Ibogaine therapy is a process which has helped many individuals break their addictions to hard drugs like cocaine and heroin, as well as ‘softer’ drugs such as alcohol. While only limited research has been conducted on this apparently miraculous substance, it has already become clear that it is very effective at minimizing any withdrawal symptoms that a patient must go through, and it also reduces cravings afterward, so the person recovering from addiction has a better chance of staying clean.
Why Why Ibogaine Therapy is Effective
Ibogaine influences drug withdrawal in two very important ways: regulates serotonin levels and restores brain function.
Firstly, it’s very effective at regulating the levels of serotonin and dopamine that occur naturally in the brain. Both of these are chemicals that are strongly associated with the sensation of wellbeing and pleasure. Equally as important, ibogaine restores areas of the brain that have been damaged by habitual drug use so the individual eventually achieves a status close to what he or she had before the beginning of addiction.
The science behind how Ibogaine works in the brain is fascinating. When drugs or alcohol reach the brain, they try to attach themselves to specific receptors, but ibogaine interferes with this process and disallows the attachment to receptors. It also works to block transporter molecules that would normally shift dopamine into brain cells.
Ibogaine also has a major impact on receptor types in the brain, causing them to release chemicals known as neurotrophic factors. Whenever a person abuses drugs or alcohol, some receptors and the overall circuitry of the brain can become severely damaged. It’s this damage to the brain and its circuitry that causes the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms drug addicts experience.
Neurotrophic factors have a strong tendency to heal damaged tissues in the brain and promote the release of feel-good chemicals, thereby preventing the addictive responses and withdrawal symptoms an individual normally goes through. It has been observed time and time again that even a single dosage of ibogaine is sufficient to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings for any drug very effectively. There are no other known drugs that can accomplish this, nor are they as effective in doing so.
A Typical Ibogaine Therapy Treatment Plan
Day One
– Patients are welcomed to the clinic and settle into their private, luxurious rooms, after which a one-on-one medical assessment with the ibogaine therapy doctor takes place, and sample testing is carried out to retrieve bloodwork and urinalysis. After dinner and personal time, patients attend a group Q&A session with the Experience Ibogaine medical team.
Day Two
– Patients have breakfast, then some personal time, and testing from the previous day is reviewed so patients can be treated. A small test dose is administered to patients so any allergic reactions can be identified. For those who pass the test, a flood dosage is administered by Dr. Paul Casillas. For the next 8 to 12 hours, medical staff monitors the patients.
Day Three
– Patients have breakfast and are given the option to undergo sauna detoxification while recovering. Group therapy sessions discuss aftercare planning, and workshops consider the decision-making process so patients can have more control in the future. After dinner, one-on-one consultations are had with patients to begin planning for aftercare.
Day Four
– By this time, patients begin to feel better and can walk along the beach or engage in physical exercise. Patients have access to sauna detoxification or swimming time. After lunch, patients participate in SMART recovery planning as well as additional group therapy sessions. Workshops are available to help patients identify their triggers and prepare for post-Ibogaine life.
Day Five
– Patients get more personal time on this day, with exercise and walking the beach being everyday activities. Some patients depart on this day, but others stay behind for more sauna detoxification time and personal time. Ibogaine planning packets are prepared with the medical staff, and patients prepare to leave the clinic.
Day Six
– More patients leave on this day, but those who remain behind have group therapy time and continue working on their Ibogaine planning packets. Sauna detoxification and personal time are available, and there will be time for packing in preparation for departure the next day.
Day Seven
– After breakfast, patients finalize preparations for departure, and most clinic patients leave before lunchtime unless they have chosen to stay for a longer period.
The Success Rate of Ibogaine Therapy
Many drug rehabilitation centers around the country claim to have success rates in the range of 30 to 90 percent, but most experts are aware these claims are drastically inflated. A more accurate figure is probably somewhere around 10 percent because the vast majority of drug clinic patients experience relapse within the first six months after graduating from such programs. It’s also true that virtually all rehab facilities in this country are based on the Alcoholics Anonymous model, so there’s no real alternative to choose from—until now.
Ibogaine therapy is far more effective than programs offered in drug rehabilitation facilities because it actually goes to the root of the problem, rather than masking it. Since ibogaine can reduce, and in most cases eliminate, the awful withdrawal symptoms people go through, it’s much more effective at overcoming addiction in the first place.
However, the real difference-maker is the fact that ibogaine can restore damaged circuitry and tissue in the brain, which no other program can accomplish. Because the recovering addict achieves a status at least close to where he or she was before becoming addicted, it’s far more likely that a patient undergoing ibogaine therapy stay clean and away from drugs. Preliminary statistics suggest that patients undergoing ibogaine therapy have a 75 percent success rate in remaining free of any drugs for at least the first six months afterward, which is the time frame typically tested.
The Best Place To Undergo Ibogaine Therapy
The best place to undergo Ibogaine therapy is at Experience Ibogaine,which is located just south of the San Diego border. The medical team there is headed by Dr. Paul Casillas,who is one of the world’s most experienced medical practitioners of ibogaine therapy. Dr. Casillas personally developed our program, and he is present at every treatment administered. Experience Ibogaine always works with a small group of patients so more one-on-one consultation is possible and so each case can be given maximum attention.
Patients are housed in luxurious settings, which makes the entire experience much more tolerable and enjoyable for them, and the coastal setting itself is very peaceful and relaxing, with waves rolling in from the Pacific Ocean to soothe patients at the clinic. All the most modern and technically capable equipment is used during the administration of the program, which means all monitoring, testing, and other functions necessary for program administration can be delivered effectively and smoothly.
Experience Ibogaine’s safety record is impeccable, with all patients being 100 percent safe while going through this program. While patients proceed through ibogaine therapy, they have clean, comfortable private settings to do so, and every detail has been considered for the comfort of our patients. Our world-class chef prepares the food available to patients throughout the week so it’s possible to enjoy the experience to the utmost while having to undergo recovery from drug addiction.