Iboga Insight

Information

The Science of Iboga is a highly complicated topic, best left to the experts to explain.
During my writing, I attempted to make a dumbed down, approachable version of this material (for people like me with no relevant training), but I quickly discovered that in order to dumb something down, I first needed to understand it for myself.
Rather than confound myself and expose my ignorance to anyone who has studied this area, instead I have made a list of resources, books, articles and websites available elsewhere on this site. These can provide you with an up to date scientific explanation for the mechanisms of action of Ibogaine.
Below are a few short, speculations on the nature of Ibogaine. I look at these as late night fireside conversation pieces, not to be taken too seriously but interesting to ponder.

Iboga as a spirit
Very many people who have experience with Iboga make the claim that Iboga is a spirit, with a personality, intelligence and an agenda. Some claim that they meet the Iboga spirit as a humanoid being and even build a relationship with it.
Others see the Iboga Spirit as something like an ancient deity, like the Old Testament God, capable of wrath and punishment, but ultimately loving.
It is my belief that there is an obvious order and intelligence behind the subjective experience of an Ibogaine treatment.

The Guardian of The Threshold
I have observed that Iboga will show you what you need to see, in order to counter our habitual patterns of self-alienation. This experience can be harsh and painful and maybe we don't want to see the truths that we hold within us, maybe we don't want to relive our early wounding, or to break the stories that keep us feeling secure. All of this can be so painful and distressing, but perhaps necessary to approach on our homecoming.

Deep Time and the Spirit Realm
Iboga is said by some to contain ancestral, traditional or location specific information, for example many people claim to encounter themes of Gabon, traditional imagery and African faces. The Bwiti recognise the significance of certain dreams and visions that are experienced by many people who take part in ceremonies. We might wonder what supportive intelligences may be operating in this space. I find it interesting to wonder about my own ancestors, loved ones who have passed and deep time ancestry in the countless generations of people who have lived lives, have loved and made their way and survived through some very challenging situations and circumstances.
We are not only a genetic lineage in some abstract sense. This body is literally a continuation of your ancestors. As you look at your hand, it is a continuation of your parents, grandparents, great grandparents hands and so on, ad infinitum. The ancestors are imminent within every cell of your body and recent insights into epigenetic changes are beginning to suggest that the life experiences of our ancestors can shape how our genes express and impact us today.
Those who believe in a spirit realm, may wonder if there is a vast chain of support behind us, holding us steady as we courageously work toward healing and liberation.

A Balanced Approach
Science is an outgrowth of the left hemisphere of the brain. It is a very powerful tool, or as Iain McGilchrist says it is an excellent servant but a terrible master. The more holistic right brain is better equipped to approach mysteries, as are abundantly and obviously present within Iboga treatments. In understanding Iboga, we may wish to try and isolate ourselves from wild speculation and superstition and this is wise.
We should not jump head first into adopting new beliefs, just because we have had our previously limited worldview disrupted. There is a line to be walked between openness and healthy scepticism. Neither can be disavowed without diminishing ourselves and potentially courting danger and dysfunction.

You are Welcome
It’s possible to approach our lives as we might a beautiful garden, caring less for the destination and understanding the place and the forms, than the journey itself and the deep, ineffable beauty and connectedness that we might find here. We don't need to court danger, there is nothing to prove, no need for standardised maps, or guidelines. Remembering to walk gently might be enough.

Navigating by Star Light
Iboga is often looked at by those who are uninitiated, and seeking some resolution to personal pains, as a medicine that will cure and an end to a story of pain and suffering. If treatment is ideal then it is actually likely to be the beginning of a new story. Iboga can really facilitate you to truly arrive in a place of self-honesty, integrity and authenticity, but from thereon, the path is yours to tread. This is a story that you must author.