The seven-week programme
Seven weeks of ketamine-assisted therapy, with one week in Malta
The medicine and the therapy together. One team prepares you, is with you on the island and keeps working with you once you are home.
How the seven weeks go
Weeks 1-3 · Before you fly
Three online sessions with your therapist. You talk through what you want from the week, your routines and how the sessions work. In between you practise ways to stay calm and grounded: mindfulness, relaxation, quiet walks, gentle body work.
Week 4 · In Malta
A week in the house with up to three other guests. A doctor assesses you when you arrive and decides how many ketamine sessions you have. Between sessions you have therapy one to one and integration sessions with the other guests.
Weeks 5-7 · Back home
You leave with your integration plan in writing. Three online sessions with your therapist help you carry what changed into everyday life, through writing, creative work, movement and longer walks.
The week in Malta
- 01
Arrival
We meet you at the airport and take you to the house, about ninety minutes door to door with the ferry. A doctor assesses you before anything else is planned. How many sessions you have, and on which days, is decided there.
- 02
Session days
A session runs for several hours, with a doctor and a nurse beside you throughout. Ketamine is usually given as an injection into a muscle, and the doctors can choose another form at your assessment. The music is chosen with you. Nothing else is planned that day, and the hours after are for rest.
- 03
Between sessions
The days after each session are when the team works with you most closely. Therapy one to one, integration with the other guests, and yoga, breathwork, massage, the sound bath dome and walks if you want them. None of it is required.
- 04
The last day
A closing session and your integration plan in writing: what you noticed, the habits and practices that suit you, and advice on sleep, food and routine.
Why a week away
The days after a session
Laboratory research suggests the brain forms new connections more easily for a few days after a dose (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025). You spend those days with the team on the island, not back at work under the same pressures.
One team throughout
Preparation, sessions, therapy and integration with the same people, plus your room and meals.
Doctors decide first
Whether the programme suits you is decided by our doctors at the assessment, before you pay for the programme.
The house on the island
Traditional Maltese stone in San Lawrenz, with room for four guests and the clinical team. Meals are cooked on site by a dedicated chef.
- Five bedrooms, each with its own bathroom
- Open courtyard and a living room with a fireplace
- Dining room with a private kitchen and a dedicated chef
- Swimming pool and an outdoor area facing the sunset
- Hot jacuzzis, an ice bath and a sound bath dome
- Olive garden and a bonfire zone
Who you will meet
The doctors who assess you and give the infusions, and the psychotherapist who leads the programmes.
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Medical lead
Licensed and practising anaesthetist and intensive care specialist. Hospital experience in Malta and the United Kingdom. Teaches cardiopulmonary resuscitation.View profile
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Lead psychiatrist
Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, thirty-five years in psychiatry. Trained and worked in the UK, then Consultant Psychiatrist at Mount Carmel hospital for ten years. Former Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Malta and past member of the Medical Council.View profile
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Audra Micallef
Chief psychotherapist
Warranted psychotherapist, twenty years in practice. Leads therapeutic groups and retreats, and supervises other therapists.
What the programme includes
Included
- The treatment, with a doctor and a nurse at every session
- Your own room in the house, and meals cooked by a chef three times a day
- Preparation and integration with the same team
- The activities in the house
Not included
- Flights. We meet you at the airport and arrange the transfer.
During the programme
- No alcohol, and no recreational drugs from the start of preparation to the end of integration.
- Your phone stays with you. We ask you to keep it away during sessions and the morning after.
Questions about the programme
How long am I away from home?
One week. The preparation and the integration happen online, from home.
Who else is in the house?
Up to four guests at a time, each in their own room. If you want the house to yourself, see the private retreat.
Can someone come with me?
A partner or relative can come to Malta and stay nearby. They can’t stay in the house during treatment.
Is someone there at night?
Yes. Someone from our team is always in the house, with emergency contacts to hand, and a nurse stays overnight whenever the doctor wants one.
What do I do on days without a session?
Rest, the activities in the house, a walk to Dwejra, a swim in the sea or a trip to Victoria. Meals are cooked on site for the diet you tell us about beforehand.
Can I keep taking my antidepressants?
Often yes, and it depends on which medication and at what dose. This is one of the first things the psychiatrist checks. Don’t stop anything before you speak to us.
What does it cost?
Alex gives you the exact figure on the call.
Four guests in the house at a time, never more. More about the island and the house
What you can verify about us
Everything here can be checked without asking us. If something you need is missing, say so on the call and we’ll send it.