4 day Iboga Retreat

Rich speaks both English and Spanish. Rich tried several rehabs and detoxification techniques before he came across ibogaine – he very quickly realised that it was powerful medicine and post his ibogaine detox from crack and heroin addiction he trained in Wales, Mexico and Portugal under more experienced ibogaine providers ranging from shamans to doctors. After more than a decade battling with crack and heroin addiction and trying very hard, to ‘get’ the standard recovery techniques on offer such as methadone, Subutex, CBT, and 12 step programs (such as NA and AA). He finally came across psychedelics with ibogaine/iboga being the ‘cure’ to addiction. He moved from his council flat in a small town near London, England to an Ashram in Wales then onto México and later Portugal to learn more about ibogaine drug detox in centres there. He felt amazed at the almost instant removal of physical withdrawal from his opiate addiction that ibogaine provided him (a painful, drawn-out experience under more standard detox techniques) alongside other changes he underwent, he decided to dedicate his life to working with this special medicine. He went on to study, volunteer and work with several ibogaine providers; learning to read ECG’s, understanding drug interactions and more before completing a first aid course and opening his own ibogaine centre in Spain, Europe. The shamanic use of psychedelics provides an important ‘break-through’ experience for an addict seeking freedom, but it’s up to them to ‘see it through’. Guidance will be given on how best to do this. Ibogaine is FANTASTIC medicine for an addict seeking freedom, but it is not a stand-alone solution. Becoming self-aware through a combination of meditation, understanding of the midbrain, and how to take control of your mind and body through breathwork and cold/heat exposure, such as the Wim Hof method amongst others, are invaluable to someone making this journey away from addiction towards deep freedom. Herb-lore he learnt from the indigenous people of Latin America aids this work and the process – providing his clients a natural way to calm themselves without having to rely on pharmaceuticals such as booze, benzos and opiates. These herbs provide a valuable stop gap whilst the ibogaine experience develops and the meditation and breathwork takes hold allowing a deeper change to unfold. He teaches the Wim Hof method and about the Midbrain/Reptilian mind and its role in addiction. These two supporting therapies make this process more likely to suceed. We finish the week with the sweat lodge. Going into extreme cold and heat reset other parts of body chemistry and everyone feels great after. Whilst volunteering and working with other ibogaine providers he got to see the good, the bad and the ugly of the ibogaine treatment world. Even witnessing a death, which after some deep reflection about whether to continue on this path spurred him onto a deeper understanding and study of ibogaine pharmacological reactions, ECG’s/EKGs, cardiac knowledge, medicine and first aid. Rich has had a rough and ragged journey, in many ways he learnt ‘the hard-way’ but he has learnt, coming through much and ultimately triumphing. His passion is to pass on his hard-won knowledge through ibogaine treatments and supporting techniques to people still suffering from addiction, and training people who feel ‘the calling’ to provide ibogaine. Rich’s dream is to see ibogaine recognised as the valuable treatment it is, becoming common practice for those that need it, he would love to see its use expand, even reaching into the prison system.