Although ibogaine is best known for treating addiction to drugs and alcohol, many people also use it for other healing purposes, including issues of co-morbidity, or drug addiction coupled with mental health concerns. Ibogaine for depression, in particular, as well as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become a very popular and increasingly more common option. This is because of ibogaine’s ability to “reset” the brain and target cyclic behaviors and thinking.
Ibogaine for depression and anxiety may prove to be a great treatment option for some individuals. To better understand ibogaine as a depression treatment, let’s first examine depression and how it is currently treated.
What Is Depression? Here’s What You Need to Know
Depression is a medical illness that affects the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It is associated with a variety of symptoms, including:
- Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and guilt
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insomnia
- Changes in appetite
- Fatigue
There is no surefire cause of depression. Instead, depression may be linked to one or more of the following risk factors:
- Biochemistry: An imbalance of different chemicals in the brain may contribute to depression symptoms.
- Genetics: A person with a family history of depression is more susceptible than others to depression symptoms.
- Environment: Ongoing exposure to abuse, poverty, or other environmental factors may increase a person’s risk of depression.
If you or someone you know is dealing with depression, seek out medical help. By consulting with a doctor, an individual can take the first step to alleviate his or her depression symptoms.
Up to 90% of individuals dealing with depression respond well to treatment, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Yet finding the right depression treatment is rarely simple. Without a safe, effective depression treatment in place, an individual risks long-lasting depression symptoms.
How Is Depression Treated?
Common depression treatment options include:
- Psychotherapy: Also referred to as “talk therapy,” psychotherapy involves meeting with a mental health professional to discuss depression symptoms. Psychotherapy sometimes helps an individual discover the root cause of his or her depression and explore ways to manage depression symptoms.
- Medications: A doctor may prescribe an antidepressant medication to help an individual combat his or her depression symptoms. Antidepressants may be prescribed in different doses. Additionally, individuals may need to try several antidepressants before they find a medication that delivers the desired results.
- Support Groups: Support groups allow participants to share their depression experiences, concerns, and questions with other individuals who are also dealing with depression symptoms. They are available in cities and towns nationwide and empower individuals to work together to find the best ways to overcome depression.
There are many things a person can do to manage depression on his or her own, too. For instance, maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly may help a person improve his or her mood. Getting sufficient rest and avoiding excess alcohol and nicotine use may also help an individual minimize his or her risk of depression symptoms.
Ultimately, the best treatment for depression often varies based on the individual. In some instances, individuals search for alternative depression therapies — including iboga anxiety treatment options.
An ibogaine treatment for depression may prove to be a great option. However, like any depression treatment, ibogaine for depression and anxiety must be administered by highly trained medical personnel.
For those who are considering ibogaine and depression treatment options, meeting with a doctor is ideal. At this time, a doctor can perform a medical evaluation to understand an individual’s depression symptoms. Next, a doctor can offer a custom treatment plan designed to help treat this individual’s depression symptoms. He or she may also be able to determine if this individual is a good candidate for ibogaine depression therapy or alternative depression therapies.
Is Ibogaine Treatment for Depression and Anxiety Safe and Effective?
It’s no surprise that many people are looking for alternatives when it comes to treating depression. As of 2012, the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) estimated that 16 million adults in the United States alone experienced one or more major depressive episodes annually. That means at least 6.9 percent of our population suffers from depression—and that doesn’t account for those who don’t report their depression. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have said that about 1 in 13 Americans suffer from depression, but only around 35 percent of those with severe depression and 20 percent of those with moderate depression seek help. Worldwide, the numbers are similarly distressing; according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people around the world suffer from depression.
Unfortunately, much of the typical medical approach to treating depression is only partially effective. Many medications used to treat depression cause patients to be saddled with major side effects, sometimes for life. For all of these reasons, many people coping with depression are searching for more information and alternative solutions.
If you’ve done any research about the subject, you already know that ibogaine therapy, including ibogaine treatment for depression, works at a psychological level. People suffering from depression and anxiety often feel “stuck” in thought patterns they can’t escape. This goes far beyond healthy self-reflection, and becomes destructive and emotionally crippling. Ibogaine allows for a safe, comfortable period of intensive and insightful reflection along with a physical “reset” in the brain, which together can help break this debilitating thought cycle.
Many times depression, anxiety, and of course, PTSD are rooted in a past traumatic experience. The brain has created memories of the event, but the memories themselves are abnormal; normal memories appear to be “coded” and filed into the brain utilizing the hippocampus, whereas memories that occur while a person is undergoing much greater than average stress, are gated into long-term memory via the amygdala, which appears to produce synaptic changes in memory processing; causing patients to re-experience the trauma repeatedly. Ibogaine treatment administered utilizing a depression dosages protocol allow patients to calmly and safely go back, and to process the trauma without fear. A heightened state of awareness comes with this journey, which enables patients to be receptive to healing, and to serenely deal with their past. It is the traumatic event which is at the root of the depression or anxiety; ibogaine is a tool for getting to those roots, and providing patients with a perspective shift, allowing processing and integration of these disturbing memories.
Does Ibogaine Cure Depression
Ibogaine seems to help many patients with depression and other mood disorders for several reasons. First, ibogaine resets key neurotransmitters, restoring balance and causing neurological changes in the brain. Ibogaine also helps promote healthy levels of dopamine in patients, and dopamine is essential to depression management.
Finally, just as important as these more physical changes caused by ibogaine are the mental and emotional changes it causes. The once-in-a-lifetime journey of introspection at the deepest level that ibogaine depression treatment prompts allows for a radical paradigm shift for patients ready to shift their lives into new directions. A key strength of ibogaine for depression is its ability to reveal hidden traumas and memories, allowing patients to process them once and for all.
Ibogaine treatment for depression doesn’t come with a one-size-fits-all list of results. Like anything else, individuals will experience the process differently, and there are no guarantees. However, ibogaine for depression is unlike any other treatment. It can treat physical, mental, and emotional symptoms all at once. Some call ibogaine treatment for depression “10 years of therapy in 24 hours,” because of how much positive change a single session can put into motion.
Contact us today to learn about resetting your life and getting ibogaine depression treatment in order to move forward in a new direction.