recovery experience a relapse, there is room for improvement in the way we treat addiction. If you’ve already gone through a traditional treatment center (or two) and found that you couldn’t break the cycle of dealing with stresses, cravings, and pain with a substance of abuse, it might be time to experiment with a new method of overcoming addiction. At Iboga Tree Healing House we’ve seen ibogaine, combined with holistic therapies like yoga and mindfulness, deal with addicts who many would’ve deemed “hopeless.” People respond differently to different treatments, but iboga’s ability to allow addicts to approach their illness with fresh eyes and a sense of possibility can be a life-saver for people who have relapsed time and again after undergoing "traditional" therapy models.

3) A Whole New You

iboga therapy

Addiction creates a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness. And those who fall prey to this insidious affliction are often seeking a release from the pain of past trauma, co-occurring disorders, physical pain, or all of the above. No one needs a jolt of positivity and hope more than an addict, and iboga therapy has the power to offer the addicted a long look at how their life history, decision-making, and habits have led them where they are, and how a fresh approach can lead them out of suffering. Iboga’s effects on the central nervous system include increasing neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to generate new neurons and break free from negative mental patterns. Combined with the oneirogenic effect of leading users through vivid visions of life-shaping events, iboga therapy allows addicts undergoing treatment to take stock of their lives while also generating a receptive attitude towards the changes necessary to sustain recovery and rebuild their physical and mental health.

4) A Much Needed Re-Set For Your Brain

A Much Needed Re-Set For Your Brain

Dopamine receptors and neurotransmitters in the brain control our feelings associated with reward and pleasure. For addicts, the pathways and triggers which control the release of dopamine become dependent on a foreign substance and eventually stop responding to other sources of pleasure. Brain imaging studies have also found that dopamine receptors are also linked to our inhibitions, self-control, and tendencies toward compulsive behaviour. Prolonged addiction reduces the ability to exert control over cravings, while also convincing the mind that in order to feel pleasure, we must stimulate it with harmful substances. This is one of the primary reasons why addiction is so difficult to overcome.

Iboga has been proven to restore dopamine receptors in the brain to a pre-addicted state. This is the reason why addicts will be free from cravings for a period ranging from 3 months to a year following a single dose of ibogaine. While this action isn’t enough to single-handedly end addiction, it does provide a window for you to build healthy habits, and deal with the mental and physical issues which led you into addiction. It’s a mistake to believe that iboga is all you need to “cure” addiction, but using this potent addiction interrupter will give you a chance to build solid foundations for life in recovery.

5) Results That Last A Lifetime

Results That Last A Lifetime

Long-term studies on the effects of iboga therapy have been conducted in Mexico and New Zealand. The Mexican study found that treatment outcomes were positive, and drug use was reduced throughout the period of the 12 month study. The researchers in New Zealand concluded that their study “provided further evidence supporting iboga’s effectiveness in reducing opioid withdrawal, cravings and use over an extended period.” Some doctors have reported long-term success rates of 70-80% in treating drugs of abuse with ibogaine, and while responsible providers will encourage therapeutic and other treatments in order to combat the root causes of addiction, objective observers generally conclude that iboga’s ability to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings will offer addicts a better chance of sustaining their recovery over the long term.

We acknowledge that iboga therapy won’t be everyone's solution to addiction. But at Iboga Tree Healing House, we have seen its power to push hardened addicts down the path to sobriety, health, and recovery time and again. If traditional treatments haven’t worked for you, we’d be happy to explore this alternative that might have the power to change your life!