Conroy, D. P. (2024). Rites of passage: Iboga as a tool of initiation in the treatment of opioid addiction; An intuitive inquiry [Unpublished Master’s thesis]. Alef Trust & Liverpool John Moores University.
This research was motivated by the ongoing opioid epidemic that plagues the United States and Canada. The ongoing opioid epidemic is the biggest public health crisis to occur in North America since the turn of the 21st century. Traditional treatment methods have not delivered the much-needed results required to end the epidemic. Psychedelics have reemerged as tools for healing and transformation since the turn of the century. Ibogaine, the psychoactive alkaloid found in the root of the tabernanthe iboga bush, has been shown to disrupt opioid craving and withdrawals, while also providing a psychedelic introspective journey. Iboga is traditionally used by the Bwiti people of Gabon in low doses as a stimulant, and in higher doses during ceremonial and cultural rites of passage. These rites of passage three-phase structure offers a conceptual framework through which one can understand their addiction and its treatment using ibogaine. Intuitive inquiry was chosen as the research methodology, with semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis being preferred for data collection. Five interviews were conducted with individuals who have used ibogaine to treat their opioid addiction successfully. The themes that emerged were I was Hopeless, Taking Advantage of the Window, Plant Medicine as a Tool, You Separate it; and It Doesn’t Affect You, Progress; not Perfection, I Have a Purpose. These themes were explored and revealed the transformative nature of ibogaine and its impact on opioid use cessation. This research suggests that ibogaine could pose a potential avenue for combatting the opioid epidemic. Further research to refine our understanding of how ibogaine works to develop protocols to ensure safety, might be a bright light in the otherwise dark shadows of opioid addiction.
