What happens when the very qualities that helped you survive become the patterns that keep you stuck?

In this episode of Season 3, Moniquea Spiteri returns to guest interviews with Benjamin Ahn, former US Navy SEAL, international corporate executive and founder of Nomena, a medically supervised ibogaine retreat sanctuary in Southeast Asia.

Ben's journey has taken him from a childhood shaped by trauma to the intense world of elite military service, followed by more than fifteen years of corporate leadership. But beneath the achievements was a deeper personal journey that eventually led him to explore psychedelic medicine and the transformative potential of ibogaine.

Together, Moniquea and Ben explore the relationship between trauma, survival adaptations, identity and the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted healing.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How childhood survival patterns can shape our identity, relationships and drive to succeed.

• The mindset of elite military personnel and the challenges of moving beyond a life built around endurance and control.

• What ibogaine is, how people describe the experience and why it's attracting interest in trauma recovery.

• The importance of medical supervision, safety and responsible psychedelic practice.

• Why profound insights don't automatically translate into lasting change.

• The role of integration, somatic awareness and nervous system work in supporting meaningful transformation.

• What it really means to move beyond survival and reconnect with who we are.

As a somatic psychotherapist and psychedelic-assisted therapy practitioner, Moniquea brings a body-centred perspective to the conversation, exploring an important question:

Can a powerful psychedelic experience create lasting change, or does the deeper work begin when the experience ends?

This episode isn't just about ibogaine. It's about the ways we learn to survive, the identities we build around those adaptations, and what becomes possible when we begin to live differently.

About Benjamin Ahn

Benjamin Ahn is the founder of Nomena and an advocate for the responsible, medically supervised use of ibogaine. A former US Navy SEAL who served in Iraq with SEAL Team 3, Ben later spent more than fifteen years in international corporate leadership before moving into the psychedelic retreat space.

Learn more about Nomena: https://www.nomena.life

Connect with Transcending Trauma

Explore more episodes and resources: https://moniqueaspiteri.com/podcast

Disclaimer: This episode is for education and discussion only and does not constitute medical advice or an endorsement of ibogaine treatment. Ibogaine carries significant medical risks, including potentially life-threatening cardiac complications, and remains an investigational treatment for trauma-related conditions.