Transformational Psilocybin Retreats for Visionaries, Entrepreneurs and Leaders

Welcome to Ascend

Designed for visionaries, entrepreneurs, and leaders, our retreats blend ancient wisdom with modern practices to support deep personal and professional transformation. Guided by purpose, we create a space for you to reconnect with your inner self, unlock new levels of clarity and creativity, and align with your highest potential. Step into an experience that empowers you to lead with authenticity, vision, and impact—from the inside out.

Join us for our next Retreat on 30th Jan - 3rd Feb, 2025, Marbella, Spain

About Us

Our mission is to be your trusted guide to access higher states of consciousness, empowering you to enhance your health, deepen relationships, and lead your businesses with clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Our vision is a world where leaders create thriving organisations, meaningful connections, and sustainable impact by embodying their best selves.

Our retreats help leaders move “towards wholeness.” This process fosters profound personal transformation, allowing you to heal stress and burnout, strengthen your relationships through greater empathy, and gain clarity to make aligned, impactful decisions in your life and business.

Disclaimer: We are purely facilitators of deeply therapeutic experiences and do not provide any medicinal substances.

Are you ready?

Imagine stepping away from the hustle of daily life and into a sanctuary of transformation—where clarity, creativity, and purpose come alive. This luxury retreat is designed for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and digital nomads ready to unlock their potential and align their lives with their highest vision.

Set in the tranquil beauty of the Casares mountains, our retreat combines expertly guided psilocybin ceremonies with transformational breathwork, hypnotherapy, and sound healing. Each experience is crafted to help you overcome barriers, deepen your connections, and enhance decision-making for your personal and professional life.

Surrounded by serene gardens, breathtaking views of Gibraltar, and luxurious comforts, you’ll find the perfect space to reflect, recharge, and connect with like-minded individuals. Indulge in gourmet plant-based cuisine, relax in our heated saltwater pool and sauna, and enjoy peaceful moments of self-contemplation in nature.

With skilled facilitators ensuring your safety and supporting your journey, this retreat is more than an escape—it’s an invitation to transform your health, relationships, and business. Step into a deeper connection with yourself and emerge ready to lead with clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Your next chapter starts here. Join us for a life-changing experience.

About Our Retreat

At Ascend's Psilocybin Retreat, we offer a uniquely tailored experience for entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders seeking clarity, transformation, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Our retreat combines the conscious use of psilocybin with evidence-based practices to guide you on a profound journey of self-discovery and growth.

Our lives often come with immense pressure, constant decision-making, and the need to balance vision with execution. This retreat provides a safe, nurturing space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with your inner self, helping you unlock new levels of creativity, insight, and emotional resilience.

We work exclusively with small groups to ensure an intimate and personalised approach. Our focus is on creating an environment where you can relax deeply, process challenges, and gain clarity on your path forward.

In addition to psilocybin journeys, we incorporate powerful practices to support your transformation, including:

• Transformational Breathwork for aligning mind, body, and emotions

• Guided Hypnotherapy & Meditation to cultivate focus and calm

• Transformational Coaching tailored to your leadership journey

• Group Integration Sessions for shared insights and reflection

• Physical Practices such as Yoga, Qi Gong and Massage to align your physical and mental states

Through these modalities, you will explore what holds you back, release outdated patterns, and gain the tools to move forward with renewed energy and focus. Our intention is to provide a sacred space for deep introspection, personal evolution, and leadership transformation.

Our experienced team brings expertise in psychedelic-assisted therapies, coaching, and holistic healing, ensuring your journey is guided with care, professionalism and safety.

Why People Choose This Retreat:

• Gain clarity on your vision and purpose

• Unblock creative thinking for innovative solutions

• Cultivate emotional resilience to navigate challenges

• Release the mental and emotional barriers that limit growth

• Reconnect with your authentic self to lead with greater integrity and impact

Participants consistently report transformative results: renewed perspectives, breakthroughs in personal and professional challenges, and a deep sense of balance and alignment. Leaders leave with a heightened ability to make decisions, foster meaningful connections, and inspire those around them.

