We were lucky to catch up with Elisha Ellis Madsen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Elisha, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I have a Maya Angelou quote in my office space that says, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” I believe in those wise words. For me, creativity isn’t just a self-care tool; creativity is a path to living an authentic and inspired life. Because of that, it feels counterintuitive to talk about how to keep my creativity “alive,” because I don’t view it as something separate from me. It IS me. It’s also the reason I named my private therapy and coaching practice “Feel Creative Wellness,” because I practice creativity as wellness.
I have met many highly creative adults who, at one point or another, were told that they “weren’t creative,” or that “creativity is just for kids.” As a creative therapist and coach, I help people rewrite that story. Engaging with creative practices—whether that’s through music, art, nature, writing, photography, dance, literature, or anything else—is how we live an awakened life. We must recognize that creativity is not something outside of us. It IS us. Believing that I deserve to live a creatively inspired life is central to my mental health and well-being.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m Elisha, a nationally board-certified music therapist, a writer, and owner of Feel Creative Wellness (Feel, for short), an innovative private practice specializing in creative therapy and wellness coaching for anxious adults. I work with clients in person in the San Francisco Bay Area and virtually nationwide.
Feel is an innovative private practice for those seeking a safe space to explore their potential and live an authentic and creatively inspired life. It’s for deep feelers and thinkers, and those who believe there are better days ahead. Feel now offers four primary services: individual music therapy, individual wellness coaching, music heartbeat recordings for people and pets at end-of-life, and professional supervision for other music therapists.
Music Therapy is a creative approach to mental health support with a credentialed professional. It uses creativity (especially music) to help clients explore and process thoughts, feelings, and behaviors contributing to anxiety and stress.
Wellness coaching is for clients who need practical support with challenges like navigating life with chronic illness or pain. It is a great option for people who want to work with me but who aren’t necessarily looking for therapy.
Heartbeat recordings are innovative and specialized end-of-life services for people and pets. After recording the sound of a loved one’s heartbeat with a digital stethoscope, I weave it into a song to create a one-of-a-kind piece of music to honor their legacy. I also provide PDF images of the heartbeat to families, which has been used by former clients in other legacy projects like tattoo art or commissioned pieces.
What sets Feel apart from other private music therapy practices is my holistic approach and my clientele. The individual therapy and coaching services are specifically for adults 18+ seeking to improve their mental health and emotional well-being, an area that has been relatively untapped in the private practice music therapy world. I specialize in creative therapy and coaching for folks with anxiety, highly sensitive people (HSP), depression, major life transitions, trauma/PTSD, chronic illness/pain, burnout, perfectionism, low self-esteem, and grief/loss.
My therapeutic approach is holistic. In addition to evidence-based music therapy, I incorporate other techniques like mindfulness, meditation, somatics/movement, and mindset shifts into my work with clients. I also prioritize quality over quantity, so I intentionally cap my client caseload to ensure that I can offer my clients the support they need both during and in-between sessions. (It also helps prevent therapist burnout!)
I invite anyone reading this to please visit my website to learn more about my innovative services and see how I can best support you.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities/skills that have influenced me the most on my own journey are grounded optimism, emotional intelligence, and resilience/adaptability.
Grounded optimism is the opposite of toxic positivity. As a grounded optimist, I believe in the basic goodness of people and hold hope for a better future, but I also stay grounded in the reality that conditions are not equitable for all people. This has helped me both as a therapist and a business owner. In today’s world, optimism feels like a revolutionary, almost political act. I don’t think we get anywhere without the belief that we can leave the world better than we found it. In fact, when it comes to creating positive change, I see a lot of people giving up before they even try because the problems feel too big or too overwhelming. Grounded optimism allowed me to stay confident and steady in the early days of founding Feel, and it has helped me stay focused and successful as I’ve continued to build my business. Toxic positivity says, “Everything will work out okay no matter what!” Grounded optimism says, “There will likely be challenges, but I can do hard things.” I recommend this realistic view of success to anyone who is early in their journey.
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to manage your own emotions and understand/respond to the emotions of the people around you. Emotional intelligence is a skill I developed at a very young age, thanks in big part to my experiences with music and the music business. Refined emotional regulation and the ability to respond to challenging situations and people has helped me navigate choppy waters as an entrepreneur. High EI has allowed me to develop relationships with other entrepreneurs and business owners who have helped support my success. It has also affected the way I communicate with others. Emotional intelligence inspires others into meaningful action. The good news is that EI can be learned, developed, and enhanced. You can develop higher EI through practices like journaling, asking the people around you to give you feedback, practicing active listening, and being authentic in your interactions with others.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back after something hard. In 2013, I experienced a long illness and needed brain surgery. That experience tested my resilience and taught me the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Cultivating a growth mindset helped me survive. It impacted how I relate to my clients who have experienced trauma, because I know what it’s like to go through something really, really hard. The lessons I learned during that time in my life inform every interaction I have with my private practice clients today. In many ways, I think lived experiences with hardship and resilience are what separate great therapists from good therapists, so I feel gratitude for that time in my life. It increased my ability to create safe spaces and help hold pain for others on their own healing journeys. Sometimes, the darkness can teach us who we are. Sometimes, the hard things lead to growth. Don’t give up – your story matters!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed in today’s world. The constant bombardment of information through channels like the news and social media can leave little room in your brain for your own thoughts. As a therapist, I’ve seen a recent increase in anxiety-related disorders. In fact, the World Health Organization reported a dramatic 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. When I’m overwhelmed, the first thing I do—and what I teach my clients to do, too—is to check in with the body. Anxiety, stress, and trauma are experienced in the body but often keep us locked in our heads. So when I feel overwhelmed, I pause and return to my breath. I practice mindfulness by simply noticing the way the breath moves in and out of my body in the present moment. Then, I identify and name any emotions that are present, like anxiety, fear, sadness, or stress. I challenge myself to identify where the emotions are showing up in my body and what they feel like. For example, when I feel anxious or overwhelmed, I often experience somatic symptoms like an upset stomach or a headache. I use my breath to ease any physical tension in my body. From a place of better self-regulation, I can assess what I need in that moment. It’s hard to ask yourself what you need in a moment of anxiety or stress, let alone respond to it. However, through self-regulation practices like grounding, I can honor and respond to my body’s needs. (If you’re interested in mental health and wellness content, I create and share practical grounding tips regularly through my practice’s Instagram page and invite you to follow along: @feelcreativewellness).
Unfortunately, in our society people seem to have developed somewhat dissociative relationships with their bodies, regularly opting for self-numbing instead of full emotional expression. Occasional distraction is not a bad thing, but if you find yourself feeling regularly overwhelmed and leaning on self-numbing practices to survive, it may be time to evaluate that relationship. If you’re looking for a therapist or coach who will help you find holistic ways to feel less anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed, I hope you’ll visit my practice’s website and reach out today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.feelcreativewellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feelcreativewellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/feelcreativewellness
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elishaellismadsen/
Image Credits
Allison Bush Fleming
