Have you ever wished that you were able to unpack all of your health concerns with someone who understood their complexity while also acknowledging that you are the expert on your own life? In a nutshell, this summarises the role of what Dena Smith Ellis does as an holistic life guide from her office in The Old Cinema on Fishmarket Road in Rye.
To get a deeper understanding of what is meant by “holistic” maybe you have images in your head of organic kale smoothies, yoga, and Deepak Chopra meditations? While those stereotypes can be classified as holistic, that is not the context in which Dena uses the word. She writes: “I’m referring to a ‘whole-person, whole-health’ perspective as we are multidimensional beings: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially, socially, occupationally, and so on.”
Rather than merely focusing on one aspect of our health and wellbeing, such as the physical body or physical symptoms, an holistic health practitioner such as Dena considers the bigger picture of someone’s life to help connect the dots between various factors that may be impacting others. For example, if someone is wanting to lose weight but they are in a stressful job or relationship, it will likely impact their success in shedding extra pounds during that time. Seeing that bigger picture can be hard to do alone, she says: “One can’t see the forest for the trees.”
As a guide by her client’s side, they explore together the various aspects of the client’s life to focus on areas they wish to improve and then co-create a wellness vision to determine the shape of future sessions together.
Confidentiality, unconditional positive regard, collaboration, acceptance with an absence of judgement, compassion, and empowerment are all important pillars in building a solid foundation of trust and respect between client and practitioner.
As Dena says: “Health is not a destination; rather, it is a dynamic journey that is constantly in flux and influenced by many factors such as age, genetics, environment, beliefs, and lifestyle and behaviour choices. Because of this, everyone’s journey is unique as bio-individuals.”
Rather than advising and directing—or regurgitating generalized health tips—Dena offers non-prescriptive support by helping each of her clients to help themselves through cultivating self-empowerment so they can be the architects of their own health and build resilience in the process.
She writes: “Much like hiring a professional to organize your house, I am hired to help organize the ‘house’ of my client’s life. Starting with a 30-minute discovery session, we explore the various ‘rooms’ (dimensions) of their life and determine if we are a good fit for each other. If so, my clients then commit to a 6 or 12 session programme, on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on their goals. The first hourly session is dedicated to creating their wellness vision and goals together and then each subsequent session builds off of that through a framework which is always completely bespoke based on each client’s needs.”
In addition to working with individuals one-to-one, Dena also works with couples, families, and in groups. For more information and contact www.denasmithellis.com
Image Credits: Susan Benn .