Visions from an Ibogaine Journey

During a recent treatment cycle at IbogaQuest, one of our participants shared a story, one that seems to reach across time and culture, spirit and medicine.

“At some point during my ibogaine journey, a beautiful African man appeared. He was dressed in a flowing red robe, embroidered with yellow and gold. He spoke to me in a language I couldn’t understand, and yet, I felt like he knew exactly what he was saying. I felt completely at peace. I trusted him. I had this sense: This must be an ancestor… someone who worked with this medicine long before me. I smiled at him, and with his finger pointed towards the sky, he blessed me.”

Later, they drew some pictures of what they had seen, an impression from a realm beyond words, beyond rational understanding. And we found ourselves reflecting on the deep origins of this medicine, on Gabon, Cameroon, and the Bwiti traditions that have held sacred communion with Iboga for generations.

At IbogaQuest, we often say: no two ibogaine journeys are the same. Some people experience vivid visions, others do not. Some feel like they’re being guided, others are simply held in silence. The medicine works in layers, biological, psychological, emotional, and spiritual, and often moves in ways that are beyond conscious comprehension.

That’s why we always invite our participants to come with curiosity, but without expectation. This is not a scripted experience. Ibogaine is not about seeing visions or achieving a particular insight, it’s about surrendering to the intelligence of the medicine, which goes where it needs to go.

Sometimes, that journey might involve meeting something or someone unexpected, like an ancestor, a teacher, or a symbolic figure who brings trust and healing. Other times, the work happens quietly, beneath the surface, in the rewiring of patterns or the restoration of broken inner rhythms.

Whatever form it takes, we believe these experiences are meaningful and,sacred. And we hold deep respect for the cultural and spiritual roots of this medicine. We do not claim to fully understand the forces at work. But we know the Bwiti people have walked with iboga for centuries, and we remain humbled by their wisdom and relationship to this plant.

Who’s to say—perhaps sometimes, the ancestors do speak. And perhaps the medicine knows exactly how to let us listen.