A Thematic Analysis of the Subjective Effects and Phenomenology of Ibogaine Administered in a Clinical Setting
Joseph la Torre, Step Cheung, Ariana Kam, Nathan Sackett
Research Square November 5, 2025 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8022144/v1 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn a study with 236 participants, the largest sample to date, researchers asked open-ended questions to people in an ibogaine-assisted treatment program in Mexico. Common themes emerged: emotional amplification, life review, perceptual and sensory changes, visionary states, and a sense that ibogaine has its own character or agency. The findings provide a detailed, empirically grounded portrait of ibogaine's subjective effects and show its capacity to evoke structured, meaningful, and potentially transformative states of consciousness. The study's strengths include its large sample, rapid data collection, a safe clinical setting, careful participant preparation, and open-ended questions that captured the full range of experiences.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 236 |
| Population | Participants enrolled in an ibogaine-assisted treatment program at a specialized healthcare facility in México |
| Intervention | Ibogaine-assisted treatment |
| Keywords | Phenomenology philosophy Thematic analysis Perception Interpretative phenomenological analysis Experiential learning |
| Key finding | Common themes among ibogaine experiences include emotional amplification, life review, perceptual and sensory alteration, visionary states, and experiences of ibogaine's perceived character and agency. |
Abstract
Abstract Drawing on an unprecedentedly larger sample (N = 236) than previous studies, we investigated the subjective effects of ibogaine by asking a series of three original, open-ended questions to participants enrolled in an ibogaine-assisted treatment program at a specialized healthcare facility in México. The objective was to characterize the overall phenomenology of the subjective ibogaine experience. We found common and recurring themes among the responses, such as emotional amplification, life review experiences, perceptual and sensory alteration, visionary states, and experiences of ibogaine’s perceived character and agency. The findings offer an in-depth and empirically grounded portrait of ibogaine’s experiential landscape and demonstrate its unique capacity to evoke structured, meaningful, and potentially transformative states of consciousness. This study distinguishes itself through its large sample size, rapid data collection, use of ibogaine in a safe and clinically controlled setting, analysis of reports from patients carefully prepared for their ibogaine experience, and use of open-ended phenomenological questions designed to capture the full range and depth of ibogaine’s subjective effects.