Iboga, Ibogaine, and Jungian Transformation: Shadow, Hero’s Journey, Transcendent Function, and Inner Alchemy (Part 3 of 5)

The Transcendent Function: Bridging Conscious and Unconscious

Jung’s concept of the Transcendent Function refers to a natural process (or active method) by which a new, reconciling insight arises from the tension between opposites, typically between consciousness and the unconscious. It is essentially the psyche’s capacity for self-healing and evolution by generating a unifying “third thing” (often a symbol or new attitude) out of conflict. In therapy, the transcendent function is invoked when, say, a patient’s conscious ego wrestles with unconscious images (from dreams, active imagination, etc.) and eventually a new understanding emerges that transcends the ego’s former stuck point.

Iboga and ibogaine sessions can be seen as catalysts for the transcendent function in a very direct way. During the session, the usual barriers between conscious mind and unconscious content are dissolved or at least loosened. The person typically enters with a conscious intention (e.g. “I want to heal my addiction” or “I want to overcome my depression”) and then is confronted with a flood of unconscious material (visions, archetypal figures, forgotten memories, bodily sensations carrying emotional information). This generates a potent dialectical tension: the conscious aim to change meets the unconscious status quo (and the complexes, fears, traumas maintaining it). According to Jung, “the transcendent function arises from the union of the conscious and unconscious contents.” In an iboga session, such a union often happens in the form of symbolic visions that integrate the two. For example, a man consciously struggling with anger might encounter a vision of himself as a raging fire or as a warrior, an image that externalizes the unconscious anger in a form he can dialogue with. By engaging with this image (within the experience or afterwards in integration therapy), he can find a middle ground, perhaps realizing the need for healthy assertiveness (as opposed to either repressed anger or destructive rage). That realization is the product of a transcendent function at work: a new attitude (symbolized by, say, the warrior of light instead of the berserker) that resolves the split.

Many ibogaine clients describe striking moments of insight or “aha!” experiences during their journey, these often have a symbolic character. They might see a visual metaphor for their life problem that suddenly makes everything clear. This can be understood as the transcendent symbol emerging. Jung wrote that the transcendent function “creates a symbol where consciousness and the unconscious meet”. In the iboga state, these symbols arise unbidden: one might see a broken chain (representing a lineage of trauma being broken), or converse with an inner child in a playground (representing the lost innocence now being recovered), or even have a numinous encounter with a deity or light (representing the Self). Such symbols have a healing power because they reconcile the opposites in the psyche. Indeed, patients frequently report that the imagery or messages they received felt like they united pieces of themselves. For instance, a person might say, “I saw that my addiction was me trying to reunite with my deceased father, and in the vision I actually talked to his spirit and forgave each other.” Here the conscious longing and unconscious grief found resolution in a symbolic father-spirit encounter, leading to emotional relief. The person may leave the session feeling “whole” in a way they hadn’t before.

It’s important to note that the transcendent function is also a process that continues after the session. Jung said it often works through active integration of unconscious material. Iboga(ine) gives a massive dose of unconscious content in one night; the individual then must digest it, through reflection, journaling, therapy, art, much like Jung’s method of active imagination (which deliberately engages spontaneous images). The period following an iboga session is often a time of heightened neuroplasticity and psychological openness. In Jungian terms, the psyche is still malleable and trying to reconfigure itself, the “psychic tension” stirred up by the experience can either lead to a creative new balance or, if not attended to, potentially fall back into old patterns. That’s why integration practices are crucial: they facilitate the completion of the transcendent function. By talking through the dreamlike visions with a therapist or shaman, the individual teases out the meaning of the symbols and relates them to conscious life. When done successfully, this process yields what Jung called a new “third position” or a shift in psychological attitude, for example, the person finds they no longer feel torn between “I want to quit drugs” and “I feel empty without drugs,” because a new solution or sense of purpose has emerged to transcend that opposition.

