Looking for advice on where to experience my first flood..

Hi All,

As the thread title suggests, I am looking for any advice or thoughts on where to experience my first Iboga flood. Initially, I thought about doing it alone, at home, although I feel this would not be practical as I am living with my parents for the time being, and wouldn't be entirely comfortable flooding as they leave for wok in the morning, just in case I am still in a bit of a state by the time they return! I am also aware that people strongly advise a sitter, which would prove quite difficult for me to find. As such, I have been doing some online research and have spoken to Paul Featherstone (on the phone), and Maria Straatman (via email), who both hold/organise Iboga 'journeys'.

Paul Featherstone appeared to be a very knowledgeable man who has a good understanding of the various reasons as to why people approach Iboga, and put a great deal of emphasis on the importance of integrating the experience into our lives post-flood (ie a lot of work is to be done). He said he feels that Iboga is a very personal journey/experience, and he strongly believes that taking it in groups can have a negative effect (I found this to be true when flying to Peru to take Ayahuasa, as I found the energy of the group too much, at times). Paul informed me that he treats people in Athens, and quoted me £1500 for a 5 day stay. I believe this is all inclusive, with the exception, of course, of the air fare. He also said this would include the various heart/liver tests.

Through email, Maria Straatman appears very warm and inviting. She holds 'ceremonies' (if that is the right word?) in northern Holland, which cost 395 euros for 3 days. Again, the quoted fee is all inclusive, although there was no mention of any medical tests.

I am open to people's opinions/comments on what I have written. I am aware that £1500 is an awful lot of money and while I could make a one-off stretch, is there really a need to go 'all out'? But is it madness to consider taking the medicine without prior tests? (if so, is it possible to get them done free of charge?) Does anyone have any prior experience of working with either Paul or Maria?

Looking forward to your responses!

Cheers.

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💬 8 comments

8 Comments

georgena92· 15h ago

I love Maria, I would go that route.

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vividdove· 15h ago

Hi Kampun, thanks for replying. I am assuming then that you have had experience flooding with Maria? In your experience, is 3 days enough time to sufficiently recover?

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mistyfalcon17· 14h ago

3 days is how long the experience lasts. You need at least an additional week recover. So if you do the 3 day thing, you need to have a plan of where to stay and what to do for the following week. One does not simply take Iboga and go straight back to work. Try not to do a lot of travelling, distracting or potentially exhausting things after your 3-day flood. It's You time.

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georgena92· 14h ago

I just know Maria as a friend. My opinion may be biased but to me she is one of the bright spots in the field of Iboga. I personally trust her all the way, she's done things like spread Iboga seeds for free to people in equatorial climates, just a really kind and honest stand up individual.

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vividdove· 13h ago

Rhythm Spring: Sorry, I wasn't clear enough in my initial post. I will have approximately a further week off work after the flood, but was just concerned that I may still 'be out of it' after the 3 days when I would be required to make the journey back home from the norther part of Holland to London. Kampun: Thanks for your input. My gut feeling was actually to go with Maria (and not just because of the marked price difference). Cheers

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luckylynx· 11h ago

i only know paul and only good things

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norene85· 6h ago

Hi Lickle Emu Thanks for your posts...I find quite a lot in common with my own situation in life. I've dabbled with Iboga but would also like to do a full flood some day. I recently took part in my first Aya workshop in Holland and it was an amazing experience. Wonderful country! I had a look at Maria's site which seems very interesting. On my search engine she comes up as connected to holotropic breathwork too, or could that be a different Maria Straatman in north Holland? Seems unlikely. On the issue of heart/liver tests...I personally wouldn't like to tell my GP about Iboga and I wonder would they be forthcoming with free tests anyway? Someone mentioned on this site many months ago that if you were feeling extra cheeky, you could go to A&E complaining of heart problems and they'd have to give you a full check-up! Otherwise I searched for "liver panel test london" and it came up with a few results...private clinics who charge obviously. I really hope you stick around to give us feedback of your experiences with Maria and Iboga. I wish you the best of luck and a great outcome! norene85

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georgena92· 5h ago

Maria does Kambo treatments too but she doesn't advertise it. I forgot to say but I'm relatively sure that if you needed to you could stay for longer than 3 days.

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