How to work with Iboga capsules

Giovanni Lattanzi
When you want to work with Iboga capsules, either as a preparation for an Iboga ceremony, or for your
own spiritual growth, it is very important to have a clear intention about what you want to reach and
manifest in your life and what you want to ask the spirit of Iboga. Affirmations like, “I want to be
free,’’ or “I want to do work which fits with my soul’s purpose,”or “I want to be healthy” are a starting
point, but they are not a clear expression of your intention yet. These kind of affirmations are like a
frame where you have to place a painting. Or they are like an image of a new house you want to build,
but are not the exact materials you need to buy in order to build it. A frame without a painting is still
missing something important, and in order to build a house you have to know exactly what you need to
buy (wood, windows, bricks, etc.). Therefore, when working with your intention, you should be very
specific in naming the patterns you want to be free from. To reach a clear expression of your intention,
a previous self-investigation is necessary. This self-investigation process takes time, sometimes
months, in order to identify the patterns we are entangled in, mostly coming from our upbringing, as
well as to identify our talents that are not yet fully expressed and the obstacles which have prevented
them from manifesting in the outer world. The book True Meditation by Adyashanti can be very useful
to see how a self-investigation process works.

Another helpful book to read for this self-investigation is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Don’t read it
in order to accumulate information, but simply read it until a chapter, a sentence, or even a word
touches you. Then take your time to meditate and let the message sink into your subconscious where it
will keep working, producing the transformation you are looking for. You can use these books as a
mirror to watch yourself in an objective way and get clearer about your own issues. Eckhart Tolle
describes the “pain body” and its effects when it is combined with the ego: they need and nourish each
other. Reading this book, you may get clearer about your intention and be more aware when your pain
body has been activated.
A wood ceremony is a time to review your life. The practice of recapitulation comes from the tradition
of the Toltec and was transmitted by Nagual Don Juan Matus to Carlos Castaneda, and is found in
many of Castaneda’s books. In this exercise, you go back to the most significant times of your life,
(which may not necessarily be what you think they are) and remember the people you met, the quality
of the relationships you had with them, and where you did good and wrong things, seeing everything
objectively and in a detached way in order to recognize where your patterns and habits are coming
from. As a preparation, you can start recollecting the memories of all the people you have met in your
life from now back to early childhood and the interactions you had with them. You can use the
following meditation: turn your head to the left while you breathe in deep and slowly, allowing a
certain situation of the past to arise, and then breathe out, moving your head slowly to the right,
dropping any negative emotion that you are still carrying. The purpose of this exercise is to accept each
emotion and to release it.
Journaling or free writing is also a very helpful exercise for self-investigation, to help you see more
clearly where your priorities are. Feel free and dare to write down your deepest aspirations, the things
you want to improve in your life, the wounds you want to heal and the talents you want to fully
manifest. Over time, prioritize what you have been writing by turning your loose sentences into bullet
points. These main points are where you want to focus your intention. It is important to give yourself
time to understand what the underlying issues are of what you are writing down. Regularly read over
what you have been writing to see if different points actually belong to the same theme or pattern, to
the same emotion you want to heal, or to the same talent you want to manifest. For instance, during this
investigation, you may discover that behind your habit of becoming angry in certain situations, there is
fear. Maybe it is fear of being rejected or abandoned. You may then discover, that hiding behind this
fear is an obstacle which prevents your talent as a therapist, teacher, or artist, for example, to manifest.
At the end of this investigation, the expression of your intention may be compressed into one or two
affirmations. The clearer and more compact you express your intention, the better the results you will
attract. Because the expression of your intention is an essential part of working with Iboga, during the
Iboga ceremony, there will be a separate mini-ceremony dedicated to the expression of your intention.
Your intention has to be expressed clearly and loud enough in a group to be effective. When this step is
done, the results of your work with Iboga will unfold naturally and effortlessly.
Remember to ask the wood questions if you want to know something. The Spirit of Iboga will answer
your questions precisely. In my case, I had been suffering for many years with intestinal pain. I never
understood where this problem came from. I always had a strong intention to heal this disease. The first
time I heard about Iboga, I had the intuition that this plant could help me. So before doing my first
Iboga ceremony, I asked the wood to heal me from this problem and to show me where it came from.
Indeed, in one night, the wood dramatically improved the condition of my intestines and answered my
question precisely during the ceremony.
Part of the journey you are embarking on is to ask the spirit of Iboga to manifest your potentialities.
Don’t be shy about asking for anything you want to develop in yourself, your creative talents and
capacities. Maybe you want a better memory or you want to improve your capacity to focus. Or you
may want to improve your humor in challenging situations, or have better health, emotional stability,
prosperity, etc. Ask the wood to show you the obstacles which prevent them from manifesting. During
the ceremony you will say your intention out loud in front of other people. This will help fix your
intention in your subconscious, so that it becomes more powerful and starts to manifest in your daily
life. It is fine to have more intentions and to ask more questions to the Spirit of the wood.
