Ayahuasca Retreat Reviews — Helping You Stay Safe with 5,000+ Independent Reviews
We have 10 years of experience in the treatments of Iboga working with all types of substance abuse, sex addiction, depression, spiritual development, as well as mental and physical disorders. We are based in Southern Spain where we have worked for the past 8 years in our family home with 100s of clients. We work with respect for the plant but we do not try to recreate Bwiti ceremonies in Europe. We work individually with one or two people at the most in purope built rooms in a tranquil setting..
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Tareq
June 27, 2019 at 5:03 amGenuine people, they know exactly what they’re doing and they do it from the heart. The small talks I had with Catherine before the session cleared my doubts and made me feel I’m in good hands and that was important for my trip.
Bilal is another story, Bilal is an original soul, the soul I trusted when I was in my most vulnerable state and he took my hand and guided me through my healing journey, positive, encouraging and has answers, someone I will always remember.
This plant is one of God’s gifts to the world to remind us that no matter how fucked up your life can get, there’s always this door to your inner self that you can open and go back and fix things. My journey was too personal to talk about it here, but one thing I guarantee in the least, a better version of yourself comes back from that door.
If you’re looking for a fancy luxurious resort run by businessmen then Harambe is not your place. If you’re looking for a simple authentic experience guided by experienced people with good intentions then Bilal and Cathy are your people.
dbrasco
March 5, 2019 at 6:23 amThere are truly no words on earth to describe how ibogaine , Cathy and her amazing family and program changed my life. There for I do not really know how to start this. So I’ll just jump right in …
Sometime in early spring of 2016 I was living in San Francisco California. We all know it is an extremely expensive place to live, so to make ends meet I worked many jobs , thus burning myself out so to speak. One of my gigs at the time was managing a popular nightclub in the evenings, so drugs were all around me.
When I felt it was too much, I fell onto heroin and fentanyl, and hard. I had previously had several years clean prior to this. Once I literally realized I was going to die as many actually did all around me I panicked.
Luckily I knew of ibogaine from my past ,the first time I ever had an opiate problem. Problem was back then the only ibogaine treatment centers I could find were all in Mexico and central American countries.
Due to beurocracy these clinics tend to be a little shady, so in order to find a trustworthy place you must spend thousands….Put it this way. My trip to Valencia Spain from San Francisco California plus full detox treatment was litterally a fraction of the price.
If you truly want to put behind all your addictions, move on past a debilating ailment in your life, I cant not recommend ibogaine hci treatment enough to you in words.
If not for Cathy, Bilal their family and this treatment you wouldn´t be reading this, for I would of been dead a few years ago by now. Real talk.
Now I´m happily married living in Barcelona working on my true passions in life, all the ones I lost touch with due to drugs.
I personally vouch on behalf of this treatment and family working behind it 110%. Cathy picked me up for the airport, catered to my nutritional needs as a 20 plus year vegan *best chickpea masala of all time btw!’ I couldnt of asked for any more.
IF YOU WANT IT. IT WORKS also you will be in the hands of some the most warming kind people I’ve ever met in my life. If you are serious contact Cathy and I can share my experience and maybe help answer any question you may have. The negative reviews really dont match at all the experience I had here.
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D!M!
SK
September 30, 2017 at 3:51 pmA DEEP AND POWERFUL HEALING EXPERIENCE
I decided to use iboga to treat post traumatic stress and long-term depression. I won’t go into details about the trip as everyone experiences it differently but I will summarise it. I had powerful and clear visions which cleared up and helped to explain what happened when I was a child. It is a physically difficult experience but I followed Bilal and Catherine’s advice on how to prepare and surrendered to the iboga. The iboga spirit is a healing spirit, it gives you what you need and not necessarily what you want. I definitely got what I needed. Trust in what happens in the trip and when things feel like they’re getting too intense or your are feeling nauseous or anxious, remind yourself that these feelings will pass. Trust the healing process.
You must be prepared mentally and physically for the experience, it took me several days to recover physically. The nausea and ataxia are highly unpleasant. For me the nausea was not as unpleasant as the motion sickness I have experienced in cars, boats and aeroplanes. The disorientation of the ataxia was horrible but as long as I didn’t move my head I was fine.
The day after the trip I felt I would not be able to do it again but those feelings passed quickly and I would definitely do another treatment, perhaps next time I will do a double treatment. Mentally and psychically the positive effects were immediate, I felt calm and at peace with my past. It is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had, and very different from any other hallucinogen I have tried. I felt that I was in the presence of a powerful spirit that quite ruthlessly showed me what I needed to see, but which was also very compassionate.
