Root Healing Iboga Retreats

Root Healing runs iboga retreats in the Missoko Bwiti tradition and has held them in Sintra, near Lisbon in Portugal. Founded by Ryan “Ghenigho” Rich, it works in partnership with Bwiti elders in Gabon. Its main centre is now in Tepoztlán, Mexico, and its European retreats currently list new dates as coming soon.

Approach

Ceremonies use whole iboga root bark rather than isolated ibogaine, brought from Gabon. The European retreat runs six days: orientation, EKG testing and one-to-one talks lead into the first ceremony that night, a later day of group work and counselling ends with the second, and a closing circle follows. Some dates add a third ceremony. The facilitators are initiated in the tradition, and the team reports holding over 1,000 guests in about seven years.

Who it is for

The traditional retreat is aimed at people working on trauma, depression, anxiety, difficult emotions or self-discovery. Separate programmes build on it: one for substance use, with a medical detox, and one the centre offers for conditions such as Parkinson’s, autoimmune disorders, MS and brain injury.

Practical details

European retreats cost €3,500 for six nights with two ceremonies, lodging and food, and a third ceremony adds €1,000. Mexico retreats start at $3,500, and US retreats, held through two nonprofits in Connecticut and Oregon, cost $4,000. Groups take six to eight guests, and there are scholarships and a last-minute list.

Care and safety

Applicants give a health history, have a 20-minute discovery call and submit an EKG and liver panel, and the medical team reviews each case for cardiac and other contraindications. On site the team uses a 12-lead EKG monitor and keeps defibrillators to hand, and at least one facilitator per retreat holds BLS or ACLS certification. Integration calls and a community of past guests continue afterwards.