One can also view the transcendent function in iboga healing in a more neurological metaphor: Ibogaine’s pharmacological action “reboots” certain neural networks and opens a window of flexibility. This is analogous to loosening rigid conscious attitudes and allowing unconscious material to be reconfigured. Jung noted that if the psyche is at an impasse or standstill (as often happens in chronic neuroses or addictions), an influx of unconscious content can break the deadlock. The iboga experience often dislodges deeply entrenched complexes. For example, someone stuck in obsessive guilt might under iboga suddenly feel anger, perhaps at their perpetrator, which is the other side of the coin that was suppressed. This eruption of an opposite feeling creates a tension that the psyche must resolve, often by finding a more balanced view (e.g. “I’m not only a guilty victim; I also have righteous anger and the power to forgive”). In Jung’s words, when opposites collide, “the tension of the opposites produces a new, uniting function that transcends them.” The outcome can be a surprising creative solution to a life problem or a transformation in personality. Many iboga users indeed describe unprecedented solutions arising: a clear way forward in life, a decision to mend family ties, a calling to a new vocation, etc., which they hadn’t been able to see before. This creativity is the hallmark of the transcendent function at work, the psyche reorganizing itself into greater wholeness.

Finally, there is a spiritual dimension to this bridging of conscious and unconscious that Jung acknowledged. He noted the transcendent function can feel “irrational” and akin to grace, an unexpected resolution that comes not from willpower alone but from the depths of the Self. Iboga sessions are frequently described in spiritual terms by participants: they feel like they communed with a higher power or their deeper Self. This often instills a lasting sense of meaning or faith that reinforces the psychological change. In Jungian language, one might say the ego-Self axis has been strengthened, the ego has witnessed the Self (in archetypal visions or numinous feelings) and now trusts its guidance. The result is a person more aligned with their authentic self, able to hold paradoxes (light and dark within them) and move forward individuated.

Inner Alchemy: Death, Purification, and Rebirth of the Psyche

Jung often used alchemical symbolism to describe psychological transformation. In medieval alchemy, the Magnum Opus (Great Work) of turning base matter into gold was described in stages, commonly Nigredo (blackening, dissolution), Albedo (whitening, purification), Citrinitas (yellowing, awakening to light), and Rubedo (reddening, integration and wholeness). Jung saw these as symbolic of the process of individuation: the psyche undergoes a mortificatio or dark night (Nigredo), then a cleansing insight (Albedo), an illumination of meaning (Citrinitas), and finally the union of opposites into a new self (Rubedo). The iboga journey can be aptly described in this alchemical framework, it is a kind of inner alchemy, transmuting the lead of suffering into the gold of wisdom.

Nigredo (Blackening – The Ordeal): The Nigredo stage corresponds to decomposition and facing the “blackness”, it is clearly present in iboga sessions as the initial chaos and difficulty. As described, users often enter a very challenging state: they might experience panic, confusion, physical discomfort (tremors, nausea), and encounter frightening visions. This is the “dark night of the soul” in alchemical terms. Psychologically, it represents the breaking down of the old structures, ego defenses crumble, and suppressed material surfaces. One Bwiti initiation is tellingly referred to as a “little death.” Jung wrote that “the divine process of change manifests itself to our human understanding as punishment, torment, death, and transfiguration.” In iboga, the torment and ego-death are the crucible in which transformation begins. The individual may feel they have hit rock bottom or been reduced to “prima materia” (the raw substance), e.g. an addict might confront the full despair of what their life has been, essentially mourning their old self. This descent is necessary; alchemists believed the prima materia had to be reduced to a chaotic state before a new order could emerge. Likewise, iboga’s nigredo dissolves rigid patterns: “a temporary destabilization followed by large-scale recalibration” is observed in the brain. In alchemical imagery, this stage is often depicted with symbols of death (skulls, ravens, graves), interestingly, iboga visions often include death symbolism as well, such as seeing one’s own tomb or experiencing communication with the dead (ancestors). This indicates the psyche acknowledging the need to let the old identity die.

Albedo (Whitening – Purification and Insight): As the session progresses, often there comes a turn: moments of clarity or peace emerge after the confrontations. Physically, some purge (vomit or cry), which has a purifying symbolism. Mentally, the torrent of dark images might give way to gentler, more orderly visions. Users report seeing bright lights, feelings of forgiveness, or guiding figures, this is analogous to the Albedo stage where the blackness is washed to white. In psychological terms, the person starts making sense of what they’re experiencing, extracting meaning. For example, after hours of chaos, a vision might crystallize that explains the chaos – “I saw myself as a child in pain, and a warm light embraced us.” This could signify the psyche cleansing the wound with self-compassion. Albedo is about regaining hope and a sense of meaning (the darkness is not forever; there is a solution). Many iboga travelers describe a phase of profound peace or euphoria after the hardest part, akin to the “dawn after the dark night.” In Jungian practice, this is comparable to the illumination one might get after working through a difficult dream: suddenly things align, and you feel an emotional release. Neuroscientifically, ibogaine’s action of neuroplastic reset and boosting of growth factors (like GDNF) can be seen as a washing away of old neural pathways to allow new growth, a literal purification at the cellular level corresponding to the psychological purification.

