Stage 1 of 7 · Before
Application
A HIPAA-compliant form that provides us with all the information we need to review your situation personally, including some medical history, what you are facing, and why you are seeking Iboga.
Iboga retreat questions, answered at a glance
Root Healing holds traditional Iboga retreats and offers comprehensive Iboga programs in partnership with KombeNgonde with medical screening and monitoring for every guest. This visual FAQ seeks to answer the most commonly asked questions with a clear visual.
Reviewed by Ryan “Ghenigho” Rich · Updated October 2026
Jump to a question
- What happens from application to integration at a Root Healing retreat?See the answer
- How does Root Healing keep guests safe?See the answer
- What is the difference between Iboga and ibogaine?See the answer
- Who will be with me on retreat?See the answer
- How much does an Iboga retreat cost?See the answer
The journey
What happens from application to integration at a Root Healing retreat?
A Root Healing retreat has seven stages: application, medical review, intake and preparation, ceremonies, processing days, integration, and community. The same team carries you through every stage, and the community stays with you after integration ends.
Before
On retreat
After
Stage 2 of 7 · Before
Medical review
Our medical team reviews every application individually. Some applicants are declined at this stage, always with a reason we explain.
Stage 3 of 7 · Before
Intake and preparation
The practical steps come first: the dietary protocol, your documents including an EKG, and which medications to stop and when. Then preparation itself. Preparation is not administration. It is where the work starts.
Stage 4 of 7 · On retreat
Ceremonies
Traditional Missoko Bwiti ceremonies, held by the same people who prepared you, with cardiac monitoring before, during and after each one.
CeremonyHeld through the night
Processing dayA full day, no agenda
Stage 5 of 7 · On retreat
Processing days
A full day after each ceremony, with no agenda and no distractions. Time to rest, reflect, and let what surfaced settle, with the team close by.
The part we consider most importantCeremonyHeld through the night
Processing dayA full day, no agenda
Stage 6 of 7 · After
Integration
Structured integration on retreat, a personal plan before you leave, then our integration program at home: group calls, one-to-one sessions, and supporting materials.
Stage 7 of 7 · After
Community
Our community is permanent, and it is included. Nobody in Gabon works with Iboga alone, and nobody should go home to a life with no community in it.
Safety
How does Root Healing keep guests safe?
Every guest completes a medical review before finalizing booking and travel, including an EKG and a review of every medication. On site, we maintain cardiac monitoring, with staff certified in BLS and ACLS, a nurse on site at our Mexico retreats, and all of our facilitators trained in traditional Missoko Bwiti safety.
Before
During each ceremony
After
Before you book and travel
- Extensive medical intake and review, led by our medical team.
- Comprehensive cardiac and contraindication screening before arrival.
- An EKG for every guest, and bloodwork where our medical team determines it is needed.
- Every medication reviewed. Where a taper is required, it is planned with your prescribing physician and completed before travel, never on arrival.
- Each person is assessed individually rather than against a checklist.
On site
- Advanced EKG/ECG monitoring and defibrillation equipment.
- A professional cardiac-monitoring platform configured specifically to the demands of Iboga work, rather than left on generic default settings.
- Staff holding clinical emergency certifications, including BLS and ACLS.
- A nurse on site at our Mexico retreats.
- Our medical team oversees care throughout and takes the lead wherever clinically indicated.
Traditional safety
- All of our facilitators trained in traditional Missoko Bwiti safety and care.
- The accumulated judgment of a lineage that can recognize a difficult night before a monitor does.
- Not a substitute for the equipment, and the equipment is not a substitute for it.
The medicine
What is the difference between Iboga and ibogaine?
Iboga is the whole root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga plant, carrying ibogaine together with the plant’s other alkaloids. Ibogaine is one of those alkaloids, isolated from the other beneficial alkaloids and devoid of the spirit of the plant.
- Ibogaine
- The plant’s other alkaloids
| Compared on | Whole-plant Iboga | Isolated ibogaine |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Whole root bark, sustainably and ceremonially harvested from very old wild trees. Never farmed. | A single alkaloid, isolated from the plant. |
| What it carries | The spirit of the plant, and ibogaine with all the plant’s other alkaloids, working together through the entourage effect. | Ibogaine alone. |
| Ibogaine concentration | Lower than an isolated dose, with a more powerful spiritual and healing impact. | Clinical doses of one compound. |
| The structure around it | Traditional dosing, the pacing of a ceremony, and people present who know what a difficult night looks like before a monitor reports it. | A different intervention, usually given in clinical settings. |
| Cardiac safety | After proper screening, the safer of the two, in our experience across more than a thousand guests. | The setting the serious cardiac events reported in this field overwhelmingly come from. |
Your team
Who will be with me on retreat?
The people who read your application are the people who prepare you, sit with you in ceremony, and take your integration calls afterward. Root Healing retreats hold six to eight guests at most, with eight or more staff involved.
Application
Same teamAdmissions
Preparation
Same teamPrep coordinator
Ceremony
Same teamCeremony staff
Processing
Same teamDay staff
Integration
Same teamOutside therapist
The same people from first read to last call. There is nobody you have not met.
A handoff at every stage. Each person sees one part, and nobody holds the whole.
- 8+staff involved in the retreat process
- 6–8guests per retreat, maximum
- 150+hours of our team’s time per guest, during the retreat alone
- 1,000+people held in ceremony to date
- 7years of consistent retreats
The 150+ hours cover the retreat alone. Preparation, medical review and integration are on top of it.
Meet the teamContribution
How much does an Iboga retreat cost?
The contribution for a Root Healing retreat is $4,000 in the USA, €3,500 in Europe or €4,500 with an optional third ceremony, and $5,000 to $20,000 in Mexico. Full and partial scholarships are funded each year through the Missoko Bwiti Alliance.
USA
$4,000 Contribution per guest- Up to 8 guests per retreat
- Medical review, preparation, the retreat, integration and community
Europe
€3,500 Contribution per guest, or €4,500 with an optional third ceremony- Up to 6 guests per retreat
- Medical review, preparation, the retreat, integration and community
Mexico
$5,000–$20,000 Contribution per guest, depending on the retreat- Medical review, preparation, the retreat, integration and community
Scholarships
Full and partial scholarships, funded each year through the Missoko Bwiti Alliance.
Apply for a scholarshipReady to take the next step?
Start with the application. A person on our team reads every one, and once yours is complete you can book a discovery call to ask us anything.
Retreats