Ayahuasca, Ibogaine, Dmt And Marijuana

[ForagingChef]

I've been diagnosed with complex PTSD from an abusive relationship that lasted for 13 years. My faith in pharmaceuticals is not strong, fortunately my first therapist was able to introduce me to ayahuasca.

All told I have been to fifteen ayahuasca ceremonies since December of 2012. The typical ayahuasca experience lasts for four hours. It has caused me to vomit 100% of the time, normal is likely closer to 80%.

Six months ago I got a job working at an ibogaine treatment center. This gave me the opportunity to work with roughly fifty clients as well as undergo four full treatments and many more low doses of both iboga root bark and ibogaine. The psychedelic effects of ibogaine can last for two nights, effects do not present themselves during the day.

Marijuana with ibogaine (same time) has been the the most helpful to me in this process. They work together, the pot reacting differently than if smoked on its own, amplifying the effects of ibogaine by multitudes. Although I have mixed marijuana with ayahuasca they are generally not combined. In my experience the combination was not unpleasant but offered no benefit.

I've used marijuana medicinally for years, not so much since my last ibogaine treatment. Dis-association is a major defence mechanism for me when PTSD is triggered and marijuana goes a long way to help dis-associate. It took a long time for me to realize that was the reason I needed to stay high most of the time.

On two occasions I have smoked DMT. In my opinion DMT is a safe way to try breaking acute depression. It is a nine minute high, DMT being a substance that your brain creates naturally. The half life is short because your body knows exactly how to get rid of it.

The psychedelic experience is ultimately not where benefit from these medicines comes from. They alter perspective, changing trajectory of thought for months.


Searching to forum there does not seem to be much information about plant medicines. I do not claim to be 100%, but I have come a long way from where I was.

Happy to talk about it to anyone that is interested. Perhaps not for everyone, but I do recommend plant medicine to anyone who feels they are ready for it.

 

[Philippa]

Hi Derek.

There have been at least 2 other threads on this subject in this section, but I'm afraid you are among the minority on this forum who consider these plant medicines to be a valid and safe option. Mainstream medicine is still very much something most people will trust over ancient ones.

I know that it works for some to bring them out of the black cloud they are under, but I see those meds mainly work to press down the feelings of people so they are numb and blunted...which really doesn't cause a cure it just makes them docile and easier for everyone else around them to handle them...call me a cynic.

I'm happy to discuss the subject with you though, as it is a personal interest of mine, for the last 20 odd years. San Pedro is one that has been jumping into my mind lately and I think I need to try it. I'm watching a documentary about it now in fact...just on pause for a break. I have friends who grow the cactus and we intend to do it in a ceremonial context. I don't really see these substances as something to just get high off, and DMT, for me, I have not done to break any kind of depression, though I am definitely not depressed like I used to be, but I attribute that to eating whole foods, pushing myself to exercise, eating raw foods like cacao and other superfoods as well as learning the 5 tibetan rites, which have given me lasting vitality and energy and cleared meridians (yes, they do exist skeptics).

DMT is such a fascinating substance. I have taken it 3 times now and though the first time it was very mild, as I vaped it through a vaporizer, and did not take much...just enough to feel my body dissolve, the other two times were extremely intense, and I think I took much more than the regular dose the 2nd time as I was out there in hyperspace for about what felt like 15-20 minutes, which I know is very long for a dmt experience. Second time was on my birthday and it didn't last very long but both were very intense...too much at the start in fact. I have the feeling of my body not being there at all and it is too much...all I can say is "Oh my god, Oh my god Oh my god" and clutch my head....for about the first 3 minutes...then I adapt and just get caught up in all the visuals until I am brought back to this reality.

I was extremely upset the other night actually, to find that my landlord had mowed over my sacred mimosa hostilis plant, which was still just a sappling. VERY angry about that...at myself as well for not mentioning to him that it was where I put it. The grass was so long that he didn't see it hiding in there and mowed straight over it. :( Still bummed about that one.

 

[ForagingChef]

San Pedro is on my bucket list, as are LSD and mushrooms. Those are three that I've read positive things about for treating PTSD.