Citrinitas (Yellowing – Awakening to Spirit): Not always highlighted, but in alchemy this stage was about the dawning of a new consciousness (the “golden dawn”). In an iboga context, this could correspond to the latter part of the visionary experience where insights turn towards the future and the individual gains spiritual awareness. Often after processing personal content, people report more transpersonal or cosmic visions, e.g. understanding their place in the universe, experiencing unity, or receiving teachings about life. This can be thought of as the psyche connecting with the collective unconscious or the spiritual Self. For instance, one might suddenly see the geometry of nature, or experience time and space in a new way, or hear what they describe as divine voices. This often comes with a sense of awe and humility, the “golden” realization that one is part of something larger. In practical terms, this is the stage where the vision for a new life is seeded. The person might resolve to live in accordance with higher values or feel a strong motivation to change (e.g. “I saw that my purpose is to help others with what I’ve learned”). It’s a brief stage in the session itself, but critically important for providing direction. Alchemically, the idea is that the purified base matter starts turning to gold in the presence of the Philosopher’s Stone, one might say the philosopher’s stone in iboga work is the archetypal Self, which now shines through the cracks opened by the ordeal. Jung indicated that symbols of the Self often appear as golden or light in imagery, which aligns with these late visions of inner light or guiding sun-like figures that some report.

Rubedo (Reddening – Integration/Wholeness): The final stage of alchemy is the achievement of the Gold, the integration of spirit and matter – psychologically, the integration of the conscious and unconscious into a balanced whole (individuation). In the iboga journey, rubedo corresponds less to what happens during the session (though some have visions of being crowned or healed in red/golden light at the end) and more to the process after the session. The real “gold” is the lasting change in the person’s life – the healing of addiction, the resolution of trauma symptoms, the rekindling of a will to live, etc. Achieving rubedo means the person has taken the insights and made concrete changes, symbolizing the inner union of opposites. For example, an addict who integrates might combine their formerly fragmented selves, the part that wanted to numb pain and the part that wanted to grow, into a new stable personality who can face pain and seek growth without substances. This is analogous to the alchemical marriage (coniunctio) of opposites. One striking description from a research article captured this outcome: “In the greater framework of the alchemy of the mind, ibogaine symbolizes the root medicine: grounding, perilous, and profoundly transformative… it compels confrontation with the self that created the craving… Used wisely and with medical and spiritual support, it offers a glimpse of redemption – where the brain, body, and will align once more toward coherence.”. This depicts the Rubedo state: redemption and coherence, a unity of mind, body, and spirit after the trials. Physiologically, when someone emerges from iboga, there is often a noticeable glow or vitality in them (despite the physical fatigue), facilitators have commented that people “look reborn.” This outward glow mirrors the inner rubedo.

Crucially, just as alchemists emphasized the careful tending of the process (or else the material could spoil or the gold not stabilize), the integration phase of iboga healing must be tended. The “red” stage of sustaining change may involve therapy, new habits, community support, and spiritual practices. One source notes: “The true work of transformation… begins after. The moments of dissolution, revelation, or catharsis [during the session] are only the opening act… When the acute effects fade, the brain enters a period of heightened plasticity… This is when the insights… are either integrated into coherent understanding or repressed back into fragmentation. The difference between awakening and confusion lies entirely in how this phase is navigated.”. In other words, to actualize the alchemical gold, one must consciously incorporate the lessons. If done properly, the individual achieves a sort of Philosopher’s Stone internally, an enduring ability to self-reflect and self-correct, which is essentially the Jungian ideal of individuation (a continuing process of growth). Some patients describe feeling as if they were “forged anew” by the iboga experience, with a resilience they didn’t have before. This resilient, whole sense of self is the outcome of a successful inner alchemical journey.