Harambe Ibogaine Detox Retreat Centre - Testimonials

Going to Spain to Harambe Detox changed my life, recovered/even disclosed my personality, gave me strength, clarity and peace.

Using cocaine and alcohol to escape pressure and daily routine but also to cover vulnerability, missing confidence and self-respect made me sick and unhappy. It changed my personality, took my sensibility, detached me from beloved people because of inability to love.

Psychotherapy, expensive clinical rehabilitation and the personal strength of thought did not help to get out of the wheel. With no option at hand and a horrible life to bear, the treatment with Iboga crystallized as the only possible way to go.

It was physically and mentally very intense but I was looked after with cosiness and understanding like in mothers’ arms. I felt secure, had no fear.

After treatment, before thinking about the meaning of my sub-conscious journey, I noticed a very strong feeling of happiness, just me with myself, alone, nothing and no-one involved, a feeling I never had before. This is what was missing in my life, I found it, no one could have helped me, only me and the curative effect of Iboga.

In this way, everyone going on the trip, makes his unique discovery, maybe a decision, a revelation or just a feeling, as I did. I am a very pragmatic, and structured person with regular job and family. I met people at Harambe Detox with completely different problems, addictions, personalities also having completely different visions/conclusions after their treatment, meaning, independent what and who you are, you will find something with Iboga, that can really help you and will hopefully last for a very long time (forever).

Catherine and Bilal, you helped me to change my life.

I have no words to say how much I thank you for everything.

Je voudrai remercier Catherine et Bilal pour leur aide ainsi que le soutien qu ils m ont témoigné pendant mon séjour chez eux.

C est l expérience d une vie que je recommande vivement à toute personne voulant faire une introspection dans l inconscient

Merci encore à vous deux
HC

WOW, what an experience. Firstly, a huge thank you to Bilal & Cath for everything!! Their hospitality, care, advice, professionalism, openness… the list goes on. Two genuine people who I am extremely grateful to have met and on reflection I really couldn’t have chosen a better place to go and take the Iboga. For some time as everyone does, I had done a lot of research, read books etc. to get an idea of what this experience may be like however my advice to everyone is to go there with no expectations at all and a completely open mind! Everyone’s experience is different, it’s unique to that individual, it’s extremely personal… impossible to compare to another! The experience I had myself blew my mind. I decided to travel to Valencia and take Iboga in the hope that it would free me or at least ease and help me work through my past pain/trauma. Childhood trauma, growing up in a broken home, my relationships with my parents etc…. the usual. Before this trip I had spent the last 2 years in pretty much complete isolation, building on my self-awareness, breaking bad habits, peeling back the layers and working on bettering myself on every level. Although I was in a relatively good place before I went there, a week on from the treatment it’s only now I have realised how powerful this medicine really is. My Iboga journey was positive one. It was intense, it was tough but it was amazing! I completely opened up and felt nothing but love for my friends and family. I call it ‘love’ but this was something I had never felt before in my life. With my ego completely diminished, It showed me at the depth of my being what’s truly important to me and what really matters (and what doesn’t) – I saw individual memories I had shared with these people, it also gave me an insight into their lives, it showed me why they are the way they are, why they did the things they did (good and bad) and still when seeing all of this before my eyes all I felt was complete love. I thought about the things that I would usually get angry or upset about and they just didn’t matter anymore and they still don’t know. I truly feel like I’m in a new place mentally and spiritually, amazing right? I can’t tell you specifically what the spirit of Iboga has done for me and how but I can tell you it is extremely powerful and that doesn’t even come close or do it any justice at all. The experience is something that our minds cannot comprehend unless we experience it ourselves. With that said, it’s something I will do again in the future when the times right and I will do again with Bilal & Cath. Bilal is a professional! He would check up on me making sure I was ok, comfortable, happy with what was going on etc, making sure I was hydrated and fed… the guy knows what he is doing! Also, Bilal, thank you for the advice you shared, I will remember and use everything we discussed! Cath you made me feel at ease almost instantly. You were just as friendly as you were when we first spoke over the phone and you were so welcoming, open and calm the whole time, always reassuring me when I needed it. I could go on forever about how great you both were, what you do is amazing work and it’s real to the core. You both just want to help people! You were both instrumental in this journey for me and for that I’ll always be grateful. Anyone considering going to Valencia and taking part in this

DO IT! These tools are meant to be used by EVERYONE!