My first psychedelic experience was in mid 2012, Datura Brugmansia (Angel Trumpets). Every part of the tree is toxic, side effects include things like blindness and death. At the time I had not yet left the situation I was in and wasn't worried about what might happen. Not recommended. There is nothing more intense but it has no therapeutic value I can see.

Sorry to hear about the mimosa hostilis plant. I've heard of it but have not seriously looked into what it can do. Might have to add that to the list. :)

 

[Ronin]

Having smoked more DMT, seconding the 'easy to get rid of, helping with depression'. Would add helpful to get just different outlook on life, but then that may be psychedelics in general. I'd still rec having a sitter for that stuff, in case some bad effects set in, & general safety. I've learned the experiences are fairly the same cross-culturally, can be connecting in that regard. (my primary background is african traditional religions, my buddies for that stuff were mostly agnostics and plain out hippies).

 

[Philippa]

Datura as a first time psychadelic experience is...pretty crazy.

I had a girlfriend who took it when she was a teenager and she did go blind for about 6 weeks. Her friends had to lead her around and watch out for her. Eventually her sight returned but she was VERY lucky. I never have been able to figure out what the attraction to datura was among people. It is not meant to be a pleasant experience, the side effects are extreme, and it has no healing effects whatsoever, so why do it?

I would never take it. That brew is for experienced shamans, and even they don't use it these days. I spilled the milk of one of the datura flowers on my skin one time in someones' garden and I freaked. I was scrubbing my hands pretty hard after that.

Mushrooms and lsd I have some small experience with, but LSD was definitely helpful to me in some ways, towards my personal evolution, though the down side is I heard voices after I took it and they never went away. I have learned to deal with them as part of my reality and they no longer really scare of bother me most of the time. I've found networks of people who have the same experience and have managed to integrate them into their lives and carry on without much trouble.

Mimosa hostilis is the plant DMT comes from, in case you weren't aware.

 

[ForagingChef]

Datura was a VERY dark time, still with my abuser. My eyesight was shit for three days, by the fourth it came back to the point I could read text on a page.

I agree that the side effects are horrific and that there is no therapeutic value. The trip itself was pretty spectacular but offered nothing in the way of healing.

 

[Philippa]

You're lucky your sight came back...I'm sure you know that though.

Are you visiting Costa Rica now, or do you live there?

 

[circe47]

I LOVE medical marijuana. Purples are my favorite. I like couch lock rather than the space trip. Unfortunately, I also tend to draw too much into myself and get paranoid. Not good for someone with PTSD…..in my opinion. So, I go on and off, typically. Get clean, then smoke, smoke, smoke for months until I can't hardly breath.

I have also tried LSD with my current boyfriend, who actually happened to "turn me on" to my first real trip when I was 16 and he was 18 (older brother's schoolmate/best friend). I'm fifty and he's fifty-two now. Who'da thunk it all those years ago that what I didn't know then, I know now……. I had been in :inlove: then and didn't know it until 30 years later. There was actually a reason for all the failed relationships. They were't HIM! The one who had set the bar and influenced my choices for 30+ years.

Anyway, back to the good stuff. I think the best thing for PTSD or any type of depression is Ecstasy. I know it is illegal and I haven't done it in over five years……but……good times! There is nothing like a good rave. The music FEELS so good, everyone is super friendly. You seem to catch everyone's eye…..and we all get the look….."yeah, I FEEL you too." Great stuff. It increases empathy and good will. You simply cannot have a bad vibe while on E. There have been preliminary trials in the psychiatric community using MDMA. Results are mixed and it is still very controversial.

 

[Philippa]

It certainly is a reminder of how happy and loving we as humans can be, when we aren't all down in the black hole of depression or misery that so many people are. I love that about ecstacy and MDMA. I believe all these substances can propel a persons individual evolution, as long as they take them in the right surroundings, with the right people and have at least some idea of what they are taking, and in the right frame of mind for things like acid. You do not want to be on LSD and be in a neg state of mind...that will be a fast trip to hell that may never end.

