A compelling call for further research into the potential of ibogaine therapy.
Dickinson discusses the past, present, and future of ibogaine and its place in medicine.
The root of the iboga shrub contains one of the world’s most powerful naturally occurring psychedelics—ibogaine. Drawing on his personal, academic, and professional experience, the author argues for the use of ibogaine as a potent medication to treat issues as varied as opioid addiction, PTSD, and multiple sclerosis. His own interest in ibogaine came from his study of the use of psychedelics in harm reduction following a period of depression during his adolescence. As part of his research, Dickinson traveled to Gabon to learn about and experience the traditional medical practices of the Bwiti. From there, the author undertook years of apprenticeship and, in 2021, co-founded Ambio Life Sciences; his clinic administers ibogaine to patients attempting to recover from addiction or manage other illnesses. Ibogaine, Dickinson claims, reverses the accumulation of opioid tolerance and allows people to return to their baselines—almost as if they’d never used such drugs at all. Unlike naloxone, the drug has the potential to offer a one-time “cure.” “It’s not magical,” a patient clarifies in a testimonial. “It just allowed me to process everything rationally.” Combining personal anecdotes with patient testimonies and accessibly written descriptions of the underlying science, the author offers interested readers a solid introduction to ibogaine and its potential effects. He is careful not to gloss over the inherent risks of such treatments or the implications of ibogaine’s status as a Schedule 1 narcotic in the U.S. Dickinson also takes care to acknowledge the compound’s roots in traditional medicine and the risks that come when Western cultures attempt to leap “impetuously into African spiritual traditions.” The studies he cites are largely small-scale; much more research must be done before ibogaine can be widely used, and Dickinson’s own position as the founder of a private ibogaine clinic runs the risk of introducing bias. Still, this work offers an exciting glimpse of the potential of psychedelic treatments.
A compelling call for further research into the potential of ibogaine therapy.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798888504680
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Park Street Press
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.
All right, all right, all right: The affable, laconic actor delivers a combination of memoir and self-help book.
“This is an approach book,” writes McConaughey, adding that it contains “philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it. This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” Some of those philosophies come in the form of apothegms: “When you can design your own weather, blow in the breeze”; “Simplify, focus, conserve to liberate.” Others come in the form of sometimes rambling stories that never take the shortest route from point A to point B, as when he recounts a dream-spurred, challenging visit to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, who offered a significant lesson in how disagreement can be expressed politely and without rancor. Fans of McConaughey will enjoy his memories—which line up squarely with other accounts in Melissa Maerz’s recent oral history, Alright, Alright, Alright—of his debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, to which he contributed not just that signature phrase, but also a kind of too-cool-for-school hipness that dissolves a bit upon realizing that he’s an older guy on the prowl for teenage girls. McConaughey’s prep to settle into the role of Wooderson involved inhabiting the mind of a dude who digs cars, rock ’n’ roll, and “chicks,” and he ran with it, reminding readers that the film originally had only three scripted scenes for his character. The lesson: “Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more.” It’s clear that the author is a thoughtful man, even an intellectual of sorts, though without the earnestness of Ethan Hawke or James Franco. Though some of the sentiments are greeting card–ish, this book is entertaining and full of good lessons.
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-13913-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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