The Asclepius Method · Epidaurus
Fourteen days at the source. The full Asclepian protocol in the Argolid, beside the sanctuary the whole tradition is named for, opening on the full moon of 22 January and closing as the moon goes dark.
What the immersion holds
- Herbal detoxification and parasite cleanse, prepared by a master Asclepian herbalist to formulas taken from ancient Greek medical and philosophical texts
- A diagnostic intake first: blood and urine results, with photographs of the fingernails, ears and eyes, calibrate the regime to you. Nothing is one size fits all.
- Greek breathwork and visualisations, one of the two strands of energy work carried through the fourteen days
- A full Kundalini yoga course, the second strand, taught rather than merely practised
- The Nine Sacred Marriages of Zeus, the esoteric teaching that grounds the internal transformation
- Dream incubation, analysis and art, the Asclepian practice the sanctuary at Epidaurus was built around
- Physiotherapy: massage, acupuncture, onsen and related bodywork through the fortnight
- Fourteen days held in person, opening on the full moon and closing as the moon goes dark
The method
The Asclepius of Epidaurus was the most sacred healing institution of ancient Greece, the archetypal progenitor of holistic healing. This programme revives its protocols.
The backbone is a herbal detoxification regime prepared by a master Asclepian herbalist, using precise formulas derived from ancient Greek medical and philosophical texts. As the herbs purify the body of parasites, heavy metals and accumulated toxins, deeper layers of psyche and soul open, and that is where the real work happens.
Just as the physical detoxification eliminates literal parasites, the programme clears parasitic influences from the emotional, relational, mental, energetic and spiritual layers of being. Healing here is not a procedure applied to you. It is an organic, multi-faceted process of purifying and integrating body, mind, soul and spirit.
It follows the Hippocratic principles: do no harm, and least interventions first. Everything begins with the diagnostic intake, and the regime is calibrated to your individual profile before a single herb is taken.
Eight hundred years of continuous practice sit behind this. It is not a wellness format assembled last year.
Five stages
The protocol runs in a fixed order. Each stage prepares the body for the one after it, which is why the sequence is not negotiable.
Preparation
Strengthening the liver and kidneys to manage the release ahead.
Purification
Neutralising and ridding the body of parasites.
Drought
A fast triggering autophagy, the body's deepest self-cleaning mechanism.
Revival
Gently restoring the body through an alkalised diet and herbs.
Integration
Anchoring the transformation in body, psyche and daily life.
The inner work
Alongside the physical process, the esoteric teachings of the Nine Sacred Marriages of Zeus guide and ground the internal transformation. Two strands of energy work support it: one derived from ancient Greece, the other Kundalini Yoga, from ancient India.
Taken together, this is a complete set of tools for emotional and energetic release, and the specific knowledge for safely expanding and sustaining higher levels of consciousness. It is an inner journey in the literal sense, undertaken to commune with the reality and the needs of the soul.
Alongside the detox
- Dream incubation and analysis
- Psychotherapy
- Meditation
- Pranayama breathwork
- Journaling
- Creative self-reflection
Who walks this path
- You have done inner work before and feel called to go deeper
- You are ready to follow a calibrated protocol with discipline and devotion
- You understand healing as a whole-being process: body, psyche and soul together
And who does not
- You are pregnant, breastfeeding, or managing a condition or medication without your doctor's clearance
- You are looking for a casual wellness holiday or a quick fix
- You are unwilling to fast, or to be guided through discomfort
Schedule
An ordinary day inside the fourteen. Drought days strip most of this back to rest, and the sacred marriage sits at the centre of each morning for the first nine.
The shape is fixed. The timing moves with the stage and with the group.
Accommodation
VENUE-TBC. The house for the Epidaurus immersion is being contracted, so the two tiers below are indicative. Prices and room detail are confirmed to accepted applicants.
Shared Room
The most economical option. Two beds, shared with one other guest of the same gender. Exact configuration confirmed once the house is contracted.
Private Room
A room to yourself for the fourteen days. Given that stage three is a fast and the nights carry the dream work, most people attending Epidaurus choose this one.
Room detail, photographs and the exact address are released on acceptance. Nothing on this page is a booking until the intake is reviewed.
Venue and amenities
Epidaurus is where the method comes from. The Asclepieion here was the most sacred healing institution of ancient Greece, and for centuries people travelled to it to be purified, to sleep inside the sanctuary, and to be met in the dream. The protocol you will follow for fourteen days is a revival of what was practised on this ground.
The Argolid in late January is cold, clear and almost empty. Olive terraces, stone, and the Saronic Gulf twenty minutes away. The site itself is walkable from where the group stays, and the dream work is done within sight of the reason it exists.
VENUE-TBC. The house for this immersion is being contracted. Room detail, photographs and the exact address are released to accepted applicants, and this page will carry them once they are settled.