The problem, as I witnessed it with people I knew in my twenties, was that they all took E's so often to chase the high that their brains natural serotonin development atrophied, so they had to keep taking it regularly for years and years and it becomes impossible in that way to start generating your own natural supply of this chemical. They also became so stuck on taking pills to have fun that they were unable to have fun without taking drugs, which is obviously not a good way to be. It's a two edged sword.

 

[Philippa]

Well, I had a rather interesting experience two nights ago.

I am not a seasoned entheogen user. I have tried mushrooms a total of about 4 times in the last 2 years. Two nights ago I tripped balls, as they say...and it was the most intense experience I've had bar DMT...hands down. There are reasons beyond the psilocybin itself though.

I was at a friends house, just listening to her talk about her latest drama with some guy who slept with and regretted it. As night time approached I did not expect to still be there but was invited to stay and smoke a bit of weed and have a few drinks...and then the mushrooms came out. I had half of one initially and then another whole one about 30 minutes later.

As I took the first half, a friend of theirs arrived and I had been around her once or twice and found her company very amusing and fun. I was happy she was there...until she started talking about the most bizarre, scary things...and that was before she'd even taken the mushrooms!

My friend retreated to her bedroom after she starts talking as she was scared of her and did not like her and found her to be a total energy vampire, sucking the life force out of us all. I was not as on the ball unfortunately, adn for the next 6 hours I "tripped balls" with this crazy lady talking the most nonsensical, crazy talk you could ever imagine.

I eventually was able to detach myself from her and let her waffle on in the background, while I tuned in to the absolutely amazing, beautiful visuals that were going on in my mind. It was full Alex Gray paintings unfolding..and very similar to DMT...with the luminous eyes that are characteristic. It was something else.

I saw geometric figures and just the most beautiful bright light...it was pure bliss to witness, and I was aware of this crazy woman still talking outside of myself.but somehow managed to just stay focussed on feeling grounded to the earth...and not just grounded, I was part of the root system. I became the roots! It was awesome.

I think if you can stay heart centred throughout a mushroom trip you can survive anything. This woman had a full blown psychotic episode and delusions of grandeur, and then thought she was being monitored!! She needed a cat team. I am not trained to deal with that level of craziness, and it was entirely a stupid move of my friend to offer her mushrooms in the first place, knowing full well that she was on medication and had been in many a psych ward before.

I am no longer friends with this woman as a result...and it only happened 2 nights ago. We had a huge falling out today and now hate each other. :D Life sure is strange. But I could never in good conscience remain friends with that level of idiot! And she acted like I was making a big deal out of nothing the next day when I was speaking about her friend and how I felt like I was taken hostage...which I was...for 6 whole hours of listening to her not shutting the f*ck up!

I think my ex 'friend' was that embarrassed and knew she f*cked up big time. That woman needed serious help and we were too out of it to do anything but stare and laugh...and the psilocybin was a very laughter inducing dose. Extremely fun and pleasant. I felt great other than having the life sucked out of me for 6 hours! :D Funny thing is the woman got up and went to work the next morning as though it never happened??

 

[Jennypenny]

I actually came to this forum hoping to find more information on mushrooms and micro dosing. I have a friend who has gotten a lot of relief from it. Since he started he hasn't had any suicidal thoughts. I'm anxious to try it and I'm feeling a bit desperate as I'm having a lot of suicidal thoughts lately. No idea where to get it, but am considering growing them myself.

 

[PotterTSD]

Greetings. I am currently on a quest for Iboga to treat complex PTSD.

I have used many drugs over the years. My psychedelic usage has, with the exception of recreational LSD use when I was younger, been as Entheogens. I got what I needed from LSD and my last dose was about 25 years ago. I have used psiloscybin many times. I have yet to experience Ayahuasca but have smoked DMT once and will do so again. I have also used Salvia Divinorum (caution, respect, set and setting!) many times.

I would like to further my experiences with mimosa hostilis and have yet to try clean mdma.

For years I have used Benzos when in the grips of PTSD SX, especially during anniversary periods. Unfortunately, that usage has become complicated.

I use cannabis, in particular extracts, regularly. Nothing else been as efficacious in pulling me out of a flashback into the present.

Everything now points me to Iboga. Contact me with any info, questions, or comments.