Give yourself plenty of time to do this investigation. Do it carefully, as if preparing yourself for your
wedding. Don’t do it in a hurry, and don’t try to decide how much time it should take. The clearer your
intention is before the ceremony, the stronger the results will be. Trust in the healing and power of the
sacred wood and the results will unfold by themselves.
As you start working with Iboga, you may experience more synchronicities in your life, more lucid
dreams and visions. You will face situations in your daily life which show you precisely the emotional
blocks you are contending with. The wood will show you mercilessly your weak points, your
resistances, and the wrong beliefs you are still hanging onto. In this case, your difficulties and failures
are good signs that you are getting closer to overcoming them. You are confronting your ego. Just as it
is darkest before the dawn, the same is happening now with your awakening process. This is a good
moment to keep trusting, to not give up when things are going “wrong”, and to accept that you may
make mistakes. You may get more stubborn than usual, trying to defend yourself, and your pain body
may become more sensitive than usual. That’s a good sign to continue your training. The spirit of the
wood starts talking to you more and more clearly, as a mirror, showing you mercilessly what you are
not. You may receive clear messages, in your waking life and in your dreams, about what you have
been trying to escape and not really face in your life. Possibilities which you have never considered
will be in front of you. You may become more and more entangled in your old patterns, but also more
aware of them. You will start to see the patterns which are still ruling your life, the situations where
you are not free, and the wounds where you are still vulnerable. Now and then, if you are dealing with
extreme situations like the death of a parent, the loss of a job, etc., you may not recognize yourself.
You may see someone in yourself who is more involved than usual.
Who is this person who gets upset or absolutely wants something, when in another moment he/she can
remain calm? Like a cock announces the dawn by singing, these situations are announcing the death of
your ego. Whatever is happening, be kind to yourself and don’t give up with your investigation.
Always take time to digest every situation and make space to breathe through them. Come back
regularly to the inner island of yourself using mindful breathing. Whenever you recognize that an old
pattern or habit is taking over your life again, don’t fight it, nor get depressed, nor blame yourself. It
helps only to recognize it, smile at it, smile at yourself, and even laugh and say to yourself, “That’s
only my old habit again!” Don’t take yourself, your stories, or your ego too seriously. Ego likes to feel
important. On the contrary, whatever is happening, keep light and laugh. Humor helps to make things
relative and place them in a better perspective.
Thanks to Iboga, you may become your own master. You may become free from the emotions that
have enslaved you and the convictions you inherited from education and society. Even if this change in
your life does not happen in one day, the process in which you are engaging yourself in while working
with Iboga is like a no-return ticket. After an Iboga ceremony, it will not be possible to return to your
old patterns. The Spirit of Iboga will totally reset your cells and a natural wisdom will wake up inside
of you. From that moment on, this wisdom will take over your life and it will check to see if your
choices come from your mind or ego, or not.

How to use the Iboga drops

Iboga drops can be taken 1x or 2x a day: in the morning before starting your day and in the evening
before going to sleep. Before taking them, focus on your breath to calm your mind and dwell in a state
of inner silence. You can focus on your intention or ask a certain question. Ask the spirit of the plant
for help. Then, meditate for some time, taking at least 3 whole inbreaths and outbreaths. Half an hour
meditation is also fine. You can do your meditation exercise when you are lying down on your bed
before going to sleep. Before meditating, you may name what you want to reach or heal but when you
start to meditate, forget all thoughts including the thought of your intention.
A mantra may also help you. When you breathe in, silently say “Intent”, and when you breathe out,
silently say “Focus.” Just “Intent/Focus.” The purpose of this mantra is to not give attention to a word
or a thought but to help you remain focused of your breath. Be aware of your rising thoughts but don’t
lose yourself in them, as if you see a train coming towards you but you don’t step in. You just let the
train come and go, doing your best not to feed the thoughts which your mind is busy with. Any time
your mind is busy with thoughts and building up the world you are trapped in, use your awareness to
recognize that you are thinking, and bring your attention back to your breath and to the physical
movements in your body from the air moving in and out. Another very simple mantra to help you keep
focused is “In/Out.” When you breath in, silently say “In,” and when you breath out, silently say “Out.”
It is very simple, but helps to keep you anchored to your breath. These exercises are not about fighting
against your mind. They help you avoid feeding your mind and its never-ending thoughts by bringing
your attention gently and firmly back to your breath. Then, you may fall asleep in a state of awareness
and stillness.
Training with the Iboga drops is not about being on a trip, but about becoming more and more present,
detached and free. When you take 2 Iboga drops during your meditation, they will start working in a
subtle way. This is a time to pay attention to your dreams. When taking Iboga drops or capsules, you
may have meaningful and lucid dreams. These dreams may show you in which direction your
manifestation process is going to unfold or in which way the future is knocking on the door of your
life. Meditation is a good preparation to the wood ceremony. You may choose the style which fits you
the best: laying down, walking or sitting meditation. Besides Zen meditation, there are many other kind
of meditations, like Tai chi or yoga, which help to calm the mind and to allow it to rest in a state of
awakened stillness. When you do your meditation exercises, listening to the sound of falling water, for
instance next to a waterfall or a fountain, will multiply the effect on your intention. Your intention may
become very clear and sharp as a sword. Meditation on the sound of falling water may also improve
your prosperity. This practice comes from the tradition of Feng Shui, and is also well-known in the
Toltec tradition. Prosperity is part of divine life. It is not something individual possessed by someone,
and it increases when we share it with others. Prosperity and abundance can also be asked to the wood.