They are here for us so we can heal and advance, they are here for a reason!

When I arrived at Harambe, I was at the end… I had lost about 30 kilos in a couple of months, slept 2-3 hours maximum per day, worked 14h and had been taking 5-10 gr. of coke a day – every day – since exactly one year. I was hooked. In addition to that, I had a swollen cheek from a loose tooth which was giving me additional pain.

It is not that I had not tried to interrupt this viscous cycle by my own: I regularly consulted a doctor, I spent many weeks in a very expensive rehab program, just to start using again the first day I came out… At that point, I basically knew all the theory they told you in these clinics, but anytime I got angry, sad or frustrated I started taken it again. My nose had started to bleed on a daily basis and was hurting so much, that I had to take strong pain killers to manage the day without too much pain. I was going to lose my job (and nose) if I was to continue this way, and probably my mind and health as well. I thought I had tried everything which would keep me away for good from the powder; nothing worked out for long. Nothing was durable.

I was very lucky though. I spoke to a friend of mine, medical doctor, who was kind and wise enough to mention that Iboga/Ibogaine could be a way to stop or at least interrupt my high-dose dependency. I told myself: if some chemical substance was responsible for making me dependent, why couldn’t it be another substance – like iboga – that could induce the opposite. After searching in the internet, I found Harambe. After speaking to Cathy on the telephone, I was certain that I would give it a try. I had tried rehab in Clinical environments in the past – without success –, so why not try something different – like Harambe – this time? – my success rate in trying to quit could only increase.

Upon arrival at Harambe I was impressed and reassured when realizing how serious Harambe was about medical check-ups to see if I was an adequate candidate for an iboga treatment. The second day after arrival I was advised to obtain some additional tests from a clinic that I had forgotten to bring along. After obtaining these tests from the clinic showing I was fit to take iboga, I was ready to start this for me new experience.

After the obligatory test dose, which I tolerated well, I was finally given the full flood dose. Half an hour later I laid down on the bed. I started hearing some noises similar to a motor of a big ship or boat, but that was everything. I am not sure if I slept or was awake during the next hours as I did not see any visuals or experienced anything spiritual…. I remained mostly in bed for the next 24 hours. I was neither afraid nor euphoric, I felt “normal”, calmly waiting to see if anything was going to happen. I had no cravings for the substance at all, I felt totally secure and in “good hands” while trying to use the time I was here to fully concentrate on myself. The pain in my nose was gone, for good. No pain killers since then! My cheek was not swollen anymore and my tooth without pain, which I attribute directly to the effects of the iboga as well. After the trip I was slightly disoriented for 1-2 days, but feeling good and so was my mood. I was not tired at all (which normally is the case after stopping coke), my confidence was growing that I was doing the right thing as I didn’t spend any thoughts on the substance, I had been using for almost a year. The ONLY side effect I found unpleasant after the iboga was to not be able to easily fall asleep for a couple of days.

The good mood and confidence I had obtained through/from the iboga remained for some time even after returning home. The iboga gave me enough strength of mind to re-settle my life, resist to any situation in which I normally would have called my dealer. I started working only a few days after returning home from my trip to Harambe. Even today, 6 months after my iboga experience, the substance which once dominated my life, remains totally uninteresting for me. I few weeks after my iboga trip I started micro-dosing, as I wanted to remain on the safe side. It works and I am today more confident that ever that I will not relapse.

I warmly thank Cathy and Bilal for their caring, important and especially effective support in helping me to return to a normal, good life. I am fully of gratitude for their work in EFFECTIVELY helping others and can only recommend Harambe!

