IbogaQuest

IbogaQuest is a small, intimate ibogaine treatment center in Tepoztlán, Mexico, founded in 2009 by Barry Rossinoff. Barry’s work with ibogaine goes back to the late 1960s, when he became friends with Howard Lotsof, the person widely credited with discovering ibogaine’s addiction-interruption properties. That personal connection has been an important part of IbogaQuest’s history and continues to inform our respect for the medicine and the people who come to work with it.

Today, IbogaQuest is a multidisciplinary team bringing together medical care, psychotherapy, somatic practices, mindfulness and meditation, and spiritual approaches to healing. We intentionally keep our retreats small: one group per month, with a maximum of 7 participants, so that we can offer genuine presence and individualized attention. Our aim is to create something that feels more like a warm, supportive home than an institution: a place where people can slow down, feel safe, and be met as they are.

The standard retreat runs from Monday to Monday. The week begins with arrival, orientation, preparation, and establishing the group container. The main ibogaine experience is a medically supervised flood dose lasting approximately 24 hours, followed by time for rest and recovery. Later in the week, participants receive a booster dose, followed by several days focused on integration and reflection.

Alongside the medicine work, participants receive ongoing therapeutic support throughout the week. This includes individual and group therapy, meditation, breathwork, somatic practices, and other forms of integration. Depending on the individual and the retreat schedule, participants may also experience massage, Janzu water therapy, art therapy, and a traditional Temazcal ceremony.

We work with people coming for different reasons, including substance dependence and addiction, trauma and PTSD, depression and mood disorders, TBI, and psychospiritual growth. Each person goes through an extensive application and medical screening process before being accepted, and treatment is tailored to their history, intentions, and level of support required.

Medical safety is central to the retreat. The ibogaine experience takes place with continuous medical monitoring, supported by an experienced multidisciplinary team. At the same time, we believe that safety is about more than medical supervision: it also means creating an environment where people feel emotionally supported, respected, and able to surrender to the process without having to perform or pretend.

The retreat takes place in a private, home-like Posada-style setting in Tepoztlán, surrounded by mountains. Participants have their own private rooms and access to shared spaces, gardens, a pool, a steam room and sweat lodge.

IbogaQuest operates 1 treatment week per month, with retreat dates provided during the application and scheduling process. Because we work with a small number of people at a time, each participant is considered individually rather than simply booking a place on a standard retreat.

For us, the retreat is not just about the hours spent with ibogaine, but about the whole journey around it. We take time to prepare carefully, stay close and present throughout the medicine experience, and create space afterward to make sense of what has emerged and begin bringing it into everyday life. We offer both preparation and integration sessions, and our relationship with participants often continues long after they leave Tepoztlán. We remain in touch with many of the people who have walked through our doors over the years. As Barry likes to say, “Once you’ve been with IbogaQuest, you’re family.”