Meals
Everything you eat across the fourteen days is set by the stage you are in, prepared for you, and served to the group. There is no menu and nothing to choose from. The food is the protocol.
It moves from the purification diet, through the drought, into a staged revival of flaxseed, prunes, raisins, almonds, olive oil, lemon and sprouts, and finally into steamed vegetables and an alkalised diet, all of it plant based and whole, with nothing refined.
Allergies and intolerances are handled at the diagnostic intake. Preferences are harder, because the order the food arrives in is the method rather than a serving suggestion. If you cannot eat what a stage requires, say so on the application and we will tell you straight whether this works for you.
Your guides
Founder and Director
Eleftherios “Mahaon” Makridopoulos
The method is his. He prepares the herbal regime himself, to formulas derived from the ancient Greek medical and philosophical texts, and calibrates every one of them to the person taking it.
Dream Analyst
Dr Lorraine Levy
Epidaurus guide and Pacifica graduate. She holds the psychological side of the fortnight, and reviews the histories that come in with every application.
Certified profile
Kundalini Instructor
Todd Peyton
Epidaurus detox guide and Pacifica graduate. He teaches the Kundalini course and runs the dream work, which is the part most people arrive sceptical about and leave changed by.
Certified profile
First Point of Contact
Suzy Ohannessian
She is who you speak to first. Request a call and you book in directly with a member of the team, to work out together whether this programme is right for you. No obligation.
What is included
Included
- Thirteen nights on site in your chosen room
- Diagnostic intake, with the regime calibrated to your results
- The full herbal detoxification regime, prepared by the herbalist
- All five stages held in person, under daily supervision
- The nine sacred marriages, one each morning
- A full Kundalini yoga course
- Greek breathwork and visualisation practice
- Dream incubation, dream analysis and the dream circle
- Psychotherapy sessions through the fortnight
- Physiotherapy: massage, acupuncture, onsen and related bodywork
- Every meal, juice and tincture the protocol calls for
- Your take-home protocol pack and integration guidance
Not included
- Airfare
- Travel insurance, which is required
- Visa, where your passport needs one
- Bloodwork ordered before acceptance
- Personal expenses and anything outside the programme
Getting here
By air. Fly to Athens (ATH). It is the only sensible arrival point and it is well served from everywhere.
To the Argolid. Roughly two hours by road from Athens, south west over the Corinth Canal and down into the Peloponnese. We meet you at Athens and drive you in, both ways included.
Arrive by the evening of 21 January if you can, or the morning of the 22nd at the latest. A night in Athens before you begin is the better start.
Weather. Late January in the Argolid is cold, clear and quiet. Bring layers. The house is heated, the sanctuary is not.
Do not book flights until your place is confirmed. The diagnostic intake comes first.
Fasting and herbal protocols are not suitable for everyone.
Every application is read by the team before a place is offered. You will be asked about cardiac, kidney and metabolic history, pregnancy and breastfeeding, any history of disordered eating, current psychiatric care, and every medication you take. Some people will be declined, and some will be asked for bloodwork before a decision.
Say the true thing on the form. If you are on medication, keep taking it and tell us what it is. If something goes wrong during the fourteen days, tell us the same day and the protocol is adjusted around you.
The Asclepius Detoxification Method is a holistic wellness programme and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor does it replace care from a qualified physician. Fasting and herbal protocols are not suitable for everyone. Please consult your doctor before participating, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or managing a health condition.
Select your options
Twelve places, every one by application. Request a call and you book in directly with a member of the team.
Shared Room
Change the immersion or the room in the panel and this updates with them. Your selection travels with the enquiry, so the first reply already knows what you asked for.
Questions people actually ask
Do I have to come in person?
No. The programme can be administered remotely and guided individually online from wherever you are in the world. The residential immersions exist for people who would rather be held by hand through it, with daily guidance, community, and every treatment delivered in person.
How hard is the drought?
It is the most demanding stretch of the fourteen days, and it is supposed to be. Intake reduces, activity reduces, and the programme empties out into rest and stillness under close supervision. Nobody fasts unsupervised and nobody is left to push through alone.
Why does it open on the full moon?
Because the protocol is lunar, and the tradition sets it that way. Each residential immersion runs fourteen days, opening on the full moon and closing as the moon goes dark. It is not decoration, it determines when the stages fall.
I take medication. Can I still apply?
Apply and tell us exactly what you take. Some medications rule the programme out, some do not, and the only way to know is the intake. Do not stop anything to qualify. That is the one thing that will get you declined.
What do I take home?
The take-home protocol pack, the Kundalini course as a practice you keep, and the integration guidance for the weeks after. Stage five is called Integration because it is the part that outlives the fortnight.
Refund and cancellation
The deposit is payable on acceptance, once the intake is reviewed, and the balance ahead of arrival. Deposits are non-refundable but transferable to a future immersion. If you are declined at intake, nothing is charged.
