My motivations I got in touch with Harambe partly because iboga’s something I’d been wanting to experience for a long time for spiritual insight, and partly because I was in deep depression. I had arranged this years ago with another provider, which fell through, but I have met somebody who was treated by him before, and he said that if any of his friends gave up on their lives, he would really recommend it to them. As I was close to that point, his words got new significance to me.
Getting in touch I initially corresponded with Cathy, and we arranged my dates, my medical tests, and she advised me to take a week-long juice fast before the treatment. She later told me that she will be away during my treatment, and her husband Bilal will be with me. Bilal was a bit lousy with correspondence, and didn’t exactly put me at ease at first, but finally after spending a few hours at their house I felt reassured by his confidence.
His style of costumer care is not what you’re used to from Marks and Spencer, but he knew what he was doing and he took good care of me and has never overstepped any of my boundaries. I personally much prefer his extra casual style to those gentle-spoken hypocritically spiritual and enlightened people that you often find around psychedelics. Honestly, I was not 100% cool about giving my life in the hands of somebody I found online, but it reassured me that they allowed me to bring a friend, and Bilal even lent him his car so he could drive to town to do some shopping and look around.
The treatment at Harambe I took the magnesium salt drink that gave me the shits, Bilal explained that the point of this, and the juice fast is to create a clean slate for iboga. I was not allowed to drink during the treatment and the preceding hours, because any water makes you throw up, and when you throw up, it’s really violent, plus you lose any iboga left in you. This makes dosage difficult to keep track of, but Bilal does a good job managing it.
Bilal gave me a bunch of advice and reassurance to prepare me for what’s coming. He didn’t engage much in my story, like reasons to do this and the things I’ve seen, but I think he understood. I don’t know if this is his personal style or he felt that I don’t want to talk much, but I think it was a good thing, because I was engaging too much with my problems, and I didn’t need another person to enable me.
The treatment was in a room in the family home, so it’s very informal and no medical stuff like drips or heart monitor. I didn’t miss it that extra level of safety though. Although this was the most mentally and physically draining experience of my life, I never felt my health was in danger. The visions part of the treatment went like this: the first like 8 hours I was just seeing a lot of stuff. More than I can remember, but a lot. It was really intense, amazing, high frequency, and just exhausting to even witness.
In the meantime, I was conscious all along, but coordination of my body flew right out of the window, I wouldn’t have been able to as much as adjust my pillow. Bilal was next room and told me to call him when I need or want anything, and came in regularly to check on me even if I didn’t. Initially I thought I would feel more safer with somebody right next to me, but when I was in treatment, I understood there would be zero point to having somebody sit next to me, because this is a very internal journey.
My sensitivity to sound and light got incredibly heightened, and Bilal did a great job blocking out all the light, but not so much the sounds. Every noise sounded like it was coming through a big steel pipe pointed at my ear, so even whatever small noises of daily life would snap me out of whatever vision I was having, but the dog yapping away was really doing my head in. I entertained fantasies about kicking him across the valley, and laughed about how unenlightened that is. I didn’t see any particular point of a lot of my visions, and a lot of them were metaphors for things in my mind.
I got to see into my mind like never before, and at one point I could feel my true emotions and values (as in what’s important to me) without the distortion of thinking. The quiet part I was hoping to go deeper and have some breakthrough experience, and when the visions started wearing out, I started beating myself up over not having done so, then I just made the decision to stop thinking, and for the first time in my life I was able to do it COMPLETELY, for many hours. The next few days I could only think if I made a special effort, because my mind felt so exhausted.
Bilal said that this part is a lot more important than the vision stage, and that it matters a lot to stay in this quiet part for as long as possible, because this is what makes the most difference. I now really see why, because we think so much and even if we try, we can’t give ourselves much of a break from it, so several days are a miracle. When after coming home, friends have jokingly asked me if I’ve got enlightened, I said yes, but it’s passed It’s really good that Harambe gives the opportunity to stay for several days after the treatment, because having a space where you don’t have to deal with anything and force yourself to think is really essential to make most of the experience.
My life afterwards Although I didn’t have the kind of breakthrough or the afterglow I read about in many reviews, it really helped with my life. First of all, immediately I put the problem that was causing my depression into place: out of my life. I cannot say out of my mind, but I guess it’s normal, still it was a huge leap for me to be able to act in my own interest again, and stop wasting all my energy, so it flowed right back into my life. I am once again able to take part in my life, and cultivate the things that I really care about: friendships, my work, my health and learning things. As time passed, I noticed that I have changed in few ways. I didn’t become better or worse, but I became more me, I work a bit differently from before, and in a few respects different things sit right with me than before.
The best decision I ever made!
The Harambe Center welcomed me with open arms from the very beginning. Despite all my questions and concerns, they handled everything with compassion, knowledge and care, not only for me, but also for my family.
The center came highly recommended by a friend, but I truly understood its power only once I experienced it myself. They didn’t just provide treatment, they offered a home, a sanctuary, and a life-changing journey.
My ibogaine experience was more profound and healing than I ever could have imagined.
Catherine and Bilal, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are true masters at offering people a second chance at life. I am forever grateful.
With love,
Sara
I came to Harambe this summer as a last resort to get help with my opioid addiction. Kathy and Bilal were so welcoming, generous, and immediately gave a serious impression. Even their two children were incredibly welcoming and super nice, making me feel “at home” right away.
However, my experience of the treatment turned out a bit different, because I had not been truthful about having quit opioids before the treatment. In the period leading up to it, I had been taking high doses of the stomach medicine loperamide hydrochloride, which in such doses can lead to serious heart rhythm disturbances. I stopped taking this medication only a few days before my Iboga treatment, but since it has an extremely long half-life in higher doses, it was still in my system when I started the ibogaine treatment.
