HIVE BIO is a group of specialised mental health and wellness centers that utilise the significant benefits of psychedelics as a basis for providing therapy programmes. At HIVE BIO, we provide a platform for achieving the best possible outcomes through world-class treatment plans and integration services carefully tailored to your goals.
HIVE BIO Malta is the first European medical retreat providing ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. It is a unique phenomenon that has characteristics of both a clinic and retreat.
Why is it so different and unique? Aside from the high standards and novel approach of mental health care, it also offers medical support from top-notch professionals. This means that during your treatment and also during your stay, you will be under the supervision and care of medical professionals who will identify potential risks and guide you throughout your journey. At the same time, our programmes on the site last a few weeks and include various sessions and practices that allow our guests to achieve a firm and lasting result of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. This type of programmes and approach generally meets the retreat criteria.
Our center is located on the sister island of Malta (member of the European Union), called Gozo. Enjoy the view of the sea and the picturesque Maltese surroundings.
Our clinical work is based on the principles of evidence-based medicine; we are a registered, fully licensed and certified clinic. HIVE BIO Malta has an experienced team of professionals including clinicians, psychotherapists, nurses and wellness specialists.
We strictly adhere to research, clinical trial results, protocols, and guidelines to perform certain psychedelic treatments in our practice. At the moment we use Ketamine as it is a drug approved by EMA. As soon as the FDA/EMA approves other psychedelics (and we are deeply confident that this will happen soon), we will use them as well.
At HIVE BIO Malta we treat depression, including treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders spectrum, post-traumatic stress disorder, work burnout, post COVID-19 exhaustion, substance abuse disorders and behavioral addictions.
HIVE BIO Malta ensures the highest level of privacy and confidentiality in your treatment. We do not share your personal information with any other parties without your explicit consent. All personal data is stored according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance.
Programmes are tailored to each individual and therefore depend on your physical condition, the extent of your psychological problems and the dynamics of your personal recovery. However, your stay with us will last one to two weeks, in addition to a total of 4-6 weeks of online preparation and aftercare consultations.
Your safety is paramount in our treatment. If some psychiatric or medical parameters are not met, we will temporarily hold your claim while we assist you in processing your case. This way you can benefit from the full treatment plan in the future.
No, you do not need to be referred to participate in our treatment. However, before you are approved for treatment, you must have a psychiatric evaluation and complete a medical questionnaire.
During the reservation of your stay we will contact you and make sure that we know your preferred diet and will take it into account during your stay.
Once you arrive at HIVE BIO Malta and begin your healing journey, you should not leave the facility. However, you are welcome to explore the island after completing your programme.
Yes, it is possible. You can contact our executives at [email protected] to discuss this option.
Our team consists of licensed and highly qualified psychotherapists, physicians and nurses. Our lead physician, lead psychotherapist, and nurse practitioner have extensive experience working with ketamine.
Yes, all our guests will receive round-the-clock medical care, as medically trained staff will always be present in the facility.
HIVE BIO Malta offers 1-week or 2-week programmes. Your daily routine will depend on which programme you choose. Generally, you will receive ketamine sessions (about two per week), integration in the form of psychotherapy that comes after the sessions, additional courses aimed at returning you to a harmonious and peaceful state of mind, such as yoga, hand lettering, Tibetan breathing, music therapy and many others. You also have access to the swimming pool and jacuzzis.
The environment is very close to our hearts. Many of our employees are vegetarians or vegans, but we are also very strict about waste separation and recycling. We also use solar batteries . We know that inner love for oneself begins with love for others and for our planet, which is our home.
Our retreat is different in that it is fully supervised by both medical staff and physicians and licensed. Using ketamine alone may not have a purely antidepressant effect on anyone. However, when you use it in combination with integrated psychotherapy and various activities to restore your mental well-being, it’s a completely different approach that leads to completely different results. We are also the first medically approved clinic for mental health problems and their treatment with psychedelics in Europe.
Yes, your loved ones can come to support you and stay in one of HIVE BIO Malta partner hotels in Gozo.
The programmes are tailored to each individual and therefore depend on your physical condition, the extent of your psychological problems and the dynamics of your personal recovery. However, your stay with us will last one to two weeks, in addition to a total of 4-6 weeks of online preparation and aftercare consultations.
Yes. All of our clinics are equipped with high-speed Internet.
However, we advise our guests to live in a state of digital detox and focus on their personal well-being and recovery. In any case, we are always available if the relatives and close ones of our guests wish to inquire about the progress and experience.
1 week programme: 10 000 EUR;
If you have booked your stay and wish to cancel it, our refund policy works as follows.
Cancellation before the first session of online preparation
If cancellation happens over one month (31 calendar days) before the first session of online preparation, you may receive a 100% refund. Any cancellation happening after that and before the first session will get you a 20% refund.
However, if cancellation is due to any illness that physically disables you to attend or to force majeure which you can prove, you will be offered the possibility to rebook another stay. This is possible only once.
In case you don’t accept this possibility, you will be refunded 20% of your payment.
Cancellation after the start of online preparation session
If cancellation happens after you have started online preparation, you are not eligible for any refund.
