PT 602 - Iboga - Talia Eisenberg, Tom Feal, Dr. Lola “Dr. O” Hoba, Kevin Franciotti

May 6, 2025

Guest

Kevin Franciotti

Guest

Join Kevin Franciotti, a moderator at the Aspen Psychedelic Symposium, along with Talia Eisenberg, who transformed her life after opioid addiction, Tom Feegel, a pioneer in medically supervised ibogaine treatment, and Dr. Lola Hoba, a pharmacist and Yoruba herbalist. They discuss the profound healing potential of iboga, blending traditional wisdom with modern medicine. Topics include personal recovery stories, rigorous safety protocols, and the need for respectful practices in indigenous communities, emphasizing the transformative and restorative powers of this sacred plant.

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ANECDOTE

Talia's Ibogaine Recovery Story

Talia Eisenberg shared her 15-year recovery from opioid addiction using Ibogaine after many failed rehab attempts.
She illustrated how this plant interrupted her cravings and inspired her to create a medically supervised treatment center.

ANECDOTE

Tom's Healing and Vision

Tom Feegel described overcoming childhood trauma and addiction, leading to 21 years of sobriety and co-founding Beyond.
He built a safe medical environment mixing hospital, mental health, and retreat for Ibogaine treatments.

INSIGHT

Ibogaine's Unique Pharmacology

Ibogaine acts on multiple brain receptors, unlike other psychedelics with a single dominant target.
This complexity explains Ibogaine’s wide therapeutic potential for addiction, depression, trauma, and cardiac conditions.

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Aspen Psychedelic Symposium 2024 – Hosted by Kevin Franciotti

This powerful panel explores the healing potential and complex responsibilities that come with working with Ibogaine, a potent plant-based psychedelic. Moderator Kevin Franciotti guides a heartfelt and informative conversation with Talia Eisenberg, Tom Feegel, and Dr. Lola "Dr. O" Hoba, highlighting personal transformation, medical protocols, and the importance of honoring traditional knowledge.

Personal Journeys with Ibogaine

Talia Eisenberg shares her recovery from opioid addiction and the founding of BEOND Ibogaine, a medical treatment center in Cancun, Mexico. Her story illustrates the plant’s unique power to interrupt addiction and awaken purpose. Tom Feegel, co-founder and CEO of BEOND, shares how his own trauma and long-term sobriety inspired a vision for a safe, respectful, and medically supervised environment for deep healing.

Clinical and Cultural Wisdom

Dr. Lola Hoba offers insights as a pharmacist and Yoruba herbalist, bridging traditional plant medicine knowledge with modern pharmacology. She describes how iboga works on multiple brain receptors and why it holds so much promise for treating addiction, depression, and trauma. She also cautions about its cardiac risks and calls for respectful, trained facilitation.

Safety, Access, and Sustainability

Panelists discuss the rigorous safety protocols at BEOND, including ICU-level care, psychiatric screening, and pre-treatment evaluations. They also explore broader questions: How can this medicine be offered responsibly? What does reciprocity mean in practice? BEOND supports Blessings of the Forest, a nonprofit in Gabon that works to stop poaching and protect Indigenous access to the sacred root.

A Call for Balance and Respect

This conversation highlights the importance of blending science, spirit, and social justice. From trauma healing to sustainable sourcing, each panelist emphasizes the need for compassion, caution, and connection. As laws change and access grows, the panel urges all involved to move forward with care—for the medicine, the people it serves, and the cultures that have stewarded it for generations.