Before starting the treatment, both Kathy and Bilal asked me several times if I had taken any medications beforehand, and I denied it (in other words, I lied to them) – something I am deeply ashamed of today, as it could have cost me my life.
The combination of ibogaine and loperamide hydrochloride caused me to suffer from severe heart rhythm disturbances. This was quickly noticed by Kathy, Bilal, and the nurse who was monitoring my ECG at their home at the start of the treatment. Thanks to their quick observation of my serious condition, they decided to stop the treatment, even though at that moment I didn’t want them to. Because they recognized the severity of the situation and acted fast, I was able to get to the hospital and eventually ended up in the intensive care unit due to multiple episodes of torsades de pointes, a life-threatening arrhythmia caused by the dangerous stomach medicine I had taken before the iboga treatment, combined with my dishonesty about it.
Despite all this, they treated me with kindness and warmth, and I have them – and the nurse they work with – to thank for being alive today and for the fact that my children still have their mother. Even though I did not receive the full dose of the treatment, I believe I still got what I needed. To this day, I have not had a relapse, and soon it will be two months since I began the treatment with them. I owe them so much, and I believe that after what happened, a new and better chapter of my life is about to begin.
But I also want to share my story as a warning to others: never be dishonest about what medications you have taken before treatment, because it can have very serious consequences. Ibogaine is a powerful, potent medicine, and I truly believe in its miracles and its ability to initiate change for people with opioid addiction. At the same time, I am fully aware that this is only the beginning, and that you must continue to consciously work on yourself and your behavior every day.
For a long time, I struggled with an addiction to psycho-stimulants, and it was very difficult for me to overcome it. I tried therapy as well, but without success. Eventually, I started searching for information on my own, and that’s how I came across ibogaine as a tool in the fight against addiction, as well as Kathy and Bilal, who welcomed me with open arms and guided me through the entire process.
They are truly wonderful and kind people, and the conversations I had with Bilal while we were sitting alone were incredibly helpful in understanding myself and how this all really works. You can truly rely on him – just remember to listen to what he says, because he genuinely knows what he’s talking about.
So come with an open mind, good intentions, and, most importantly, a sincere desire to change – and you will definitely succeed. I wholeheartedly recommend them, and once again, I send my warmest greetings and deepest thanks to Kathy, Bilal, and their amazing children for everything I experienced here.
First of all thank you so much Cathy and Bilal, this experience has truly brought me from a dark looping mess to a light smiling future in such a short time.
I’ve been to detox clinics before and the problem i found was, its ok to detox in a clinical setting but then stepping out into the real world again is a big struggle, as real life hits you immediately, the noise and stress come rushing back and it can be a bit over whelming. What Catherine and Bilal provide is a private family environment with lots of friendly interaction with there whole family including Jama, a very friendly dog and their 2 wonderful children.
I booked in for 5 days. The treatment was more intense than expected but both Cathy and Bilal were with me the whole time for guidance and reassurance. With a registered nurse also monitoring me the whole way.
Truly like nothing I have ever experienced.
This short treatment has cleared my head and my heart and given me the space and time to assess the causes of my looping negative thoughts that created my bad habits and also shown me some tools to deal with future triggers that might trick me back into old habits.
From the moment Bilal pick me up to the moment he dropped me off, I felt welcomed with lots of stories and laughter even when I didn’t feel like it.
I highly recommend anyone might be struggling to check them out as I can sincerely say this has diverted me from a dark path into the light and I know I have made some very cool new friends.
Thank you guys
Leon
One day after the treatment, I feel more blissful than I have in years. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the medicine, and it’s nothing like you hear online, but it’s more than worth it all the way through. The stay was great and the hosts were amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience overall, even if I was a bit nervous in the beginning. I can’t recommend this place enough and I can’t wait to come back
It is incredibly dificult to comprehend what Kathy, Bilo, their amazing family and iboga have done for me. The beauty of working with Bilo and Kathy is not only that they are ‘just amazing people’ but that their approach to administration Is bespoke and holistic, they curate a very safe environment which is imperative when undergoing such a powerful treatment.
It is tremendously labour intensive work Kathy and bli do and the amount of care and attention they place on your well-being is munificent, they are real humanitarians, the conversations I had with bilo about B B king, roasted peanuts and the pueblos Jovenes (surprisingly therapeutic), how present and attentive Kathy was to my relaying of my traumas, it all meant so much to me , so thank you for that.
One must consider when undergoing this treatment whom it is they are being looked after by, as someone who as a result of being treated appalling in the past by those who were supposed to be looking after me I find the company of others, especially strangers unnerving- I have never felt so comfortable amongst unfamiliar faces.
I realise now, that before taking iboga there were parts of me that didn’t want to change, to heal, I was able to understand why that was, come to terms with it and now the thought of healing evokes excitement and hope opposed to angst and fear.
Although iboga in and of itself is incredibly healing what makes the medicine so special are its precursory effects, Iboga allows you to not only prosses your trauma but serves as an avenue for hope and an impetus for change.
Understanding that change comes from within and that we are capable of change is no easy task and to go one step further and act on that belief when in a place of severe hardship is almost futile, Iboga altered my entire sense of self – which, prior to taking iboga was very negative, that is no longer the case.
I urge anyone who is struggling in their lives with trauma and addiction to undergo this magnificent treatment, I am absolutely stunned by the e.icacy of iboga.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Our services are intended solely for personal development. We do not offer medical treatments. We encourage all guests to consult with healthcare professionals before participating.
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