The haunting of Shawn Ryan and the possible breakdown of ibogaine's alliance with the Christian right

Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and influential political podcaster, became a prominent advocate for ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT after using both at Ambio in Mexico to address substance-abuse problems. The supplied account traces how psychedelics helped expand his public profile while he moved toward paranormal beliefs, Christian nationalism, and an increasingly demon-focused worldview. After a later ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT retreat, Ryan said he had encountered hell, experienced spiritual attack, consulted Catholic exorcists, and returned to the Church. He now describes psychedelics as potentially entering a forbidden realm, while acknowledging that they helped him and others. The episode exposes tensions between psychedelic promotion, veteran-focused ibogaine networks, Catholic interpretations of altered states, and the movement's links to influential figures on the Christian right. It also highlights how Ryan's media reach amplified these debates while psychedelic organizations remained publicly silent.