However, if that cancellation is due to any illness that physically disables you to attend or to force majeure which you can prove, you will be offered the possibility to rebook another stay. This is possible only once.
In case you don’t accept this possibility, you are not eligible for any refund.
Unfortunately, we do not currently have an installment programme, but we may add that option soon.
If you have a valid reason to postpone your reservation, e.g. due to family problems or illness, which you can prove with documents, you can postpone your reservation dates. However, this is possible only once.
The cost of your airline tickets is not included in the total cost of the programme. However, once you arrive in Malta on the booked date, we will arrange for you to meet at the airport.
It is desirable that you are vaccinated against COVID -19, but not mandatory. We will ask you to have a PCR test done 3 days before your trip. You will also be tested with the express antigen test upon arrival.
If you get a positive PCR test for COVID -19, we will need to postpone and reschedule your stay. This will be free of charge.
At HIVE BIO, we pride ourselves in offering more than just Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. We understand how important it is for the therapy to be efficient that you get individualised preparation and integration, before coming to the retreat, during your stay with us and when you go back to your daily life.
That is why we offer a complete experience that starts with online sessions prior to your arrival, where you get personalised attention and medical care. We listen to your needs and make sure you get all the benefits from your treatment with us.
That is also why we include holistic practices that will not only make your body and mind aligned with the therapy you receive, but also help you to develop and maintain new healthy habits to take back home.
We only welcome 4 guests at a time so we can offer highly-tailored care to every single person who attends our programmes.
All our team members, both medical specialists and ancillary practitioners are trained, qualified and experienced in their own disciplines. They have also all undergone specific training regarding Ketamine therapy and got administered Ketamine themselves. This way, you are sure they understand your process and are of utmost support to you for everything you need all along your experience.
We have carefully selected activities that best support your mind and body in making the most of your retreat with us. Nonetheless, we pride ourselves in offering a highly-tailored experience to every one of our guests: this means that you are always free to attend any complimentary activities or not and to spend your time however you find most supportive for yourself.
Absolutely! The yoga and meditation sessions we offer are adapted to support the core part of the treatment you receive. Our experienced practitioners are used to welcoming people from all walks of life to their sessions and to make both the beginner and seasoned guest get all the benefits of the practice.
Also keep in mind that you are not coming to this retreat to perform in any way, nor are you expected to know anything about these practices or any other before.
Of course! Like with any of the activities we offer at HIVE BIO, you don’t need any specific skill or prior knowledge to participate in these sessions and are very welcome to participate as a beginner. Remember that you are not here to make art for the sake of art. You are rather offered an opportunity to connect to parts of yourself from a different angle through an art practice which serves only as a medium. No one is here to look at or assess your particular style or skills.
There has never been any reported incident in the scientific literature relating to the practice of breathwork. We are offering this activity in a safe environment, guided by a trained and experienced practitioner who is here to support you. The sessions are given in a very small group to give you the individual attention you need. Keep in mind that breathing is a natural process of the body and that you are always able to stop if your body tells you that you should.
The medical assessment we provide before the retreat reveals if there’s any particular contraindication for you to do breathwork.
Exposure to cold is used to treat mood disorders and anxiety. Indeed, when the body is exposed to extremely low temperatures it goes into a state of shock and, consequently, releases adrenaline, noradrenaline, and endorphins. The first two might be stress hormones, but when released in short periods of time, they are proven to be raising the mood. We just don’t want heightened levels of stress hormones for longer periods of time, just as we don’t want heightened levels of dopamine for prolonged periods of time. Endorphins simply make us feel good!
Equine assisted therapy, or horse therapy, has its roots in antiquity. There are different forms of equine assisted therapy—ranging from caring for horses, to riding them so as to improve physical abilities.
The Eagala Model is a unique approach to equine assisted psychotherapy and learning. A team approach is used where a licensed, credentialed mental health professional, a qualified equine specialist, and horses work together with the client in an arena. No riding is performed—instead the horses interact with the clients as they analyse various situations they are dealing with.
Ketamine is the basis for the development of numerous FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-approved antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. Once ketamine crosses the blood-brain barrier, it interacts with receptors as an antagonist, relieving distressing symptoms in the body. Today, ketamine is making significant progress as a promising treatment option for pain syndromes, major depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction problems and other disorders that are the leading cause of mental health problems worldwide.
Ketamine has been used clinically as a general anaesthetic since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved intravenous and intramuscular ketamine hydrochloride in 1970. On March 6, 2019, the FDA approved ketamine for the treatment of depression. This is the first new drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of major depression in decades.
Hive clinics have ketamine treatment protocols for pain syndrome and mood conditions such as depression, anxiety disorder, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), addictions, Bipolar etc. We should note that HIVE does not treat every condition that ketamine can help with.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is performed at lower doses of ketamine than those that have been used in anaesthesia for decades. Ketamine is known to have excellent safety records – unlike other anaesthetics, it does not suppress breathing and blood pressure and is well tolerated by patients.
Ketamine for ketamine-assisted therapy is used in lower doses than general anaesthesia, so side effects are rare. However, sometimes short-term side effects may occur, these include mainly: nausea and vomiting, and increased heart rate and blood pressure.