If you’re an entrepreneur or leader looking to overcome barriers, enhance your vision, and lead with greater purpose, this retreat offers a life-changing opportunity. Step into a space where innovation meets introspection, and unlock your full potential as the impactful leader you are meant to be.

The Benefits

• Gain clarity and insight through guided psilocybin ceremonies for personal and professional growth.

• Access deeper states of healing and resilience with two transformational breathwork sessions.

• Enhance creativity, productivity, and decision-making with two guided hypnotherapy journeys.

• Align breakthroughs to real-world goals through two group coaching and integration sessions.

• Experience deep relaxation and emotional release with two live sound healing journeys.

• Restore your energy and focus with four nights of peaceful, luxurious accommodation.

• Nourish your body and mind with gourmet plant-based cuisine.

• Recharge in a serene setting with a heated saltwater pool and sauna.

• Connect to yourself and nature with tranquil gardens and breathtaking views of Gibraltar.

• Build meaningful relationships with like-minded leaders in a supportive environment.

• Therapeutic massage to relax and recharge (on request)

What’s Included

  • Expertly guided psilocybin ceremonies to create a safe space to explore inner transformation and gain profound insights.

  • Two immersive breathwork experiences inspired by holotropic principles, designed to access deeper states of consciousness, foster emotional healing, and build resilience.

  • Two focused hypnotherapy sessions aimed at enhancing productivity, unlocking creativity, and supporting better decision-making in life, business, and relationships.

  • In-depth group coaching sessions to connect personal breakthroughs with professional goals for lasting transformation in health, relationships, and business.

  • Rejuvenating and restorative yoga sessions for all levels, designed to nurture deeper physical and emotional well-being.

  • Mindfulness-based walks in nature to connect and reflect.

  • Two live sound healing sessions with professional musicians, using therapeutic sounds to deepen relaxation, connection, and emotional release.

  • Thoughtfully prepared plant-based meals designed to nourish your body, support mental clarity, and enhance your overall retreat experience.

  • Enjoy a tranquil stay in a serene environment, designed to provide comfort and relaxation throughout your journey.

Venue

Villa Esencia is the perfect setting for this transformational retreat, combining luxury, privacy, and connection to nature. Nestled in the tranquil Casares mountains, near Marbella, Spain, it offers a serene environment for leaders to explore inner growth.

Surrounded by rosemary, pine trees, and cork oaks, with stunning views of Gibraltar, the villa enhances reflection and connection. With beautiful en-suite bedrooms, a heated pool, a sauna, and a fully equipped yoga room, it’s ideal for ceremonies and going deeper.

The Team

Dev Das

  • Are you ready to unlock deeper clarity, creativity, and purpose in both your personal and professional life?

    Dev, a psychologist, trained hypnotherapist, entrepreneur, and author of two leadership books, specializes in guiding business leaders like you through transformative plant medicine experiences that inspire breakthrough insights and lasting growth.

    With advanced training in Grof Psychedelic Therapy, Dev brings cutting-edge techniques and insights to the facilitation of psilocybin journeys. This rigorous program focuses on the safe and ethical use of holotropic states of consciousness—a journey towards wholeness—for healing and transformation. Dev’s approach is grounded in evidence-based psychological practices and tailored to meet the unique needs of entrepreneurs and high-performing professionals.

    Having walked the entrepreneurial path himself, Dev understands the pressures of leadership and the need for renewal and alignment. His retreats offer a safe, compassionate space to explore profound inner work, unlock hidden potential, and gain clarity on your path forward.

    If you’re seeking to overcome barriers, enhance your vision, or reconnect with your true purpose, Dev is here to guide you with integrity, expertise, and an unwavering commitment to your well-being and growth. This is your opportunity to step into transformative work, grounded in safety and care, and emerge as the leader you’re meant to be.