Catherine and Bilal are real, genuine people. There is no bullshit involved, no fake shamanism, no attempt to baffle anyone with science or psychotherapy. They know the power of iboga and want to heal people – it’s that simple.
The treatment takes place at their home in a family setting, if you prefer more solitude during your treatmemt you can choose to stay in the yurt or lodge. I found the family setting to be quite comforting but can understand that some people may want a quieter setting.
I will definitely return for another treatment to continue the healing and I would definitely recommend Harambe Detox. It is not a clinical setting and it’s not a bourgeois luxury rehab “resort”. IT IS REAL, AND THEY ARE REAL. And that’s why I loved it.
For anyone doubting Harambe Detox due to the few less than positive reviews I would say make your decision based on your expectations. Talk to Catherine and Bilal about those expectations and then make your own mind up. But do not underestimate the power of iboga or Catherine and Bilal’s genuine wish to heal people.
GD200161
September 29, 2017 at 11:41 amI have just finished a session at Harambe Detox for depression and anxiety. I took SSRIs for years and benzos on and off. I would take various other substances like cocaine and alcohol but more bingeing. I have battled with childhood trauma and feelings of worthlessness. I heard about iboga and contacted many places but few answered and I felt that Harambe seemed the least airbrushed, more real.
I contacted Catherine and she was very strict with protocol and even though it was hard I put in the work, followed the manual for benzo reduction and also lowered my dose of Prozac very gradually till at last I was off. Even still the withdrawals were horrible, dizziness, anxiety and horrible brain zaps. I wasn’t really prepared for that, through many Skype sessions Catherine assured me that iboga would deal with that and helped me to look towards a positive ending. So I arrived in Spain with anxiety at a maximum. Catherine got me from the airport and we came to their place. They have a family home which they have built from scratch and are extending it little by little to make more treatment space. Its comfortable, clean and self sufficient running on solar power which is really great.
At the time all I could think about was getting started on the iboga treatment although I was really scared. I got a horrible drink which cleaned my stomach and a few hours later was given a test dose. Within half an hour I was feeling pleasant effects but couldn’t move without getting dizzy. Soon after the flood dose was given and that was much more intense. Really it’s so hard to describe or compare that feeling to anything, I don’t know what alien abduction is like but it might feel like this. But not altogether bad as I saw that these feelings, my story that I have been dragging around like a burden, I could shake it off. We don’t have to follow these miserable narratives, I realised that I had even used them to control relationships in my life. I saw many more things then the visions faded…I was left feeling miserable, again nagging myself with doubts and negativity. I know this is called the grey day….now feeling like I’d been in there for days in end I was starting to feel frustrated. With no sleep but Catherine and Bilal werre very attentive, checking me, calming me, they said this will all pass and I didn’t think it would but it did.
I must have dropped to sleep and when I work my mind was empty…after more time the dizziness faded and I am feeling better and better. The good feeling continues back home and the withdrawals were gone.
I would like to thank the guys for their support, company and food. I like the family vibe, the kids are cute the little boy is a force of nature, the family, they are always laughing even though the work they do is hard it’s very valuable. They do it with a positive attitude!
suzanne
September 28, 2017 at 3:19 pmHarambe Detox Centre: Valenica Spain
Location on google maps: (39.649151, -0.722053)
Pluscode: 8CFXJ7XH+M5
I am a woman, 45 years old. After many years of struggling with alcohol abuse (10ltrs of beer a day off and on 35 years), depression and anxiety I decided to try an unconventional way to see if that would help. I’d been clean a year at a time but always fell back.
I had been using anti depressants for five years combined with Valium (diazepam) prescribed by a psychiatrist. Due to a chronic skin problem (Chronic Urticaria) I was also prescribed steroids for 4 months. I explicitly told Kathy and Bilal at my intake what medication I had been taking and for how long.
Kathy & Bilal told me that I was unable go ahead with the Ibogaine treatment as I was taking Ssri’s. They recommended that I first had to undergo a detox program. It was agreed on at their house for 12 days using Taperaid (Chinese herbs) and marijuana pills, and to stop all my medication immediately. Price 2,300euro incl. food and stay. Within 2 weeks they said I would then be able to go ahead with the Ibogaine treatment. I felt that 190euro per night expensive but felt desperate and agreed.
Due to stopping Valium and Anti depressants in one go my mind was very unstable and felt as if I had taken LSD. Due to this stress it made my chronic skin condition worse.
