Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid that acts as a mild stimulant in small doses. Some clients even described their experience with ibogaine treatment as being in a dream-like state. Medical studies show that Ibogaine does not only treat the substance addiction that a number of drug addicts are battling to overcome, but it also treats addiction on a different level. This allowed many drug-dependent clients to identify the core reasons for their addiction.
On a physical level, how does Ibogaine treatment really work in treating addiction? Ibogaine is known as an “addiction interrupter.” It bonds with opioid receptors to reset the brain, interrupting the addiction, and putting the brain back to a pre-addicted state. The Iboga plant has properties that temporarily modify the signals that the brain emits. It triggers the brain to send and receive certain signals that prevent drug cravings throughout the person’s body. The feedback process in the brain that makes an addict crave for a substance is being intervened by this detox substance.
Compared to other medical treatments, Ibogaine Therapy offers clients a safer and more reliable option. For instance, if you are a heroin addict and you seek conventional treatment, you would most likely be prescribed with suboxone or methadone. There is a greater chance that one could develop chemical dependence towards these maintenance drugs. These two can be substitutes of the original drug and can satisfy any symptoms of withdrawal. However, the clients can develop a stronger addiction to methadone or suboxone that is even more difficult to eliminate than the original substance.
Not with Ibogaine treatment. Unlike the two substances, methadone and suboxone, Ibogaine is non-addictive and clients are not subjected to continuous treatment. Additionally, Ibogaine can treat other chemical addiction by eliminating the drugs from the system and resetting the neuron chemistry of the brain. This plant medicine also effectively works in re-balancing brain chemistry and leveling out brain chemicals such as adrenaline, serotonin, endorphin, dopamine, and so much more.
Ibogaine treatment helps clients to overcome their addiction by eliminating and or reducing the following immediate and long-term withdrawal symptoms:
- Withdrawals
- Cravings
- Desires to use
- Insomnia
- Sweating
- Sensitivity to pain
- Lack of or increased appetite
- Tension
- Nausea
- Irritability
- Hypertension
- Depression
- Emotional pain
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- PTSD
- And much more
The moment the cravings for the drug and the withdrawal symptoms are successfully eliminated through ibogaine treatment, the clients can proceed to a psycho therapeutic integration program and lifestyle. In this program, the individual creates a new set of behaviors to achieve complete recovery and ultimate success in the battle against addiction.
When combined with a healthy lifestyle, Ibogaine therapy can be very effective for it allows the clients to reach full physical recovery and balance. This medicinal plant is also proven to be an anti-depressant. and helps free the individual from negative thoughts and encourages them to appreciate a state of well-being.
Individuals under Ibogaine treatment usually are prescribed with a single dose of the medication. This involves a three-stage process that is done over a period of days. Some cases would only require a single experience of Ibogaine treatment to achieve lasting withdrawal from a particular substance. On the other hand, some clients would need two to three sessions to attain the full benefit of the treatment.
The three stages of Ibogaine treatment are as follows:
The Dream-Like Stage
During the first hours after the administration of Ibogaine, the mind’s conscious and subconscious aspects merge. Clients will experience vivid dream-like visions and past events will come to the surface of their thoughts. In this stage, the clients will remember and understand the events and experiences in the past (some might even be traumatic) that have led them to their present circumstances. The visions are usually fast but help the clients create a better awareness of the reasons for their actions.
The Meditative Stage
In this stage, the clients experience a state of introspection, in which all the information and visions revealed during the previous stage are processed. This stage plays a large part in the healing process. It is when the clients reflect and meditate on the true motivations of the choices they made in the past. Most clients who have undergone Ibogaine treatment have claimed that they even gained a better understanding of their actions. This greater understanding combined with a reduction of drug cravings opens an opportunity to a positive change in the individual’s behavior.
The Stimulation Stage
After the meditative stage wherein clients evaluate all their visions of the past, they now enter in the stimulation stage. From living in desperation and addiction, Ibogaine treatment can help clients live fully and gain more compassion for themselves.