Ibogaine: A Different Journey for Everyone

My name is Lily Kotila.  I have been a Marriage Family Therapist in the state of California since 2006. I have focused on Ibogaine and Plant Medicine in Mexico since 2016. Upon reflection, I have worked with approximately 300 hundred Ibogaine related clientele.  I believe that I have experienced a large enough sample size of the human addiction/depression/PTSD population with respect to the plant medicine Ibogaine, that I have become aware of various patterns, for which I think are important for a potential client to be educated.

• There is no "predictable pattern" of Ibogaine as everyone's body and mind responds differently to Ibogaine.
• While there is no "predictable pattern," it is clear that certain individuals share similar experiences of recovery stages: both mind and psyche with respect to ibogaine.
• When individuals have tried cutting opiates by going "cold turkey," they are so appreciative of Ibogaine's detox properties that eliminate Post Acute Withdrawals, even though some may still feel some discomfort of body.   These clients have said that the minor residual withdrawal effects associated with Ibogaine are NOTHING in comparison to going "cold turkey", or not having Ibogaine as an opiate replacement therapy.
• Research demonstrates that with the use of Ibogaine, 90% of PAWS are eliminated.
• For those individuals who use Ibogaine for addiction treatment or Ibogaine for opiate detox and have never tried to cut "cold turkey," - they will often feel that "the plant medicine has not worked," as they do not like the vibration feeling in their bodies. They "think" they are still withdrawing, and it may feel like they are withdrawing, (and they may experience some very real minor withdrawals), however, it is important to note - that the body is going through a big change.  The feeling of actually "being in body" feels uncomfortable as addicts have been "numbed out" for so many years.
• The transition period both psychologically and biologically from the old "familiar self" to a recognition of the "new self," takes some time and patience to settle in to "being."  It is important to mentally come prepared with "patience" so you won't have to repetitiously be "patients" for years to come.  Don't blame yourself for having to work on patience - Don't blame the clinic you go to either. 
• THE JOURNEY OF GETTING CLEAN IS NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART. In Finnish, there is a word, "Sisu."  It means will power, strength, tenacity and gumption like one cannot even imagine humanly possible.  
• Do you have what it takes to get clean?  If you want to swallow a pill and be instantly cured and somehow feel happy the next day (even though some do), good luck with that.  I almost promise you - you will need it. 
• If you have "Sisu,"  you will make it to the other side.   
• When people give up, it is because they cannot see past the bumps in the road. They get stuck in their thinking patterns of "now and that 'this' will never end."
•  For 10 weeks following a flood dose of ibogaine, all opiate receptor sites are "content" as they are happily filled with Ibogaine and they are not "missing" opiates on a biological level. 
• At the 2.5 month mark post ibogaine treatment, a client should be tuned into himself/herself as she might notice another vibration change of "normal" due to the fact that the noribogaine (a conversion of ibogaine) which is stored in the adipocytes or fat cells is fully eliminated from the body at this time. 
• Restless legs is the most common residual complaint of people even when they use Ibogaine.  Restless, electrical or jumpy leg discomfort usually dissipates within 3 days post treatment.  Medications such as GABA, Diphenhydramine, possibly clonazapam and other sublinguals are often provided to help during the post treatment "gray days" to assuage symptoms.
• All feelings of mind and body discomfort come in waves and they lessen and lessen as time passes.
• Some individuals may experience a slight sweat that they associate with withdrawals, when in fact, Ibogaine acts as a stimulant and can actually elevate body temperature (quite a contrast from opiates) so the sweat is not actually associated with withdrawals, rather with "the feel" of Ibogaine transitioning the body to it's "new homeostatic norm."
• Time and what to do with time? the filling of time, activities, inability to sit still, feeling like "it will be like this forever" are not uncommon thinking patterns during the "gray days" to follow 48 hours post ibogaine treatment.
• Some Cognitive Behavioral therapeutic shifts of thinking patterns can be important to put into place in order to take the space of the old thinking patterns associated with addiction.
• The effort you want to put into your therapeutic recovery is up to you. A parent can hold a child's hand to cross the street to avoid getting hit by a car. As an adult, you can have help building a bridge to cross the street, but no one can pull you through to the other side BUT YOU. 
• Ibogaine and supplemental plant medicine therapy are  amazing tools that help in the process of recovery, thus making it easier to cross that bridge.  There is an expression I think ......having to do with 

• Some rare individuals do not experience hallucinogenic effects of Ibogaine.  This does not mean the plant medicine is not working on a biological level.  There are therapeutic aspects to explore with respect to the psyche in terms of "why hallucinations didn't happen?"  I worked with a woman one time who was curious why drinking Ayuahuascha stopped having the same visionary effects after doing 200+ sitting ceremonies. (The body adjusts? . . .and of course - other therapeutic things to explore). 
• People who innately have low oxytocin levels have decreased likelihood of going into hypnotic states of any kind. I would imagine this factor would influence the psychedelic visions of ibogaine. While oxytocin levels can be changed, people innately have one of three types based on the chromosome 3p25 polymorphic allelelic variation
• While on ibogaine, people's body's can experience a sense of tremors or shakiness, instability to walk.
• While the hallucinogenic component usually lasts about 12 hours, some people can remain with hallucinations for longer periods of time.
• According to research, there is an increased likelihood of death if an individual uses heroin or opiates within 2 weeks to follow ibogaine flood dose as the body is pure.
• I have personally known one client, "TK" - who died after going back out to use shortly after an Ibogaine treatment.
• Baths with epsom salts and massage are very helpful for people experiencing post Ibogaine adjustments
• Many addicts come from a non-flow of life where life isn't actually happening because they are so consumed in addiction.  It is really important to have a post plan vision in mind for post ibogaine treatment 
• Vomiting may accompany Ibogaine administration as humans have the majority of Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor sites in the gut or in the enteric nervous system.
• MORE TO COME . . . . . . .