Why I’m Preparing to Leave the Country for Ibogaine—and Why That Needs to Change
By Joe Holmes – Founder, The Parkinson’s Project Foundation
When I first learned about ibogaine, I wasn’t chasing a miracle. I was chasing hope—hope that there might be something more than pills, more than symptom management, more than just existing through the daily grind of Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease.
I came across ibogaine in conversations, in research, in the stories people weren’t telling out loud but were living quietly behind closed doors. And what I found wasn’t just a plant with ancient roots and emerging science—it was a door that, in this country, remains locked.
If I want to try this treatment, I have to leave everything behind—my family, my busy life, my home—and travel to another country. Not for a vacation, but for a chance at healing.
That is one of the reasons why I started The Parkinson’s Project Foundation—because no one should have to cross a border to feel human again.
This May Offend Some People
But I need to say it anyway.
I have Parkinson’s. I live with it every single day. I’m not speaking as an outsider—I’m in the trenches. I’m a young father of three girls. I’m active. I’m involved in my community. I walk with a lot of faith. I’m fighting for a future—not just for myself, but for them. And that’s why I’m speaking up.
I’m tired of the judgment that comes from inside our own community. The hypocrisy.
I see people pushing the same treatment paths with the same mediocre results, while criticizing others for exploring something different—something natural. People call us the problem for encouraging others to try a plant with known benefits. Meanwhile, they’re on one medication to manage the side effects of another, which was prescribed for the side effects of the one before that.
Let’s stop pretending that’s normal.
I’m a capitalist. I get how the system works. And I get why a plant you can’t patent is frowned upon. But I also know what it’s like to be overmedicated and underinspired.
This may work for me. It may not. But this isn’t just about me. This is about our right to access, our right to choose, and the belief that we shouldn’t have to become lifelong patients just to survive.
What Is Ibogaine—and Why Am I Taking the Risk?
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychedelic derived from the Tabernanthe iboga plant, used traditionally in West African spiritual and healing ceremonies. Today, it’s being studied and used—outside the U.S.—to treat addiction, trauma, and, yes, neurological disorders like Parkinson’s.
I’ve had personal conversations with men I deeply respect—combat veterans, trauma survivors—who have experienced ibogaine firsthand. These are people who’ve seen things I can’t imagine, and every one of them speaks about this medicine with deep reverence. They’ve told me it’s not easy. Ibogaine can be intense—physically, emotionally, spiritually.
But so are the side effects of long-term medication. So is undergoing brain surgery that might—or might not—help. At some point, you have to ask: which risk are you really willing to live with?
So... Why Is It Illegal?
In the U.S., ibogaine is still a Schedule I substance—lumped in with the most restricted drugs, classified as having “no accepted medical use.” That’s despite the growing international evidence that says otherwise.
Meanwhile, Texas—yes, Texas—has launched the largest publicly funded psychedelic study in U.S. history to explore ibogaine. That should tell us something: people are waking up. Change is happening, even if slowly.
But I just can’t afford to wait anymore.
What We’re Doing at The Parkinson’s Project Foundation
At The Parkinson’s Project Foundation, we’re not here to sell magic cures. We’re here to challenge the system that limits options and suppresses possibility.
We are:
Educating the public about plant-based therapies like psilocybin, cannabis, and ibogaine.
Telling the truth about real journeys—mine included.
Pushing for change in state and national policy.
Creating space for those who want more than a prescription pad and a pat on the back.
Some of us want to heal. Not just cope.
Closing Thoughts: Why I Speak Out
I know there are others like me—quietly managing, quietly healing, but afraid to speak up because they don’t want to be labeled “reckless,” “fringe,” or “noncompliant.”
I get it. I was there too. But I’m done being quiet.
This journey isn’t for everyone. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. But so is Parkinson’s. And so is slowly losing yourself one pill at a time.
Let’s stop pretending we don’t know better. Let’s start listening—not just to the labs, but to each other.
Healing is real. I’ve felt it. And I believe more of us deserve the chance to feel it too.
What You Can Do
If any of this resonates with you—if you feel the same tug of curiosity or frustration—here’s how you can help:
Learn your state’s laws around psychedelic and plant-based therapies.
Contact your representatives and speak up for expanded access and compassionate care.
Support our work at The Parkinson’s Project Foundation, and other organizations fighting to make healing legal and local.
Share this message—because every voice adds pressure. And pressure changes laws.
I shouldn’t have to pack a bag and leave the country for a shot at healing. None of us should.
But until the system changes, I’ll keep fighting. For myself. For my family. And for anyone else who refuses to be silenced by a broken model of medicine.
Let’s bring healing home.