After 3 days detoxing I was very ill. I decided to call my husband to pick me up. I felt that I had no choice but to stop the detox program and continue alone. My husband took me to the hospital in Spain 9x in 2 weeks, as I had to undergo many tests. The Doctors told me that I would need a lot of rest and time to heal my chronic skin problem, and told me to gradually reduce the ssri’s over a period of months.
I contacted Kathy and Bilal and asked for a refund, not a full refund but a fair amount that we could hopefully both agree on.
Kathy still insisted that I would be well enough to go ahead with the ibogaine treatment and said it would also help my skin problem. I disagreed and took the Doctors advice. It is now 2 months later and I am still very ill.
I paid 2,300euro for three nights detox (excl. ibogaine treatment). Kathy’s reply: ” You left the detox! Is that normal that you get a refund or meds to go away with? You are clean which is the objective and you need to stop fighting with me”. Fighting????
I knew then I was ripped off!!
They should never have taken me in as a client, POINT. I had to leave for valid medical reasons and I felt it was fair to reimburse me for a large part of the detox.
Their feedback (which by the way I find hilarious) was: Bilal said “you paid me for my knowledge” and Kathy said “you paid me for my tools”.
What a bloody joke!
The problem is they are not Doctors (although they both think they are), and have little to no experience with Ssri’s or Steroids. They just told me that they regularly took people to the hospital in a psychotic state, meaning if something went wrong with their clients who underwent the ibogaine treatment. It was no problem as there was a hospital 10mins away. Very comforting!!!
By the way, there were no organic meals 3x a day: (I couldn’t eat much due to detoxing but that didn’t mean I couldn’t eat anything) Kathy’s response, “I feel too unwell to cook”.
No professional detox experience from either individual!
The hygiene in their house was by far not up to scratch and don’t go there in the summer months as the house has no shade at all and you will bake, no airco, not enough energy for fans. On the website: “Beautiful place in the heart of the Valenican Countryside”, I didn’t see that.
Conclusion:
Please think before jumping on a plane form the other side of the world in desperation feeling very vulnerable (which most of us with severe problems do). Do not undergo detox in their hands they are not equipped to offer this and you will loose a shit load of money in doing so.
I have done some research now I’m home and below have posted all Ssri’s and other medication that you must look out for before considering to undergo the ibogaine treatment:
“The risk of experiencing cardiac complications or other dangerous side effects increases when ibogaine is taken in conjunction with the following medications and substances”. (not a complete list):
Anti-arrhythmic drugs:
Metoprolol, Propafenon, Timolol maleate
Antidepressant drugs:
Amitriptyline (Elavil), Citalopram, (Celexa)Clomipramine, Desipramine, Duloxetine, (Cymbalta, Ariclaim, Xeristar, Yentreve, Duzela, Dulane), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Imipramine (Tofranil), Paroxetine (Paxil), Venlafaxine (Effexor)
Antipsychotics:
Aripiprazole (Abilify, Aripiprex),Haloperidol (Haldol), Pimozide (Orap), Risperidone
(Risperdal), Thioridazine (Mellaril, Sonapax, Thioril)
Other drugs:
Amiodarone, Azithromycin (Zithromax), Bepridil (Vascor), Chloroquine (Aralen), Chlorpromazine (Thorazine, Largactil),Clarithromycin (Jiaxin), Disopyramide (Norpace), Dofetilide (Tikosyn), Droperidol (Inapsine, Droleptan, Dridol, Xomolix, Innovar), Erythromycin (Isotrexin), Flecainide acetate (Tambocor, Almarytm, Apocard, Ecrinal, Flécaine), Halofantrine (Halfan), Moxifloxacin (Avelox, Avalox, Avelon, Vigamox, Moxeza), Pentamidine (NebuPent), Procainamide (Pronestyl, Procan, Procanbid), Quinidine (Quinaglute), Sevoflurane (Ulane), Codeine (3-methylmorphine), Dextromethorphan (DXM, DM), Methadone (Methadose), Mexiletine (Mexitil), Ondansetron (Zofran), Tamoxifen (Nolvadex, Istubal, Valodex), Tramadol (Ultram, Ralivia, Tramal)
Furthermore, foods containing bergamottin or bergamot oil, such as grapefruit juice, as well as a variety of other supplements and over-the-counter medications such as Prilosec (Omeprazole), some gastric disorder drugs, anti-fungal medications, HIV treatment drugs, and some antihistamines, can all significantly contribute to cardiac complications while circulating in the body at time of ibogaine treatment.
I can totally relate to the other negative reviews I’ve read based on what I saw for myself.
WATCH OUT for these people because in my case it had nothing to do with my well being, making money was their priority!!!