Life-Changing Experiences:
Hear from Our Clients

I have been addicted to one thing or another since I was 16 years old. I attended my first rehab as an outpatient after being caught with drugs in high school. When I was 19 I was arrested for heroin. I stayed clean for a while, but it never lasted. I substituted one drug for another (namely alcohol which is socially acceptable & easy to acquire) in an endless quest to satisfy some unquenchable need for fulfilment.

I attended my second rehab when my parents intervened. Again I stayed clean for a while. Soon enough though, I was drinking again. By the time I attended my 3rd rehab, I was drinking a bottle and a half of Vodka a day. I really wanted to get clean and even though I was clean for a while I was never happy. I could never figure out why I kept returning to drugs and alcohol because they did not make me happy only numb. I would go to meetings and work the program fixated on my disease in an impersonal system, but to no avail.

Meaningless anonymous sex and shopping replaced substances for a while. I started seeing a psychologist and had a life coach, but I started using again. This time however it did not matter what I was on as long as I was altered. I would do whatever was available. Ritalin, Khat, alcohol and sleeping tablets became my new crutches, anything to try and get out of my own head and away from myself. Obviously, it did not work. I got fired from my job for using at work. I was losing my mind in this downward spiral.

I decided to use the time between jobs to get my life back, but without much success. Suicide seemed like the only solution. I reconnected with a friend I had met at rehab. She had recently done the IBOGAINE treatment and was raving about it. I thought it sounded too good to be true. I mean really, a total mind reset in one night? I was desperate and suicidal. I just could not live the rest of my life as a host for these constant cravings.

In a moment of desperation and with tears in my eyes I called Christina and her team for help. They told me to come through that night, but I explained that I could not, because I was already drunk. The following morning I got a lift. I arrived at the centre hung over and high on Khat. Obviously, I had not slept either so I felt like death warmed up. I was greeted in the parking lot by a staff member who introduced herself and gave me a hug (not how I was accustomed to being greeted at other recovery centres where they just about give you a cavity search). She was friendly and welcoming and introduced me to another staff member who also greeted me with warmth and a hug. They offered me something to drink (which I declined) and told me about their personal experiences with IBOGAINE and addressed my concerns. Another staff member brought me some tea with ginger to help with my throat even though I never asked (he could obviously tell I was not well. I was given some breakfast and a sedative to help me relax (not the usual handful of pills that knock you out for 3 days that I was used to getting at other establishments).

I never once felt judged and was never treated like a criminal which was refreshing. Over the next 3 days, the staff looked after me physically, mentally and emotionally. I am an introvert and it usually takes me a while to open up to people, but the staff and energy there were so warm and nurturing that I didn’t stop talking. It is truly a sanctuary. I was encouraged to watch some movies about the law of attraction and figure out for myself what I really wanted from my treatment and what I wanted my life to be like after the treatment. My addictions were seen as symptoms of deeper issues as opposed to some disease that I would struggle with for the rest of my life. The staff are beautiful and caring people who would go out of their way to make me feel at home, whether it was sitting and talking to me about my thoughts and feelings, making me food, walking with me in the beautiful garden or going to the shop to get me smokes. I really can’t express how wonderful the staff and environment are. They nurtured and encouraged me to such an extent that even before I did the treatment my life began to change.

I arrived on Thursday and was scheduled to do the IBOGAINE treatment on Sunday evening. By the time Sunday came, I was so excited to do my treatment. I knew I was safe and that the staff really cared about my well-being. They seemed just as excited for me to do the treatment as I was. At about 5 pm we had a meeting where they explained what to expect and answered any questions we had. I took my first capsule at 6 pm after they checked my vitals and I headed up to my room. There were 2 facilitators who would come in every hour through the night and check my vitals and check up on me. I was also given a buzzer so that if I needed anything they would know. I am not going to explain what I saw or went through because the experience is as unique as the individual who does the treatment, but the results are always extraordinary. Suffice it to say that although I was experiencing intense things mentally I knew that physically I was safe and cared for. The following day I felt this amazing sense of tranquillity and wholeness. I don’t know how it works, but it works.

I left feeling that life was full of potential and I had the power and ability to take full advantage of that potential. It is like when you are a child and life is full of possibilities, wonder and magic. For the first time since I was a child, I am excited about my life. I feel empowered and life is an adventure that I am going to make the most of. Before I left the staff encouraged me to keep in contact and told me that the door is always open if I need a sanctuary from the storms that come our way in the modern world. They are a community of beautiful, good-hearted people and it is a magical place.

To all the staff thank you so much for helping me to transform my life, words cannot begin to express my gratitude. 

- CV