Are there any obstacles which prevent prosperity from fully manifesting in your life? Is there possibly
an underlying fear which is controlling your choices when you are dealing with money? Are you still
carrying some beliefs from your parents or from your society that tell you that you don’t deserve
prosperity or that you are not good enough? Maybe it is this fear and your attachment to it which form
the obstacles that prevent abundance from manifesting in your life. Maybe you protect yourself in a
obsessive way in order to find peace and a better financial situation. Recognizing and accepting this
emotion, and making space for it in yourself is the first step to take. Sharing what you have with others
also helps cultivate the strength in yourself to help you overcome the doubts and resistances you face
when you feel that you don’t have enough. Abundance and prosperity are everywhere, we just have to
get in tune with the right channel. If our inner TV is constantly tuned into the channel “I need” and
“I’m afraid,” then other channels will not manifest. Working with Iboga capsules or drops, it is the time
to investigate carefully all the unconscious beliefs which are ruling our life, and to shine the light of
our awareness on that which is not our true nature.
Remember that the healing and the awakening which we are asking for is not a personal or individual
one. On the contrary, it is a collective one. Before taking the wood, whether it be drops, capsules or
bark, we always say, “for all my relations.” This connection with everything is beyond time and space.
In Africa, this is what they call Bwiti, the Reality, what we really are, the essence which connects us
with everything. In the Zen tradition, master Thich Nhat Hanh speaks about Inter-being. The idea that
we are separate from all the rest is pure illusion. We are essentially related to our ancestors as to our
society. When we awaken to our true reality and become healed, we are helping to heal and awaken
other people as well.
Capsules
First of all, I have to say that the following instructions shouldn’t be seen as fixed rules but only as
guidelines. The underlying idea of these instructions is that your body and your awareness will inform
you how many capsules every day are good for you and when it is the right moment to have a break.
The point is to cultivate attention to your body and the capacity to listen to yourself so that you know
how to regulate your intake. From experience, I see that the people who take capsules beforehand
increase their capacity to take the wood during the ceremony. In this way, they may profit the best from
this medicine, getting better and longer-term results.
The capsules are stronger than the drops and can be taken every day following the same instructions.
Taking the capsules you become more grounded and more aware, and you are not able to rush in the
way you used to. It is like a spiritual master is in you, telling you what is good and appropriate to do. In
the morning, they energize you. In the evening before going to sleep, they bring more lucid and
meaningful dreams. When you take one capsule before bed, you shouldn’t have any problems falling
asleep. If you do, then it is better to take the capsules in the morning only.
You can start with one capsule (size 0) every day for one or two weeks. For people who are very
sensitive, then the capsules sized 2 or 3 are also fine. During this training, you may have various
reactions. You may feel very energetic and fit or, on the contrary, tired. Breaks are very important in
order for you to integrate the process you are going through and to rest in case you need time to reload
your energy. Your body will tell you when it is time to take a break. After your break from this first
period of training with the capsules, you can increase the number of the capsules. Take two capsules in
the morning and one or two capsules in the evening. You can continue with this dosage for one or two
weeks. If you are preparing for an Iboga ceremony, you can take a break for two days just before the
ceremony.
Another way to take the capsules, which is not for beginners, but for people who have some experience
with Ayahuasca, Daime, Kambo or Iboga itself, is to do a night session at home. In this case, it is
advisable to keep the morning free after the session, in order to give your body time to rest and recover
its energy. You may take 3 capsules (size 0) 4-5 times, every 2 ½ to 3 hours. Every time you take 3
more capsules, it is best to wait and see how your body reacts. The idea is that you don’t go through a
heavy process. If you wait 2 ½ hours, then you know for sure how the effect of the Iboga is increasing.
Because Iboga is a sacred plant, it is essential during this night session to not watch TV, to switch off
mobile phones, and to not listen to loud music. The sacred wood is bringing you inside yourself, so you
only have to forget the outer world for awhile and bring all of your attention inside, to your breath,
keeping focused and avoiding losing yourself in your thought stream. If you love music, then carefully
choose the music you listen to. Choose music that helps you to remain calm and in contact with your
inner world. Avoid any kind of music that helps you to escape from yourself or that gets in tune with
your pain body. It is important during this session to be the witness, watching yourself in a detached
way. Silence is very much advisable. Then you may discover the wonder of each sound you don’t
usually give your attention to because you are too busy with your own or other people’s mind. This
kind of silence may nourish you more deeply than any other music.