Back To LibraryTranscript - formatted and gently proofread for ease of reading.
What was life like four to five years ago?
[0:15] Four, five years ago, I was pretty much spending my evenings in a potting shed in my garden, which involved smoking crack cocaine from about 9 p.m. till 4, 5, 6:00 in the morning. I'd been in the service industry in England, selling globally for many years since my 30s, and I had quite a successful career. Despite my crack cocaine addiction, I managed to hold things together. I was what you would probably call high functioning malfunctioning.
How did you find out about iboga?
[0:58] I was led to iboga by my wife, who was trying to find the solution to, basically, my addiction. And my wife phoned me up, said I've seen a TED talk, I know that this is right for you. Something called iboga. So in typical addict style, I researched, I looked at Gabon. I was advised that Gabon was not the place for an addict to go and detox or get a reset, so I ended up in Holland, and within a week of discovering ibogaine I was in Holland taking iboga.
Was your treatment successful?
[1:37] What happened to me was, like many people, I thought iboga would solve my problems, and I lasted about six months. The interesting thing was that I lasted six months after going to a luxury rehab, and I lasted six months after having hypnosis, so I had tried many things trying to get clean. Having been to a fantastic place in Asia, they really did look after you, and I wanted to take the good bits and improve upon the good bits and the not-so-good bits and offer that here at Tabula Rasa, because I know that if the patient or client is looked after properly, they can then focus on the iboga treatment and getting well. Iboga is special because it makes you face yourself again. It allows you to look in deeply. It allows you to reconnect. It allows you to feel again. Other than the obvious withdrawal free detox for opiates, it goes way way beyond this type of detoxification: it detoxes the mind, it detoxifies the soul, it opens a window of opportunity so that the person experiencing iboga can actually realize their true self, realize their true value, and just actually get back to the heart.
How do you feel about iboga now?
[3:18] Incredibly grateful that I found iboga, because, quite frankly, if I hadn't have stumbled across iboga or been pointed towards iboga, I think I wouldn't be here.
What makes Tabula Rasa Retreat different?
[3:35] Tabula Rasa is different to other ibogaine clinics, I believe, for many factors. One is that we focus heavily on pre-care. We focus heavily on protocols up and to before the treatment, and these protocols are mental and medical protocols. We also focus heavily on helping the client get prepared for treatment right from setting intentions through to even the preparation of what they should bring to the center to make them comfortable, right through to the logistic aspects of flights, [and] transfers to and from airports. Effectively, when you come to us, we pick you up at the airport and then deliver you back to the airport. Everything else in between is all taken care of. What else makes us stand apart, I would say, would be the love and care that people receive here from my magnificent team. I would also say the Kundalini Yoga, all the other therapies such as sound therapy, breathwork, the vocal toning exercise, good nutrition, activities; the list goes on.
Is iboga the miracle cure for addiction?
[4:53] I've coined the phrase “iboga doesn't work” and I genuinely believe that iboga doesn't work in isolation. It's absolutely vital that you prepare for an ibogaine treatment, that you set an intention, that when you leave the walls of the center or wherever you choose to undertake an ibogaine treatment where you have a solid recovery plan, that you get involved with a fellowship program [and] that you have a daily practice. It could be Kundalini Yoga. It could be meditation. You may want to focus more on exercise. You may want to focus on nutrition. You may want to focus on all these things. It's absolutely vital that you change your life. It really is true: if you don't change anything, nothing changes, and it's the same for iboga. So, you've got to put the work in, and if you put the work in, there is a very good chance that you're going to recover and actually improve your life, but if you don't put the work in, you may be knocking back on the door of this center or another, or trying something else, or you may just not make it. And that's just a fact of addiction: some of us don't make it.
What to expect when you visit?
[6:11] When you visit Tabula Rasa, you are going to expect wilderness, nature, peace, [and] comfort. You are going to be challenged. We're going to ruffle your feathers. We're going to bring you back to comfort. We're going to ruffle your feathers again. We're going to bring you back to centre. We're going to help ground you. We're going to push you when we need. We're going to retreat when we need. And we're just generally going to look after you: it's as simple as that.
Why visit Tabula Rasa retreat?
[6:56] To grow. To grow.