I’m writing from Madrid, where Homequest 2026 has officially commenced. And yes, it is a quest — equal parts adventure and challenge.
My brother pointed out that I’ve been rushing the decision of where to live, because I need stability to heal my body, which remains my core life focus and obstacle. But, the right environment is just as critical as stability. So, I’m slowing things down and shifting the context from “moving” to “exploring”.
🔹 Iboga nights: the full story
In February, I spent a week working with a plant medicine called Iboga, known for telling you the truth you need to hear, and for healing the body (PTSD, addiction, nervous system).
My “retreat” was just me being hosted by a husband-wife Bwiti* facilitator duo at their home, complete with 8-year old boy and baby girl.
*Bwiti is the millennia-old wisdom tradition that has been cultivated by Gabonese people in collaboration with the plant itself.
I went in looking for nervous system healing, and that’s what I got. It’s been a month and I’m sleeping better than I have in years. TMI alert: I used to pee 5-15 times per night. Since the retreat, 1-2 times. This is huge.
The underlying conditions, especially sleep apnea (technically UARS), are still a thing and will have to be addressed for my body to truly heal, but this was a real step forward.
Candidly, I was hoping for some message-in-the-sky moment too, and that did not happen. In a way, I was surprised how little the Iboga communicated directly with me.
FAQs
- Was it scary/intense? Not really, and much less than I expected.
- Was there vomiting? Yes, but IMO this is not the big deal people make it.
- Was it healing? Yes. The plant medicine, being taken care of by a loving family, hanging out with an angelic baby.
- Are you a new, enlightened person now? Please, I was already perfect.
Verdict: Recommend 9/10.
🔹 Things I’m digging this month
Freedom app blocker (7/10). I lose way too much sleep with TV and scrolling. So, I finally installed an app blocker, Freedom.to. It took an hour to properly set up; annoying but 100% worth it. If you have an app blocking system you like, I’d love to know about it.
- My setup: ~10pm cutoff for everything except audio books until ~8am so that I can sleep longer if my body wants. I also block distracting apps during key work hours, ~11am – 2:30pm.
Yuka ingredient scanner (10/10). A few years ago, someone put the fear of God in me about most sunscreen being horrible for your skin (even high end ones). Since then I’ve been trying to find effective sunblock that isn’t toxic. Yuka finally solved this problem for me. Just scan a barcode and get an instant quality rating on any beauty or packaged food product. What’s your go-to skin-safe sunblock?
Books! Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is a fun adventure-fantasy novel, and Beyond Belief by Nir Eyal explains the staggering science of limiting beliefs and how to actually change them. Loving both.
Thanks for reading. Challenges abound. Homequest continues. Let’s see what happens next. I’d love to hear how you’re doing.
Love,
Taylor
April📍— Spain, Portugal, then TBD.