Margot James

  • Margot James co-founded Take a Breath with a mission to foster authentic human connection in a tech driven world. Central to the company's philosophy is the transformative power of breathwork, complemented by a diverse array of well-being techniques. Through curated events, workshops, and programs, Take a Breath offers companies and individuals opportunities for wellbeing and self-discovery, empowering them to cultivate deeper connections with themselves and the world around them.

    Margot brings over fourteen years of experience in tech start-ups and scale-ups, where she played pivotal roles in building global companies like Spotify, Podimo, and Spinoza. She is a breathwork coach focused on integrating conscious tools to help companies and people grow and connect. She is passionate about meaningful impact, shaped by her experiences in high-performance environments, international living and her personal path of growth. 

Denise Maaskant

  • Denise Maaskant founded Take a Breath with a mission to foster authentic human connection in a tech driven world. Central to the company's philosophy is the transformative power of breathwork, complemented by a diverse array of well-being techniques. Through curated events, workshops, and programs,
    Denise brings over fifteen years of experience in start-ups and scale-ups, where she played pivotal roles in companies that achieved successful exits. She is deeply passionate about facilitating introspective journeys for individuals, leveraging her expertise in breath, systemic and psychedelic coaching.

Christina Madlani

  • Christina’s spiritual journey began with meditation and naturally expanded into the transformative world of yoga. Over the years, she has come to deeply understand that the body and soul are connected through the breath. By finding this connection, she believes we open the door to understanding our 'self' on a profound and life-changing level.

    Whether guiding a strong, energizing flow or a gentle, restorative practice, Christina’s classes always integrate focused breathing, meditation, and a space for deep spiritual introspection.

    Through yoga and meditation, Christina has witnessed how we can consciously experience transformation in radical and magical ways. This connection to our inner world becomes even more profound when paired with the insight and healing offered by plant medicine, creating a holistic approach to personal growth and self-discovery.

    Her teaching experience spans a variety of practices, including Jivamukti Yoga, Vinyasa, Restorative, Pregnancy Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Kriya, and Meditation. Each of these modalities contributes to a unique journey of self-awareness and healing. Christina truly believes that a regular practice of yoga and meditation has the power to completely transform lives, helping us align with our deepest selves and unlock our fullest potential.

    By weaving these practices into plant medicine retreats, Christina aims to provide a nurturing and sacred space for participants to connect with their breath, body, and spirit, amplifying the insights and healing that plant medicine can bring.

Marianne Ma Evina

  • Marianne Evina Brudevold is the visionary co-creator of Villa Esencia, a sanctuary designed to support deep healing, transformation, and self-discovery — making it an ideal setting for plant medicine journeys. Originally from Norway, Marianne’s spiritual path has taken her across continents, including years spent immersed in India’s spiritual traditions, living the disciplined life of an ashram devotee. Her journey has given her a profound understanding of the transformative potential of sacred practices, which she now weaves into every experience at Villa Esencia.

    With over 35 years on the spiritual path, Marianne has extensively explored Tantra, feminine spirituality, meditation, and numerous healing modalities. Her approach is deeply mystical yet grounded, creating a perfect synergy with plant medicine journeys. She holds a nurturing space for participants to reconnect with their inner truth, process deep emotional layers, and awaken to their highest potential in a safe and supportive environment.

    A dedicated plant-based chef, Marianne complements the plant medicine experience with soulful, high-vibrational meals that nourish both body and spirit. Her culinary creations are intentionally crafted to enhance physical vitality, promote healing, and support the spiritual transformation that often accompanies plant medicine work.

    Through her spiritual guidance, nurturing presence, and mastery of holistic living, Marianne invites guests at Villa Esencia to step into profound healing and renewal. Her unique combination of wisdom, experience, and care ensures that every participant embarks on a plant medicine journey that is transformative, empowering, and deeply connected to the sacred.

Testimonials

"The Ascend retreat was a turning point in my life. The psilocybin journey helped me break through mental blocks I didn’t even know I had, and the breathwork sessions were profoundly healing. I left feeling lighter, more focused, and with a renewed sense of purpose for both my personal life and my business."

