Could Ibogaine Be an Effective Treatment for OCD?
Originally posted October 5, 2016
Ibogaine isn’t just an excellent cure for addiction but it’s also showing promise helping with a myriad of different mental conditions, anxiety included. Over 200,000 people are affected by obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) each year. This form of anxiety can be debilitating and can cause serious discomfort, and if left untreated can seriously limit one’s quality of life.
Finding the right treatment for OCD is pertinent to living a well-balanced life, but for those who actually do seek help taking a pill becomes one of their only options. And while prescription medication may work for some, it doesn’t do much more than mask symptoms. With prescription medication the issues underlying someone’s OCD are just covered up.
Ibogaine works differently when it comes to treating OCD. It’s not something that’s taken over time like a pharmaceutical drug. One treatment session is usually all it takes to see lasting changes when it comes to the cessation of anxious behavior. Ibogaine also poses no risk for addiction, which isn’t the case with most medication that are prescribed for OCD.
Before understanding how Ibogaine could be effective in helping treat individuals who suffer from OCD, it’s important to understand just how this type of anxiety affects people and why getting treatment is so important. OCD can seriously affect someone’s life and is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
What is OCD?
OCD affects people in different ways. There are a few different types of obsessive compulsive behavior demonstrated by those who suffer from this type of anxiety. They include:
Intrusive Thoughts
Thoughts or images that occur over and over in one’s mind can become a nightmare for some. These thoughts are usually based on something that’s happened in an individual’s past, but can also happen for no reason at all. Some people may obsessively think about harming themselves or others.
Constant Checking
This is the type of OCD that causes someone to check things repeatedly. It could be making sure the oven is turned off or even checking doors and windows over and over to make sure they are locked.
Hoarding
Some people with OCD obsess with keeping everything they’ve ever owned. This could be stuffed animals collected throughout childhood, newspapers, magazines, clothes, or trinkets. People who hoard items often have a strong emotional attachment to the items they hold onto, and getting rid of any of them can cause extreme anguish.
Fear of Contamination
There are some people that fear the idea of contamination so much that it turns into an obsessive compulsive issue to keep things clean and free of germs. These types of people will wash their hands repeatedly, take many showers throughout the day, or keep their homes spotless and free of dirt and germs at all times.
Not everyone experiences OCD the same way, and it’s yet to be understood exactly what causes it. It’s believed that there is some genetic link to those who suffer from OCD, but can also be attributed to behaviors learned as a child or habits that have manifested over time.
Whatever the cause might be, living with OCD can become a nightmare. Some of the symptoms of OCD include:
Repeated unwanted thoughts and ideas
Aggressive behavior
Thoughts of hurting yourself
Thoughts of hurting loved ones
Thoughts that something bad might happen to you
Continuous counting
Continuous checking
Constantly organizing items
Hoarding items
Repeatedly washing your hands
OCD can become far more than compulsive thoughts and behaviors. If left untreated, OCD can trigger depression, constant tension, excessive worry, and constantly feel like nothing is the way it should be.
Choosing to Treat OCD with Ibogaine
Ibogaine has shown to be effective at not only helping people find freedom from addiction, but has also showed great results in helping people who suffer from various mental health problems. Ibogaine treatment plays a tremendous role in guiding people to release old patterns based on conscious and subconscious memories and traumas.
It is these patterns that manifest in the mind over time that keep people locked in vicious states of anxiety and despair. Understanding why thoughts have become obsessive and where these thoughts stem from in the subconscious mind is fundamental for releasing them for good.
Through an intense psychedelic experience, Ibogaine helps people uncover past memories and traumas that are responsible for their current state of mind. Anxiety isn’t something that just happens. It is undoubtedly caused by something, and knowing what this something is can make all the difference in lasting change. Ibogaine helps show someone what this something is, opening the door to what has the potential to be a profound healing journey.
Not only does Ibogaine help people uncover the reasons behind their anxiety and obsessive thoughts and compulsions, but helps them to work through these reasons without bias. Forgiveness and acceptance are both words to describe what Ibogaine instills in the people who take it, both of which are vital in making lasting changes to one’s mental wellbeing.