Just had a call with an iboga retreat

[Joannium]

Hello everyone,

I just had a call with Celine from [an iboga retreat]. These are the things that stood out to me the most and I would like to know if this is normal practice (this is a retreat btw, not an official bwiti initiation).

On the first day / first ceremony, they give you 1 spoon so you can first get acquainted with the medicine.
On the second day / second ceremony, you get 5 spoons.
On the third day / third ceremony, you get 1-2 spoons.

I have no idea what "1 spoon" really translates into, but I am worried that these doses are too small. I asked if I could have more and she said no. Safety concerns. Taking more than that would be stepping into initiation territory, which they are not equipped for.

You don't get a room for yourself, we sleep in the ceremony space. You may get a bed in the attic, which has 8 beds, but you may have to pay extra (she said she will check with the owner of the space).

The total price is [MOD EDIT - NO SOURCING TALK]. The reason I'm contacting [them] is that they are the cheapest I've found, even if that price is high as [anything] [edited for language].

If anyone knows cheaper and trusted alternatives, I would love to know. I don't come from money, and I also don't think it is fair to make healing a privilege for the wealthy while inaccessible to those who struggle the most.

 

[Joannium]

I apologize, I was excited about finding this forum and posting this, and I missed reading the rules.

 

[blig-blug]

I know nothing about iboga retreats and I'm not experienced with iboga. But the fact that they say they're not equipped to handle what I assume refers to flood doses looks like a bad sign to me. With any psychedelic there's the possibility that someone reacts much more strongly than normal to a given dose. And if they mean cardiac risks, some risk still exists at lower doses.

Basically, it sounds to me like they're not equipped to offer iboga in general. I may be wrong, but I'd avoid that place.

 

[yatyas314]

Agree/\/\

 

[Jamie01]

I have eaten Iboga only a few times. Even just 4 grams was fairly deep and lasted a very long time. Terrence Mckenna dosed 4 grams and back when I did it I was told 5 grams was fairly standard doses for westerners anyway. Yeah Bwiti do take more to initiate but it’s also dangerous. Some people will swear by eating way more for a “flood” dose so take whatever I say as just one anecdote.

I don’t know a whole about it other than what I experienced. I still have a gram I’m planning to eat soonish I have been saving for like 9 years. Even a gram I will feel and have had great benefits from, esp combined with oral cannabis which is done in some traditions.

If I ever eat any more of it in my life I think I would go for 5-6 grams but not higher, and certainly not without a guide. I did it alone and just talked to some providers first.

It was life altering that’s for sure. The afterglow was just unreal. Hope you find it as useful as I did.

 

[Jamie01]

I think 5 “spoons” of Iboga might be a solid dose already but why measure that way? That’s a terrible way to communicate I don’t know why they can’t just be clear and state how many grams a person is getting. Also do they just give everyone 5 spoons? Or is this dose adjusted based on how ppl respond to the first dose?

 

[Joannium]

I think 5 “spoons” of Iboga might be a solid dose already but why measure that way? That’s a terrible way to communicate I don’t know why they can’t just be clear and state how many grams a person is getting. Also do they just give everyone 5 spoons? Or is this dose adjusted based on how ppl respond to the first dose?

Yeah no idea why they’re not clear about that from the start. I’ll ask what a spoon roughly translates to when I talk to them again.

The numbers they gave me are the maximum number of spoons they will give to each person. They said that on the second day, most people are done after 3 spoons and don’t feel like more, and on the third day some people don’t even want to take anything.

 

[Joannium]

I know nothing about iboga retreats and I'm not experienced with iboga. But the fact that they say they're not equipped to handle what I assume refers to flood doses looks like a bad sign to me. With any psychedelic there's the possibility that someone reacts much more strongly than normal to a given dose. And if they mean cardiac risks, some risk still exists at lower doses.

Basically, it sounds to me like they're not equipped to offer iboga in general. I may be wrong, but I'd avoid that place.

They require a lot of background checks before you’re confirmed to retreat with them, like mental health status, medication, family history, an ECG. So in a way they are trying to minimize the risks from the start.

 

[blig-blug]

They require a lot of background checks before you’re confirmed to retreat with them, like mental health status, medication, family history, an ECG. So in a way they are trying to minimize the risks from the start.

That's better than the opposite of it, but I think it's not enough. The lack of it would be an absolute red flag, but its presence doesn't guarantee too much.

Ignoring the differences between substances: suppose a place that offers mushrooms, but they say they only offer 1.5g because they're not prepared to deal with higher doses. I would consider that to mean not prepared to deal with mushrooms in general, as inevitably they will encounter people for whom the effects will be much stronger than anticipated. This applies more so to iboga, given the different risk profile. The fact that they won't be clear about their doses is not a good sign to me either.

As I said I'm not experienced with either iboga, retreats, nor iboga retreats. This is just my opinion, the decision is for you to make.

 

[Jamie01]

I myself would likely be asking any provider where they themselves were initiated. Of all these medicines I got the impression with Iboga that it’s secrets are in Africa and if providing Iboga is someone’s path they need to have spent time with it there and learned it’s secrets from its keepers.

 

[Nydex]

I myself would likely be asking any provider where they themselves were initiated. Of all these medicines I got the impression with Iboga that it’s secrets are in Africa and if providing Iboga is someone’s path they need to have spent time with it there and learned it’s secrets from its keepers.

Fair enough, but anyone can say they were initiated with <insert reputable initiation> and you'd have to take their word for it unless you have a way to verify that. I don't know, maybe I just have severe trust issues with people that claim they know "the way" so I can trust only those that I hear good things about from people I personally trust.