Alexander, Netherlands

I have experienced depression and anxiety for approximately 40 years, since my childhood. This has varied year on year between mild, to debilitating enough to keep me locked in my house for months on end not wanting to, not able to face the outside world, just barely existing. As each year passed with no career, no relationship, and absolutely nothing to show for my worthless existence, I felt my life wasting away, but I was unable to change my mind, unable to take joy in living.

But it’s never too late to change, to reset and begin living again. Iboga isn’t a one stop shop, take and forget, but it does change your negative mindset, and prep you to really make the changes in your life so you can experience contentment, happiness and joy. I strongly recommend that after taking Iboga, you have a follow up plan that includes counselling of some kind appropriate to the issues that have brought you to Iboga. I am studying Buddhism as this philosophy speaks sense to my heart and mind.

Until someone very close to me told me about the near miraculous cure called Ibogaine or Iboga, I had never heard of this hallucinogenic plant. And if I hadn’t had completely trusted my friend who herself had taken the Iboga route to deal with her issues, I certainly wouldn’t have tried this, having heard since my teens about the dangers of drugs like LSD. But I really needn’t have feared anything because the whole experience was no worse than a trip to the dentist for a filling. OK, maybe it doesn’t usually take 18 hours to recover from the wobbles with a general anaesthetic but its close.

Bilal and Cathy are very warm, kind people and quickly put you at ease as they show you your room for the duration and answer any questions you have about the procedure. As I had not eaten since late afternoon before my arrival, I started on my Iboga dose the following morning, instead of spending a whole day preparing, but most people will follow the usual routine of a day of fast and magnesium flush. Trust me, it reduces the chance of vomiting later.

Having researched Iboga quite a bit beforehand I did have preconceptions about how my experience would go. But as Bilal had explained previously, everyone is different and often you don’t get what you expect. I walked around a while after taking the test dose, it was only after the second capsule did, I start to feel the ataxia coming on and decided it was time to lay down on my bed. I was quartered in the new wooden hut. This is very pleasant, I enjoyed listening to the cicadas at night, and been able to sky watch too. It didn’t affect my iboga experience at all, I imagine that been in a hospital bed with the hum of monitors and the distant calls for staff would be disruptive though. But I chose Cathy and Bilal as my providers precisely because I wanted the friendly family approach, not a clinical setting.

After a short while I had another capsule, and that was when the affects started in earnest. I heard this cacophony of sound starting with a buzzing and ending with an assortment of noises. And the visions started, a mixture of scenes and random shapes. Bilal had mentioned before about how some people can direct their dream sequences, so I tried a bit of control. I was able to make the images move away or towards me and rotate at will. I didn’t see any childhood flashbacks though, even though this was a hope of mine. My visions etc lasted a few hours then I became calm and empty of intrusive thoughts. This was the amazing bit for me. For the first time in decades I could just be. I could look at flowers, the sky, the scenery, I could listen to Cathy and Bilal’s children playing, watch their dog chase the cat, or just look at nothing in particular, and do so with no negative thoughts, no disturbing thoughts. Nothing at all, unless I chose to think. I’ve tried meditation retreats before, but never managed to stop the monkey talk for more than a few seconds at a time.

It’s been a couple of weeks now since my Iboga experience, and I am still free of negative self-talk. After depression and anxiety since early childhood, I can’t tell you how good it feels to be free of the critical self, the demeaning self, the negative self. My life still has problems such as my ‘employer’ hasn’t paid me for the last three months and now I have a big credit card bill to deal with. Before Iboga, I would be quite literally suicidal at this point, but I’m not now. S@#T happens to everyone, but I’m calm and dealing with it instead of curling up in abject fear and contemplating the ultimate solution. Iboga has freed me from my prison.

Thank you, Cathy and Bilal, for your help.

I wish you all well for the future.

Ich war am Ende. Depressionen,Sozialphobie, unendlich kreisende gedanken und dauermüdigkeit haben seit 5 Jahren mein Leben bestimmt.

