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John Harrison, Psy.D. (candidate)
laughingcoyo@sbcglobal.net |
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Though the opinions
shared were
hardly monolithic,
the occasionally sharp
ontological
deliberations
seemed to foment
camaraderie. |
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2006 NYC Ibogaine Conference
John Harrison, Psy.D. (candidate)
The skies were a slippery gray and the air was wintry cold on the
February weekend of the 2006 NYC Ibogaine Conference. The chilly
weather, though, did not in any way inhibit the fervent and passionate
panel discussions and genuine warm vibes that permeated the gathering.
I am currently preparing a program evaluation protocol for ibogaine
treatment clinics in Canada (Iboga Therapy House) and Mexico (Villa
Serena) for my dissertation at the California Institute for Integral Studies
(CIIS). As a witness to the healing potential of ibogaine, I have sought to
work with providers to help them better analyze the variables that affect
the long-term outcome of ibogaine treatment.
Thus, I was delighted to be immersed
in the diverse and colorful assembly of
journalists, researchers, street providers,
neurologists, psychologists, physicians,
activists, artists and successful veterans of
ibogaine treatment that joined me at the
conference. The positive energy was
palpable and as the conference unfolded,
the various presenters articulated the
breadth of interest in this little root from
the Tabernather iboga plant from West
Africa. MAPS members and Bulletin
readers are most likely familiar with the
potential of ibogaine to reduce drug
craving and its concomitant symptoms,
and the political and financial obstacles
hindering its accessibility.
Jeffrey Kamlet, M.D., (ibogaine
treatment provider) and Patrick Kroupa
(ibogaine activist and founder of
Mindvox) opened the proceedings with a
crash course in Ibogaine 101. Dr. Kamlet,
who is currently President of the Florida
Society for Addiction Medicine, impressed
mightily with his unimpeachable medical
expertise. Jeff spoke in depth about safety,
particularly emphasizing medical prescreening
prior to ibogaine administration.
Patrick Kroupa captivated the crowd
with his unfaltering integrity and honest
self-disclosure regarding his own tortuous
process through addiction. Declaring “ibogaine is a gift,” Kroupa also reiterated
that “ibogaine is more than detox; it’s a
catalyst, not a cure.” Patrick’s street
credibility and his insight into the human
toll of addiction was a poignant and profound balance to Dr. Kamlet’s clinical
knowledge. Truly a formidable tandem of
truth from two who have been in “the
belly of the beast!”
Medical journalist Brian Vastag
discussed the circuitous route of ibogaine’s
“forty years of flirtation with legitimacy”
as a viable treatment protocol for heroin
addiction.
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John Harrison and Howard
Lotsof, who first discovered
ibogaine as a viable treatment
for heroin addiction in 1962,
at the NYC Ibogaine
Conference |
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Beal opined, "supporting and legitimizing clinics
in Canada and Mexico will have the effect of embarrassing the United States by saying 'why everywhere else but not here?'" |
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Kenneth Alper, M.D., (NYU Associate
Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology)
presented a sweeping discourse on
ibogaine’s mechanisms of action on the
human brain. Dr. Alper presented a
sampling of his scientific research while
making the case for clinical trials in the
U.S. Ken managed to convey challenging,
complex, and important data in straightforward
language that both the novices
and the experts in the audience could
comprehend.
Introduced as special visitors to the
conference were physicians and treatment
providers Drs. Alberto Sola and Adolfo
Martinez from Villa Serena, an ibogaine
treatment center in Cancun, Mexico. As
activist Dana Beal opined, “supporting and
legitimizing clinics in Canada and Mexico
will have the effect of embarrassing the
United States by saying ‘why everywhere
else but not here?’”
Howard Lotsof, the sagacious and
insightful ‘Grandfather of ibogaine’ gave a
comprehensive slide presentation on the
history, politics, policy, profit, prejudice,
and science of ibogaine. Lotsof, who first
discovered ibogaine as a viable treatment for heroin addiction in 1962, reflected the
tone of the gathering by emphasizing
inclusiveness, and by celebrating the
common goal of making this valuable
medicine available to the people who
would most benefit from safe and unencumbered
access.
The opening day session culminated
in an extraordinary and ssspirited political
panel which included Dmitri Mugianis
(ibogaine treatment provider and former
patient), Lotsof, Douglas Greene and the
peripatetic Dana Beal (Cures Not Wars).
Saturday evenings reception featured the
powerful documentary Ibogaine: Rite of
Passage, by film-maker Ben de Loenen.
Then, on Sunday the conference
shifted to the wonderful and inspiring
environment of Alex Grey’s Chapel of
Sacred Mirrors (COSM) on W. 27th
Street. Grey’s vivid colors and breathtaking
images provided appropriate and
stimulating surroundings for topics and
presentations that included “Ibogaine as a
Source of Revelation” (an exploration of
the spiritual dimension of ibogaine), and
“Ibogaine for Self-Development,” featuring
authors Lee Albert and Daniel Pinchbeck.
Others included, “Ibogaine and the Ritual
of the Bwiti,” “Iboga Visions,” (including
a discussion of the Œoneirophrenic or
dreamlike phase of an iboga session), and
a fantastic “Unexplanation of Ibogaine and
Sacred Art,” featuring the stunning and
visionary work of artists Geerte Frenken,
David Hunter, and of course the inimitable
Alex Grey.
Though the opinions shared and
discussed in NYC were hardly monolithic,
the enthusiastic debate around the
interface of health and politics and the
occasionally sharp ontological deliberations
seemed to foment what was
already an unmistakable esprit de corps
and camaraderie amongst the highly
energized attendees.
As for myself, the weekend left me
feeling honored and inspired to meet so
many learned, sensitive, and committed
people who, though the work they do is
often solitary, found hope and encouragement
in this encounter with so many likeminded
and like-hearted individuals.
As Lee Albert said so eloquently as the
conference came to a close, “we grow in
the spirit or die in the body.” |