Search competencies and applied modules
Ibogaine safety and risk management
Support and Safety
Recognizing changes, supporting distress, and coordinating clinical care.
Educational material; not a treatment relationship.
Support throughout every phase of care
Asking for support
What to say, who responds, and how the team keeps you informed.
Image context
Illustrative editorial image: low-stimulation support during movement-sensitive nausea. Not a clinical case photograph.
Symptoms and changes to report
The details that help staff distinguish discomfort from a change needing medical assessment.
Symptoms and changes to report
The details that help staff distinguish discomfort from a change needing medical assessment.
You do not have to decide whether a change is serious before mentioning it. Tell your facilitator what you feel, when it began, and whether it is getting stronger. They can listen, check what is happening, and bring in the clinician when needed.
Help can range from adjusting the room or assisting with movement to taking vital signs, recording an ECG, or arranging more advanced care. Ask the team to explain the next step in plain language. If you have chest pain, faint, have a seizure, or have marked trouble breathing, alert staff immediately so medical care can begin.
Describe what changed and when
A useful report can be simple: “The spinning starts when I turn my head,” “I have vomited again,” “My heart feels different,” or “I am having more trouble following you.” Say when it began, whether it is getting stronger, and what happened just beforehand. If speaking is difficult, use the call signal agreed during preparation.
What the team may check
Depending on the change, staff may assess attention, breathing, oxygen levels, pulse, blood pressure, the heart tracing, fluid losses, medication exposure, or laboratory results. They compare the new finding with your baseline and the recent course. You may be asked a short question more than once because the change over time is useful information.
Seek immediate attention for urgent symptoms
Fainting, seizure, chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, or loss of responsiveness requires immediate medical attention. Alert staff at once. If you are outside supervised care, contact local emergency services. New or worsening symptoms should not wait for a later integration conversation.
Why we say this
Continue Through the Global Competencies
Medical response and hospital transfer
What staff may do, how they communicate, and what information travels with you.
Medical response and hospital transfer
What staff may do, how they communicate, and what information travels with you.
If the team becomes concerned about your health, you should have someone explaining what is happening while clinicians assess and treat the problem. A familiar facilitator can stay connected with you when circumstances allow, help you describe what you feel, and explain changes in the room or the people caring for you.
The response depends on what the assessment shows. Staff may repeat an ECG or blood tests, help you change position, support breathing, start an intravenous line, or give fluids, electrolyte replacement, or medication when clinically indicated. These are possibilities to discuss during preparation; they are not a sequence that everyone will need.
If a serious rhythm or breathing emergency occurs, clinicians may need to provide resuscitation, including defibrillation when indicated, and arrange hospital transfer. You do not need to manage those decisions yourself. Tell the team what you notice, ask for an explanation when you can, and allow necessary care to proceed while staff keep you informed as circumstances permit.
The conversation before treatment
Ask where you would receive hospital care, how transport is activated, and who remains in contact with you or your chosen support person. Discuss what medical information can be shared for emergency care and who makes time sensitive decisions if you cannot participate. Knowing the plan beforehand gives the team a clearer way to communicate if it becomes necessary.
During a response
One familiar person may explain the next step while clinicians assess the problem. Staff may ask brief questions, adjust your position, repeat measurements, or bring additional personnel and equipment. Explain what you notice and any immediate concern about care. Necessary treatment may proceed quickly, with fuller explanations once the situation allows.
The handoff
The receiving team needs the preparation used, amount and timing when known, other substances and medications, baseline and recent ECGs, symptoms, laboratory findings, and interventions already given. A written timeline prevents you from having to reconstruct those details while unwell. After stabilization, the program should offer a chance to discuss what happened and how follow up will be arranged.