CLINICAL EXCELLENCE SET IN PARADISE
Imagine a place created just for you and your well-being. Located on an exotic island, luxury and privacy to your specifications, and cared for by a team of world-class compassionate practitioners.
Your accommodation is a private 5-star villa set in large grounds complete with pool, discreet domestic staff, security and personal chef.
This place is Istana.
Our unique combination of progressive psychotherapy and leading-edge medicine with healthy living and evidence-based Eastern practices work in harmony for a profound personal transformation, giving hope where previously there may have been none.
Istana is a unique treatment centre created for clients with real-world responsibilities and reputations to protect; people who can’t enter a public environment for recovery or simply feel they would not thrive in a group therapy setting.
Our clients are individuals, families, and organisations from around the world who require the highest calibre staff and the most effective treatment conducted in an environment of privacy, discretion, and comfort.
Over the years we have treated many high-profile clients from all walks of life. None have ever even been identified as clients of Istana or even been noted as entering treatment.
We opened our first facility in Bali in 2018 and since then have added Ibiza and Barbados to better serve our global clientele.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
An Elite Team at Your Service
Our teams in each location consist of best-in-class practitioners from a broad range of healthcare, therapeutic and bodywork disciplines.
Treating teams are curated specifically for their skills and experience in the rapid and effective resolution of each client’s presenting issues and their unique therapeutic requirements.
All Istana practitioners are qualified and certified to the highest levels of international accreditation and are leading professionals in their fields.
They are highly experienced, non-judgemental and, above all, compassionate.
Chiara’s role is to ensure that your needs are met clinically, therapeutically and personally. She is your prime point of contact for anything you may need.
Educated in Switzerland and having worked across diverse international settings, Chiara is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and person-centred care. In other words she will run your treatment team with flawless efficiency and work with you with compassion and empathy.
Chiara creates a safe, compassionate and luxurious experience for our clients where nothing is left wanting whilst ensuring that your treatment process and outcome are effective and lasting.
Chiara is fluent in German and English, with conversational knowledge of French, qualified with Masters and Bachelors degrees in clinical mental health, special needs and certified in psychotherapy.
Chiara is the embodiment of all that is Istana – the rare ability to integrate clinical excellence with The Human Touch.
Dr. Jeremy Alford is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society, Member of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy and the Member of The British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis.
Jeremy is a qualified clinical hypnotherapist and neurofeedback/biofeedback therapist and is the Founder and President of the Middle East Eating Disorders Association www.meeda.me a non-profit organisation.
Jeremy adopts an integrative cognitive behavioural therapy approach in addition to mindfulness practices. This combination and Jeremy’s progressive attitude offer the best results in the overall psychological intervention of mental health therapy treatment.
From her Harley Street practice, Lila Ramsahai is the main point of contact for Istana’s UK-based clients providing on-the-ground psychotherapeutic support and smoothing the path for admission to one of our locations in Barbados, Bali or Ibiza.
Lila comes with a wealth of experience personally and professionally as an Intercultural Psychotherapist, Wellbeing Life Coach and Family therapist. Lila is a registered member of the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) and an accredited Holistic or Wellbeing Life Coach and feels honoured to help others in their personal growth and well-being, which she views as her true calling.
The last couple of decades of her life has resulted in the life path of understanding the human psyche, existential freedom, anxiety, purpose, and happiness. A true seeker of ‘the meaning of life’ or Truth, she prides herself on never giving up on living an authentic and balanced life.
Lila maintains an integrative approach in her therapeutic work, which allows her to use various techniques/modalities to help each individual with their own specific needs. Her conviction that we are all unique beings looking for unique solutions, especially for our health and well-being, is evident in her work. Lila’s therapeutic work includes the latest findings on ‘mindfulness’, ‘trauma’ and ‘living in the here and now’. Her hybrid therapy approach that combines the core principles of psychotherapy, life coaching and mindfulness is very successful and received very well by current clients.
Juggling a 20 year career in international media communications with addiction to a smorgasbord of substances, Ian is well placed to understand the challenges faced by many of our clients.
On his road to recovery Ian tried everywhere from the lowliest of public rehabs to the most upmarket luxury clinics.
On this journey it became obvious, regardless of the audience, all these facilities were using the same methodology and presenting identical educational material some of which dated back to the 50’s.
It also emerged that due to the structure of group facilities where business decisions often trumped therapeutic requirements there was no room to address and resolve an individual’s unique needs for recovery. A 20 year old coming off heroin would be in the same group and receiving the same treatment as a 65 year old CEO battling with alcoholism desperately trying to preserve his legacy.
Ian created Istana as a sanctuary where every client’s unique personal and therapeutic needs were met. Istana’s clients feel understood, held and nurtured by a team who genuinely cares for their wellbeing and are prepared to do absolutely anything to restore each client to health and happiness.
Ian’s philosophy can be summed up from an extract of an article in The Sunday Times Luxx Magazine “We save lives. Most clients come for just a month, but the transformation brought about by Istana’s one-to-one holistic practice is extraordinary. It is a privilege to provide this completely customised service and watch the magic happen”.
“Hi, I’m Agathe, I lead the wellbeing practices team at Istana. I love life and want to help others feel the same way! My mission is for everyone to unearth their inner luminosity and spread joy and love so that we may all vibrate higher.
I have been fortunate enough to learn from beautiful bright souls in the world of yoga, meditation, breathwork, Buddhist dharma, self-love, and inner child healing and have studied in California, Texas, New York, Mysore, Dharamshala, and Bali. My passion is to now share these many treasures and sacred practices with others.
It brings me great joy to connect, listen, hold space, and guide our clients to become their own teacher and healer – for them to see themselves, love what they see, and recognise their power.
I am curious and playful; love to travel, jump in the waves, and frolic on the beach. I am passionate about environmental conservation, particularly the ocean and our colourful friends that call it home.”
Dr Reverger is acknowledged to be one of Bali’s leading and most progressive psychiatrists and Istana Bali is honoured to have her on our team.
With practices in several international facilities, including Siloam Hospital Bali, Dr Joy Reverger is immensely qualified in the fields of medicine, mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Dr Joy Reverger oversees all of Istana Bali’s client medical care, medical supervision protocols and ensures that our clients have the highest possible medical and psychiatric care at all times.
Dr Marja van Engelen heads our clinical and nursing team in Europe. She is a graduate of the University of Utrecht with over 40 years of experience in international clinical operations.
Dr Marja’s experience ranges from general practice to internal medicine (Amstelveen Medical Hospital), occupational medicine (KLM, royal Dutch airlines) and she specialises in the latest practices of integrated medicine.
Dr Majeks leads the Istana medical team in Barbados. Specialising in emergency medicine and substance abuse and withdrawal, Dr Majeks and his team are well-versed in treating VIP patients away from the confines of a traditional medical practice allowing delivery of a fully featured hospital/clinic within a client’s villa.
Dr Majeks is the doctor of choice for VIP and high-profile clients visiting, or residing in, Barbados. He and his team are absolutely discreet and bring the expertise, compassion and experience to help our clients through even the most difficult situations.
Dr Majeks was born in the UK and is of Nigerian and Bajan descent. He earned his medical degree from the University of the West Indies in 2003 and has worked in Emergency Medicine, Surgery and Family Medicine in Barbados and the UK. Dr Majeks holds a doctorate in Emergency Medicine.
Dr Majeks has co-founded two medical practices the most recent of which is Urgent Care Mobile in 2016. Dr Majeks maintains a very active lifestyle balancing the responsibilities of working for Istana, running two busy medical practices, a family consisting of a wife and a young child and social activities such as participating in charitable initiatives around the island.