Ich war manchmal tage /wochenlang nur noch in der lage das nötigste an Lebensnotwendigem zu leisten. Ich bin von Arzt zu Arzt gerannt nur um wieder die gleiche nachricht zu bekommen das ich körperlich kerngesund sei es sich aber wohl um ein ernstzunehmendes psychologisches problem handeln würde…”na toll das fehlt noch in meiner bio”…Da ich aber aus tiefster überzeugung gegen chemische keulen/Antidepressiva etc. bin und ich auch niemals einen Psychologen aufsuchen würde musste eine andere(natürliche) lösung her.

Nach langer recherche im internet bin ich dan auf Iboga und seine heilsame wirkung gestossen. Ich war mir innerlich sicher, dass ich meine Lösung gefunden habe. Glücklicherweise konnte ich relativ schnell ca. 2Wochen einen Platz bei Harambe Rehab bekommen. Durch e-mail und skype gespräche konnte ich mich gut auf das bevorstehende ereignis vorbereiten und habe auch alle nötigen vorkehrungen wie Alkoholabstinenz, und die kurze diät eingehalten.

Ich kam am sonntag mittag in Valenzia an wo bilal und seine süsse tochter Kali mich vom Flughafen abholten. Obwohl wir uns nicht kannten hatten wir schon auf der Fahrt nach Hause ein sehr offenes gespräch und ich habe mich sofort gut augehoben gefühlt. Dort angekommen habe ich dan seine Frau Cathy und baby Malik kennengelernt und war einfach froh dort zu sein.

Ich habe mich auf meinem Zimmer kurz Frisch gemacht und mir was bequemes angezogen und bin dan wieder raus ins Wohnzimmer um mit bilal zu besprechen wies weitergeht. Er hat sich in der Zeit mein EKG und meine Leberwerte angeschaut die ich von zuhause mitbringen sollte und hat mich gefragt ob ich bereit sei für die Ibogaerfahrung oder noch etwas Zeit brauche und erst morgen starten wolle. Ich war bereit und so habe Ich kurze Zeit später die für mich zurechtgemachte Testdosis eingenommen. Davon habe ich nicht wirklich was Gemerkt ausser das ich etwas ruhiger wurde. Wir haben uns über Gott und die Welt unterhalten und eine stunde verging wie im nichts. Ich war richtig entspannt und bekam jetzt die richtige Dosis, die dan auch nach etwa 20 minuten richtig zu spühren begann. Mir wurde etwas schwindelig und ich wollte mich einfach nur noch hinlegen. Bilal hat mich dan gestützt und mich vom Sofa im Wohnzimmer direkt in mein Zimmer begleitet. Dort angekommen hab ich mich hingelegt und noch die Augenmaske die ich bekommen habe übergezogen. Ich solle mich jetzt einfach entspannen und Iboga seine Wirkung entfalten lassen. ca.20min danach war ich schon mitten in der visuellen stufe der behandlung (worüber ich nichts schreiben möchte den jede Person sieht andere dinge so das es keinen Sinn macht weiter darauf einzugehen).

Etwa 5-6 Stunden später begann dann der sogenannte Greyday welcher für mich der intensievere teil der Erfahrung war. Ich hatte ein Gefühl der leere und ging dabei innerlich meine schlimmsten ängste und probleme nochmal schritt für schritt durch. Ich wurde die ganze Zeit von bilal betreut und mir wurde gesagt es sei teil des prozesses und ich soll es einfach zulassen. Nach ca.6-7 stunden in diesem Zustand kam dan endlich die ersehnte erlösung. Was bedeutet das die ganze negativität,die ängste, die zermürbtheit etc. sich einfach auflössten und auf einmal wie vom winde wegetragen wurden. Anfangs konnte ich es kaum fassen aber jetzt eine Woche danach bin ich sicher ich bin geheilt worden oder besser gesagt mir wurde ein neuanfang geschenkt. Den was ich jetzt damit anfange liegt in meinen Händen.

Ich bin unglaublich dankbar diese erfahrung gemacht zu haben und diese wunderbaren Menschen getroffen zu haben.

Und an alle die in einer Situation festsitzen aus der es scheinbar kein entkommen gibt und so schlimm es auch scheint…..Hilfe Existiert man muss sie nur Finden!!!