There is no evidence that ketamine experience leads to addiction.
However, as with any medication, there is potential for abuse and harm if not taken safely and without medical supervision.
A full cycle of KAP normally lasts around 3 hours.
The therapist and physician accompany the client throughout their journey. At the start of the session, we clarify the intention for the session, and work with breathing, meditation, and invocation to reach a relaxed and contemplative state of being. Music is a key component of the KAP journey.
Ketamine experiences are unique and every client experiences their journeys very differently as the medicine has effect, the client may experience being out-of-body, and out of bounded time and space. Experiences can range from deep, complete scenes to scattered abstract experiences.
KAP is an opportunity to take refuge from the ordinary mind, often bringing relief from characteristic worries and anxieties, and gives rise to a sense of connection and deep essence experiences and the possibility of healing and authenticity. This experience has also been described as “euphoric,” “soothing,” or “mystical”.
Integrative psychotherapy follows where the therapist and the client explore the KAP experience, start to distil the key insights and learnings, and to ground these in the physical body. This process of integration will continue over the days and weeks following the KAP session.
Some journeys can be challenging for patients, especially if difficult experiences or emotions surface. At the same time, with the right preparation and ongoing support and integration, the challenging experiences can be the most valuable ones and can lead to life-changing transformations.
We at the Hive give a lot of importance to preparation prior to the KAP sessions, to the development of an individualised program, and to integration. We know that the more prepared, safe, and supported the client feels, the less likely he/she is to be overwhelmed by the experience.
The therapist and the physician are with the patient throughout the KAP session to guide, reassure, and when necessary, to intervene or make adjustments to maximise the patient’s experience of safety, and to optimise the healing potential of the journey.
The degree of preparation seriously influences the kind of experience the client has, as do the setting and conditions in which the KAP session is held.
With our retreats, the preparation for the KAP starts at home, via online sessions, questionnaires and communications. These give us a better understanding of the interests, hopes, challenges, stressors, inner resources, and the multiple factors leading an individual to choose to work with ketamine. The client starts to clarify their intention for the KAP sessions, and the team is able to design a program that truly meets their needs and innate preferences.
We will talk about the medicine, how it works, what the experience can be like. It is of utmost importance to us that the client trusts the KAP process and our team.
Once the client joins us at the Hive Retreat, every aspect of the retreat, from venue, to location, to food, to activities and practices are designed to prepare the client for the sessions, in a way that takes individual differences into account.
Just before the session we will clarify your intention for the work and do a brief meditation practice to support you to get to the right mind-set and calm that allows the healing of the KAP sessions to unfold.
Integration is critical, especially in the hours and days immediately after the KAP session and the weeks and months following the session. The KAP initiates a healing process that, with the right integration, can lead to forging new neural pathways, habits, ways of thinking and being with oneself and in relation to others. Integration is essential to apply these benefits to everyday life.
During the session and immediately after, the therapy helps in the process of making meaning and embodying the insights gained from the session. In the days following the KAP, the therapist and the team are there to support the patient in the process of consolidating the learning through integration sessions and through reflective methods and self-care practices.
With the support of the team, we develop an action plan to support the transition back to daily life, and we continue to follow up and support this process via online sessions, after the client has left the retreat.
The answer is “yes.” It is safe in the normal dose range; it does not suppress the cardiovascular system or respiration. When taken in the proper dosage and under the supervision of a medical specialist and psychiatrist, the rate of some dangerous events is extremely low.
In certain doses, ketamine may increase your blood pressure. Therefore, it is not recommended for people with treatment-resistant hypertension and vascular and blood clotting system problems, such as coronary artery disease, aortic and intracranial aneurysms, and clotting factor deficiencies, because of the risk of bleeding. It should also be used with caution in patients with chronic kidney and hepatic insufficiency, as they cannot properly excrete the drug. Psychiatric conditions include previous psychosis and schizophrenia, as well as a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In general, ketamine is safe for patients who do not have severe chronic illnesses and who are not pregnant.
To prepare for ketamine treatment, you should abstain from alcohol and recreational drug use for at least two weeks prior to treatment. You should also gradually taper off your antidepressant treatment under the supervision of your psychiatrist. Once you have enrolled in HIVE BIO you will also have a few sessions with our psychologist and therapist who will provide you with individualized recommendations for ketamine treatment.
While you are taking ketamine treatment, you will be ACCOMPANIED and supervised by our psychotherapist as well as the doctor or nurse.
This is absolutely not required. OUR TEAM WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ADEQUATELY PREPARED FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND THAT YOU FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO OPTIMIZE YOUR JOURNEY WITH THE MEDICINE.
If you do not wish to take advantage of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, you can always explore the other healing and relaxation activities offered at HIVE BIO.
We are the first medically accredited health center with the characteristics of a retreat center that also uses ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in Europe. We will expand the range of psychedelic drugs we use to help our patients over time, but have decided to start with ketamine because it is better researched from a medical and scientific perspective. Ketamine has been used to induce anesthesia since the middle of the last century, so its properties are well known and understood.
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