Awaken Your Soul & Iboga: The Anthony Esposito Fatality and Safety Risks at Holos Global

Awaken Your Soul reviews have recently come under scrutiny following a fatal incident involving a Polish participant in Costa Rica. Facilitated by Anthony Esposito and Amber Antonelli, the retreat at Holos Global lacked critical Iboga safety protocols, resulting in a preventable death after a participant wandered unsupervised into the jungle

Without formal licensing or mandatory standards, retreats like this operate in a legal gray area, exposing participants to dangers that could be mitigated with basic health screening, precise dosing, and continuous supervision.

Unregulated Iboga Left Participants Exposed

Because Iboga in Costa Rica lacks Ministry of Health registration, centers like Awaken Your Soul operate without mandated cardiovascular screening or EKG monitoring. This lack of medical oversight is a significant red flag for anyone researching Anthony Esposito Iboga reviews, as the medicine's physical toll requires expert, clinical supervision that was reportedly absent here.

Costa Rica provides no sanitary registration or therapeutic licensing for Iboga. No government-mandated medical protocols exist for its use. Retreats proceed without required pre-ceremony health checks, accurate dose measurement, or enforced post-ingestion monitoring, leaving participants vulnerable to the medicine’s powerful cardiovascular and psychological effects.

Stephen’s Livestream Exposes the Reality

The definitive timeline of the incident was captured in a January 2026 livestream by Stephen Ronald Bell, a participant who survived a concurrent blood pressure crisis. Bell’s testimony provides a raw, documented account of the Awaken Your Soul negligence, including the facilitator's failure to monitor guests and the hours-long delay in reporting the missing participant.

High Dose and No Screening Created Immediate Danger

The risk of Ibogaine toxicity was amplified by the administration of four unmeasured spoons of medicine—well beyond standard safety limits. With Stephen Ronald Bell's blood pressure reaching dangerous levels of 210/110, the total lack of emergency medical protocols at the Holos Global site became life-threatening.

The woman, still experiencing the medicine’s afterglow the next day, left camp alone. Stephen had warned her repeatedly: “If you go into the jungle, you’re gonna fucking die.” He had bought her running shoes, and insisted she wear them. No staff monitored participants during this critical recovery window.

Delayed Notification Amplified the Risk

Staff did not inform Stephen until around 9 or 10 p.m., later explaining they feared disturbing him during his medical crisis. By then she had been missing for hours. Nighttime searches located her body in the river, apparently after a slip on the bank.

The remote jungle terrain with steep drops, dense vegetation, and fast-moving water made the lack of supervision especially dangerous in an unregulated setting.

Aftermath Involved Containment and High Costs

Stephen described negotiating body access amid scattered local morgues. Anthony Esposito reportedly requested the $400 for prior massages and Reiki and initially delayed location details. Retreat messages encouraged omitting Iboga from police discussions, suggesting the event be described as yoga or minor psilocybin.

Stephen paid the amount to move things forward, personally funded repatriation to Poland, hired a local lawyer, and informed the mother while still under Iboga’s effects.

Unregulated Environment Allowed Clear Negligence

No pre-ceremony medical screening. No measured doses. No post-ceremony monitoring. No mandatory emergency protocols. These gaps in an unregulated context directly contributed to a preventable tragedy.

Stephen also noted that another woman from the same retreat died by suicide six months later, a separate event that highlights broader participant-support concerns.

Regulation and Standards Are Essential

Iboga retreats in Costa Rica need verifiable medical oversight, precise dosing records, continuous supervision during recovery, and transparent handling of incidents to protect participants.

Anyone considering Iboga should seek providers that operate with rigorous, transparent safety measures, especially in unregulated jurisdictions where the medicine’s risks remain unchecked.