— Claire M., Entrepreneur

"A transformative experience. The setting was absolutely magnificent, creating a serene and safe atmosphere for the journey. Dev's professional guidance stood out, from the well-chosen music to the thoughtful preparation, including setting intentions beforehand. The entire process was seamless and enlightening, thanks to his expertise. A great experience with valuable learnings."

— Ferry J., Software Engineer

"As a business owner, I came to Ascend seeking clarity, and I left with so much more. The combination of psilocybin, expert guidance, and integration sessions unlocked insights that have transformed the way I approach challenges. This retreat isn’t just an experience — it’s an investment in yourself as a leader."

— Dr. Emily T., CEO

"There is an overwhelming sense of euphoria and positivity from the experience you created for our group of entrepreneurs. We wanted to express a tremendous amount of gratitude to you."

— Dene W., Tech Startup Founder

"I have been on many retreats in the past but I have to say this was the best organised and facilitated I’ve been to. Starting from the warm and loving reception and the rustic beautiful accommodation to the continuing gentle yoga, breathwork, and medicine experience. All of this followed by a closing circle with so much inspiration."

— Ivan P., Marketing Executive

"I was nervous about attending, but the Ascend team created such a safe and nurturing environment. Every part of the retreat — from the plant medicine ceremonies to the sound healing — was beautifully crafted. I reconnected with my inner self in a way I never thought possible, and I’ve never felt more aligned with my true purpose."

— Sofia R., Creative Director

FAQ

  • This retreat is designed for entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders seeking personal and professional transformation. It’s ideal for individuals ready to gain clarity, unlock creativity, and reconnect with their authentic selves.

  • At Villa Esencia, a serene sanctuary in the Casares mountains near Marbella, Spain. The venue combines luxury, privacy, and natural beauty, offering en-suite bedrooms, a heated pool, sauna, and tranquil gardens.

  • The retreat offers psilocybin ceremonies, transformational breathwork, hypnotherapy, integration sessions, sound healing, gourmet plant-based meals, and four nights of luxury accommodation in a serene environment.

  • Complete a suitability questionnaire and schedule a free 30-minute consultation. Admission is confirmed after this process to ensure the retreat meets your needs and safety requirements.

  • A detailed preparation guide will be provided after registration, including dietary recommendations, practical guidelines, and mental preparation tips. For an overview of the retreat, you can also download our free guide by leaving your contact details.

  • We provide a structured integration session following the retreat, as well as group follow-up support. Individual support can also be arranged upon request.

  • No prior experience is necessary. The retreat supports beginners and experienced individuals with personalised guidance.

  • Yes, safety is prioritised with thorough health screenings, experienced facilitators, and expert support throughout your journey.

  • Gourmet plant-based meals are thoughtfully crafted to nourish your body and enhance the transformational process.

  • Refund and cancellation policies depend on the booking channel. Details are shared during registration.

  • Yes, private or small-group retreats can be arranged. Please contact us for more information.

  • Transportation can be arranged upon request.

Sample Schedule

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

Optional Gentle Yoga to help participants stretch, relax, and prepare their bodies for the day.

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Breakfast offering a light and nourishing meal in a mindful, peaceful environment.

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Guided Hypnotherapy to promote relaxation, emotional readiness, and a receptive state of mind for the psilocybin ceremony.

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Breathwork followed by journaling and personal reflection to focus on the goals and intentions of the ceremony.

11:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Psilocybin Ceremony facilitated in a supportive environment, with calming music, safe spaces, and guidance for deep exploration.

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Silent Integration Time for private reflection, journaling, or resting to process insights from the ceremony.

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Dinner providing a wholesome and grounding meal to nourish the body and offer gentle reconnection with others.

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Integration Circle to share reflections, receive guidance, and explore ways to integrate the experience into daily life.

9:00 PM onward

Quiet Alone Time allowing participants to unwind, continue reflecting, or rest deeply after the day’s transformative activities.

Let’s Connect.

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