#3 — Healing, Acceptance and Orientation with Spencer “Missambo” Burton

In this episode of the Iboga Leadership Summit Podcast, Spencer “Missambo” Burton speaks with Ryan “Ghenigho” Rich of the Iboga Leadership Summit team about his personal journey from Ibogaine treatment for opiate addiction to becoming a provider grounded in traditional Bwiti lineage and founding the Iboga Rebirth Church and cofounding the Missoko Bwiti Alliance in the United States.

Born with cystic fibrosis and introduced to opiates through medical treatment at a young age, Spencer reflects on how addiction emerged alongside chronic illness and repeated hospitalisations. He shares his decision to seek Ibogaine treatment twelve years ago, the questions it left him with, and how those questions ultimately led him to the roots of the medicine in Iboga and the Bwiti tradition.

Spencer and Ryan discuss the significance of lineage, direct transmission, and traditional ceremony in supporting genuine healing, as well as the challenges and responsibilities involved in translating Bwiti practices into Western cultural and legal frameworks without diluting their integrity. He reflects on apprenticeship, training in Gabon, and a pivotal moment during his initiation process that reshaped his understanding of self-responsibility and healing.

This conversation explores the differences between Western medical models and indigenous approaches to health and spiritual growth; the role of language, directness, and cultural values in facilitation; and the importance of readiness, ethical frameworks, and integration in psychedelic work. Spencer also shares his vision for the Missoko Bwiti Alliance and the need to honour lineage while allowing tradition to grow and adapt. 

Spencer and Ryan will be continuing this conversation on Spencer’s podcast, “Get to the Root.”

Spencer Burton will be speaking at the Iboga Leadership Summit (22-28 June 2026), hosted by tenth-generation Missoko Bwiti shaman Patrick Moughenda Mikala Nzamba, in collaboration with the Bwiti community and the Government of the Republic of Gabon.

The Iboga Leadership Summit brings together physicians, pharmacists and providers, neuroscience researchers, farmers and agricultural technicians, students and community leaders, lawyers, policymakers, environmentalists, and all those called to Bwiti, Iboga, and Ibogaine.

22–28 June 2026
Libreville, Gabon

Details and tickets:
www.ibogaleadershipsummit.com