Tabernanthe Iboga is a perennial rainforest shrub native to West-Central Africa, mainly Gabon, Cameroon, and the Congo, cultivated as a medicinal, ceremonial, and spiritual sacrament. According to research, the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga is composed of approximately 6–7% indole alkaloids, nitrogen-containing compounds found in nature.
Ibogaine, a primary alkaloid present in the root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga plant, accounts for about 80% of the alkaloid profile and has been used to treat opioid dependence, demonstrating a full spectrum of anti-addictive properties with several substances of abuse, including cocaine, amphetamines, nicotine, and alcohol, increasing its research popularity. In addition to ibogaine, the complete profile of the root bark contains alkaloids such as ibogaline, ibogamine, tabernanthine, voacangine, harmaline, and noribogaine. Each of the alkaloids possesses unique features yielding pharmacological benefits.
While the Western definition of Iboga deserves mention, the perspective of the traditional spiritual discipline of the Bobongo (Pygmy) Bwiti people offers an expansive awareness regarding the truth of Iboga. Experienced as the biblical tree of knowledge and a conduit of truth or spirit, Iboga connects us to the realm of ancestors, spirits, and guides. Iboga is a being, an essence, a teacher, an ally, and a mechanism of truth.
At our retreat center in Costa Rica, Awaken Your Soul, we have come to experience Iboga as a hunter of truth, teacher, and guide, assisting our guests in psychosomatic and psychospiritual healing while operating at the level of spirit and soul. Although every definition of Iboga, whether Western or Indigenous, plays an essential role in the intellectual conceptualization, it is only through experience that one truly comes to know Iboga as an aspect of Self. Therefore, we invite you to discover your own definition of Iboga while being held in the gentle and nurturing container of our beautiful retreat center.
At Awaken Your Soul, the people serving the plant medicine of Iboga are dedicated, trained, given the blessing to serve, and deeply rooted in their spiritual practice. Our founder Anthony Esposito has over ten years of experience as an Iboga provider and has been trained and initiated by a 10th-generation Gabonese Nganga (shaman). Troy, who was once an apprentice to Anthony, has also been trained and initiated at Ebando, a connected village in Gabon, which we support. In 2022, with the blessing of Anthony and his spiritual father, Troy began his journey as an Iboga provider here at Awaken Your Soul.
Iboga’s purpose is to detoxify the mind, body and spirit, healing at the deepest physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels.
At some point in our lives, most of us have been wounded on some level. For many the wounds run deep, for others they may have been as simple as being made fun of in school, an underestimated trauma.
While they may have affected us in ways we never fully understood, memories are stored in our subconscious minds, at times resurfacing and impacting us without our conscious knowledge. Our wounds may have been abuse in emotional, mental, sexual or physical form, or severe grief or loss. We may have been involved in, or witnessed, a traumatic incident. They may have affected us as children, youth, adults, or at multiple times periods throughout our lives.
Over time, these experiences imprint into our subconscious mind, creating conditioning and programming to help us cope with life. At some point along the way these safety mechanisms no longer keep us safe, but create the opposite effect, blocking us from our truth and joy.
These blockages manifest as fear, insecurity, depression, anxiety, disconnection to self and source, debilitating emotions, frightening memories, or feelings of continual worry. In essence our mind has been hijacked and we become the prisoner, and our thoughts taking control of our lives.
With the mind running the show, we enter a vicious, repetitive cycle of self-limiting thoughts, which can result in unhealthy behaviors and uncomfortable feelings or emotions. In its direct, decisive fashion, Iboga reveals what we have simply forgotten: that we are not our mind, and that we deserve to love ourselves.
Iboga is known to be the greatest hunter for the truth inside of us. When we discover our truth, and we have seen how our lives are operating at a dysfunctional level- we cannot “unsee”, the switch has been flipped. It is no longer comfortable living in the same patterns that once felt so ‘safe,’ and destructive behaviors are magnified tenfold. Once we become aware, we are blessed with the responsibility to create change.
It is important to note: that while this is a powerful medicine on many levels, it does not DO the work for us. We must respond to the teachings and implement new behaviors and create new thought patters. The Iboga retreat is just the beginning of the journey. The medicine will help guide the way but we must decide to walk the path every day to create new grooves. Click here for more on what to expect from the integration process.
Thank you for your willingness to enhance your life experience. This is an important commitment and we are grateful that you are interested in working with us! Please tell us a bit about yourself and we will connect to see if it is a good fit.
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