Chet Hanks is opening up about the plant medicine ceremony in Spain that he says permanently changed his sense of purpose.
On a recent episode of Artist Friendly With Joel Madden, the Running Point actor explained to the host that he’s done psychoactive plant iboga two years ago, which he compared to indigenous brew ayahuasca.
“You basically are laid out, eyes closed for hours,” said Hanks, the son of Tom and Rita Hanks.
Iboga is a native plant of the tropical forests of Central Africa, mainly Gabon, and is an anti-addictive substance that can treat PTSD, anxiety and depression.
Hanks added that his reason for taking the plant was to discover his “true intention” of whether he should be an actor or live a more insular life.
“And what it showed me was your purpose is to be kind. Look at all the opportunities to be kind,” he explained. “You're a good guy, but you're missing so many opportunities to to put more kindness in this world. And that is the only thing that's important.”
“It changed me. It really affected my life,” he added.
The entertainer had traveled to Spain roughly two years ago to work with a shaman, described as a French man, who spent 15 years living with the Bwiti people of Gabon. "After 15 years they gave him permission to take it and administer it to Westerners," Hanks said, adding that the shaman runs clinics in Spain and Brazil twice a year.
Instead of taking a pill form of the medicine, Hanks consumed the raw plant material, which is bark shaved from the iboga tree, crushed into a powder and eaten.
Hanks added that after 45 minutes to an hour, the plant has you “flatlined” after a period of dizziness. “You're being just taken along the journey,” he continued, adding “This shit is 12 hours.”
As he explained, Hanks appears to have opted for more holistic substances rather than hard drugs, as the entertainer previously had a cocaine addiction.
