Let’s be honest – there is a disconnect in ibogaine research. On one side, we have promising clinical studies showing ibogaine’s potential for treating opioid use disorder, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. On the other, we have approximately 10,000 people who have actually undergone ibogaine treatment, many traveling internationally to access it. Their experiences hold invaluable insights that traditional clinical trials might miss.

As someone who has published extensively on ibogaine’s clinical applications (Alan), I have seen firsthand how patient experiences can illuminate aspects of treatment that controlled studies overlook. The psychedelic experience is not just about neurochemistry – it is about meaning-making, spiritual insights, and personal transformation. These subjective elements matter enormously for treatment outcomes, yet they are often relegated to footnotes in academic papers.
I have spoken with Veterans who describe ibogaine as the first treatment that allowed them to confront their trauma without being overwhelmed by it. I have heard from individuals with decades-long opioid dependencies who experienced not just physical relief from withdrawal, but a fundamental shift in their relationship to pain and suffering.

From my perspective as a trauma specialist (Stacey), understanding the full scope of patient experiences is crucial. Trauma does not exist in a vacuum – it intertwines with addiction, depression, and countless other challenges our patients face. When someone tells us ibogaine helped them process childhood trauma while simultaneously easing opioid withdrawal, that is data we need to capture and understand.
Traditional approaches to trauma often compartmentalize symptoms and conditions. But psychedelics like ibogaine seem to work more holistically, addressing multiple layers of suffering simultaneously. This is why gathering comprehensive patient reports is so vital – we need to understand not just what conditions improved, but how different aspects of healing interconnected during and after treatment.