the more im reading about this, iboga, the more interested and fearful i am in trying it. i havnt had a very good life and i know it. lotsa things i guess id rather not think about, but i cant help it sometimes. the first time swim tried dmt they were confronted with their preoccupation for death in a frightening way. i guess all im asking is, would it be better to face some really serious demons, or continue ignoring them on the grounds that, theyre scary enough in the back of my head. and im terrified to see them up close.

thoughts?

It is always a good idea to try to confront ones demons. After all, how can anything disappear if it isn't taken up and out in the light? It will be hard and it will probably feel like hell, but if you do it properly you will come out of it all as a new person.

Personally I find Ayahuasca to be much more healing than iboga, maybe except for addictions, but this is probably a matter of taste. Please research iboga greatly first though, it is no easy walk in the park, to say the least...

I agree that ayahuasca is more for 'fine tuning' if you will - it is something to work with on a more regular basis for one thing. Integration of iboga can be tricky, and the way a 'flood' is dosed is part of the reason. It is inadvisable to flood in rapid succession (a flood dose being 15mg/kg or higher) for health concerns among other things.

Often people will boost (about 1/4 flood dose) in the weeks following a flood - this helps a great deal with integrating the experience. The session lasts a very long time and there is so much information it can take a lot out of you. Full recovery time after a deep flood can last a week. As has been mentioned, iboga is very heavy ("earth moving equipment", I like that) and frankly there is very little pleasantness about a big dose, but in my opinion and experience, it is the premiere tool for facing demons...I found iboga to have a very loving spirit - paradoxically gentle in its strength. It seemed masculine, like a loving father or grandfather. I was addicted to opiates and had many other demons to face, with this incredible medicine I was able to do so in a way I had only dreamt about. I also found that other entheogens took on much more personality and depth after iboga.

All these plants are Big medicine, but for certain things I think iboga is peerless. Working with other entheogens takes on a new dimension entirely after this. Its like it scrubs you out so clean - you're just primed for anything else.

^^Well said. This has also been my experience with Iboga. The thing about ayahuasca is that I think it requires regular use and dedication and perseverance to be effective, while Iboga is more a one-hit-wonder. Personally, for me, ayahuasca is usually a somewhat relaxed affair, which occasionally brings me to a therapeutic space. With a flood dose of Iboga, there ain't any avoiding a therapeutic session! But while it is certainly powerful, it also has a light touch. After a flood dose, or even without having one, you can micro dose with Iboga which in no way impairs your day to day life. I have also noticed that my few experiences with other psychedelics since...including LSD, mushrooms and ayahuasca have been somewhat enhanced and grounded after Iboga. This facet of Iboga alone may be of some interest to fellow psychedelic explorers.

^^Indeed...'grounded' is a good word for what many of my post-iboga trips have been like. I have been able to go further and deeper than my usual envelope without getting into much of the fear or darkness that usually presented during deeper episodes. This is no doubt from the psychic cleansing iboga affords.

Ironically, iboga was the plant that I was most afraid of - and it has become such a true ally for me, I almost can't believe it. I have really come to love and trust the material. It is absolutely worthwhile and I hope that more of 'us' get their hands on it and work with it themselves, a tremendous gift!