Healing Hearts
and Minds
The Journey Clinic is run by leaders in the field of psychedelic and breathwork-assisted therapies. We are the world's first residential mental-health clinic, combining the humanism and community of a retreat setting, with gold standard medical and psychiatric care.
Located in the heart of Melbourne, our accredited facility represents a paradigm shift in psychiatric care. A humanistic and psychodynamic lens ensures we aim to heal people rather than treat psychiatric disorders. Progress is measured by integration rather than symptom control. Our expert clinical team is committed to their own self-development, and we always strive to see a shared humanity with those seeking help.
Our minimum 2-week residential program is based in humanistic depth psychology, and utilises altered state experiences and community to create a therapeutic Journey.
The program we have created is founded on the following principles: that to heal, we must connect to ourselves and others. We must turn and face our difficulties rather than avoid them. The goal is integration, to incorporate all aspects of ourselves.
The program will include intensive and regular individual therapy, group therapy, in addition to regular meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and somatic-based therapies. We will utilise art, music, and other expressive and imaginative modalities. Altered-state experiences will allow for exploration of new and challenging parts of ourselves.
The program is designed to be intensive, individualistic, community-based, and holistic. The residential setting and experienced therapists and doctors will allow for a safe container to hold the space for whatever difficulties and joy that may arise.
Our program has been created for humans seeking healing, including those with psychiatric disorders and those of us with chronic suffering.
We are open to assessing all people who are considering the Journey residential program, with a few exceptions. Current Australian guidelines do not permit psychedelic-assisted therapies for people who have psychotic-illnesses, such as schizophrenia and related conditions, people in active addiction and those with Bipolar Type 1.
Perhaps most importantly, The Journey Clinic offers a path toward integration which is not always a straightforward one. Facing one's pain rather than controlling it takes courage and humility, and a willingness to engage in the process.
We created this clinic to offer hope to those searching for a Journey of wisdom, connection, integration and healing. For many, ever-increasing numbers of psychiatric diagnoses, medications, brain scans, or the long-term control of symptoms either does not resonate or does not work.
The rescheduling of psychedelic-medicines in Australia offers a powerful opportunity to reshape our mental-health paradigms, to place the human back into the heart of psychiatry.
At the foundation of our treatment approach lies a profound understanding that humans are inherently complex, and suffer through disconnection - from ourselves, our experiences, and the world. Our program's essence is integration; reuniting the separated aspects of self through therapies that bridge mind, body, and spirit. This is facilitated by creating a safe container for our residents, where the experience of an altered state of consciousness forms the heart of our comprehensive and holistic therapeutic program.
The Journeys will occur in historic St. Kilda, in the heart of Melbourne. Our heritage-listed clinic began with a determined and gifted architect, and has evolved from a hospice for war veterans to an innovative and humanistic mental health centre. Australia, being the first country to reschedule psychedelic medicines, forms the ground upon which the clinic is built, on lands once inhabited by the Boonwurrung of the Kulin nation.
The Journey will begin assessments in June 2025 and open its residential program in August 2025.
Our Leadership Team
MBBS MPM FRANZCP CERT. OLD AGE PSYCH. AFRACMA
Dr. Eli Kotler has been on the forefront of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) both in Australia and internationally. He is the Australian Director of the Certificate of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (CPAT), run by Mind Medicine Australia. In 2021 he challenged the Victorian government in court to allow a patient to access PAT, and was the first psychiatrist in Australia to treat a patient with PAT.
Dr. Kotler is also an experienced psychodynamic therapist. He was the Medical Director of Malvern Private Hospital for many years, a trauma and addiction hospital in Melbourne. He has been invited as a keynote speaker on PAT, trauma and addiction, both internationally and nationally, for leading organisations such as the RANZCP and the IPA. Eli has also been an advisor for the Australian government for reviewing addiction guidelines, and has had extensive research experience in novel neuropsychiatric therapies.
Dr. Kotler has been involved with medical student teaching, psychiatric registrar training, and teaching other psychiatrists about PAT and trauma. He is a preferred provider for the AFL players association, has been an expert witness in over 100 historical abuse legal cases, and served on the Victorian Medical Panels for several years.
Dr. Kotler is really excited about The Journey clinic, particularly the opportunity to combine a humanistic lens with with altered state experiences, to help people understand themselves and work through their suffering.
Dr. Lauren Macdonald is a psychiatry doctor, psychedelic therapy guide and group facilitator dedicated to bridging science and spirituality in service of whole-person healing and flourishing. She integrates Western medicine, psychotherapy, and traditional healing approaches to support individuals in reconnecting with themselves, others, and the natural world.
As a clinical trial doctor and psychedelic therapist at The Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, Lauren contributed to pioneering studies exploring psilocybin-assisted therapy for anorexia nervosa and fibromyalgia, and DMT for treatment-resistant depression. Alongside her clinical work, she facilitates group retreats and leads experiential training to advance the safe and ethical practice of psychedelic-assisted therapy. She is particularly passionate about the transformative power of the group model, recognising the depth of relational healing that can unfold within a supportive container and an ongoing community of care.
With a background in psychology and medicine, Lauren has trained in holistic and somatic modalities, including mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), yoga, Compassionate Inquiry, and the MAPS MDMA-assisted therapy training. Her work is further informed by Earth-based wisdom traditions, blending scientific rigor with the wisdom of traditional healing practices.
Dr. Arthur Hokin is a highly experienced psychiatrist with 35+ years of practice across both international and Australian settings. Born in 1959, he received his initial medical education at the Riga Institute of Medicine (1977-1985), followed by specialized training in psychiatry and advanced qualifications in Latvia before relocating to Australia.
Dr. Hokin is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (elected 1998) and has served in various consultant psychiatrist roles across multiple healthcare facilities in Victoria, including Dandenong Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, and specialized psychiatric units.
Throughout his career, Dr. Hokin has worked extensively with patients suffering from treatment-resistant conditions, personality disorders, anxiety, and depression. Since 1998, he has maintained a private practice at Delmont Private Psychiatric Hospital in Glen Iris, Victoria.
Recently, Dr. Hokin completed a certificate program in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy through Mind Medicine Australia (Cohort II, 2021). This experience has profoundly influenced his professional outlook, leading him to explore innovative approaches to mental healthcare. His participation in intensive breathwork sessions and integrated psychedelic Acceptance and Commitment therapy(ACT) training has deepened his understanding of altered states of consciousness and their therapeutic potential.
Dr. Hokin envisions a paradigm shift in psychiatry that moves beyond symptom management toward more holistic approaches that integrate biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of mental health. He has begun applying some of these techniques with patients and sees remarkable potential in these approaches.