Integrative Therapy in Cape Town with Melissa Ellse
We are all unique 🌟
An integrative therapeutic approach draws thoughtfully from various theories, methods and techniques based on the individual’s strengths, needs and concerns.
There is no one-size-fits-all. It simply does not exist. Every single encounter we have with one another is both meaningful and unique. This is because we are human and beautifully complex.
I’ve learned this first hand in my own therapeutic processes, which is why I strive to be integrative, intuitive and informed in my approach. And my approach will probably not work for everyone, because we are all unique 🌟 and that is truly wonderful.
What happens when Pain visits a little too often, a little too long? Like an obnoxious guest who overstays her welcome, talking and talking without listening, eating and eating without offering. Well perhaps this is uncomfortable, but just bearable. After all, it is not all that uncommon. And then perhaps, what if Pain decides to visit a great deal too often and a great deal too long? What if the visitor decides not to leave? What if the talking and the eating just don’t stop – on and on and on. What are we to do then? What happens when we are held hostage?
Do we have any control over pain’s inevitable and suffocating visitations? According to the Stoic Epictetus,
Some things are in our control, while others are not. We control our opinion, choice, desire, aversion, and, in a word, everything of our own doing. We don’t control our body, property, reputation, position, and, in a word, everything not of our own doing. Even more, the things in our control are by nature free, unhindered and unobstructed, while those not in our control are weak, slavish, can be hindered, and are not our own.
Epictetus, Enchiridion, 1.1-2
The pain of loss, grief, depression, neurochemistry, external events such as motor car accidents and more – these are not in our control. This may be disheartening or even crushing when fully realised. Why am I forced to sit by while Pain visits the full reign of hell upon me? Why am I not allowed to eject Pain, to revoke visitation rights? How can I escape? Why am I not even permitted to escape my own home with what little I have left? This is a brutal invasion!
As the Stoic relates, the sense of control sought in our bitter fight against Pain is won in our thinking, our choices and our exposure to that which will help us reframe our attitude toward our relationship with pain. Ultimately, our gains are made in our own relationship with and to pain. To those experiencing true, unadulterated suffering, this idea may be received as trite or it may even be impossible to imagine. However, even where chronic mental, emotional or physical pain are involved, the ‘Enemy’ that is Pain can change into something new, something more approachable, something we can negotiate with and engage with in a more balanced relationship. Pain does not have to remain the Enemy, it can become the Teacher, the Healer, even the Beatific Vision. Never losing it’s identity as Pain, and never lessening or coming under our control, Pain’s visits – even those long, excruciating and seemingly never-ceasing visits, can be experienced differently, without fear and without loss of control. The transformation and growth, even healing, that Pain can bring – if we let it – is illustrated in the lines below.
What is pain but a reminder that we are
grinding into the ground
flung into the fight
grating against the wound
slicing into the light
walking the two worlds
lost in daylight, found in night
taking the clean medicine
gaining vision, losing sight.
There are practical steps to forging this new relationship with pain. These really depend on the individual, but in general it is not an overnight process. Meditative practices, including mindfulness techniques and yoga help many. Exercise and diet/nutrition – as insufficient as that seems in the face of enormous pain – can play a large role in re-negotiating your relationship with Pain. Broadly, relationships, spirituality, talking, creating, music, nature and stillness are all ways to explore this different way of relating to Pain.
I wish you well on your journey. For more information on renegotiating your relationship with Pain, contact me by clicking here.
Book a transformative session in the leafy Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. Be kind to yourself, or offer the gift of self -compassion, creative exploration and self-discovery to a loved one. The Bonny Guided Imagery of Music (BMGIM) is a form of music and image based psychotherapy that requires extensive training in mythical, pathological, archetypal, practical and other modules over three years. The qualification has it’s roots in the psychedelic experimentation and training that took pace in the 50s and 60s in labs in the United States, effective therapeutic modalities which are being resurrected now. BMGIM (The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music), emerging out of this field and growing exponentially, borrows language such as ‘Guide’ and ‘Traveller’ and even ‘Journey’. Travellers are likely to experience altered states of consciousness, unlike a drug-induces state (far more controlled than a drug-induced state) yet still reap the benefits of accessing deeply unconscious, sometimes mythological and archetypal material. Currently, I am in advanced training in BMGIM and find that my client’s BMGIM encounters are potent and hold tranformative potential, as well as the potential for deep rest, growth and healing. This topic is certain to be discussed at the upcoming World Congress of Music Therapy in Pretoria at The University of Pretoria in 2020. . Guided imagery is for adults and most teens, men and women. If you are unsure whether it is for you or are interested in finding out more about this transformative and creative way of working, contact me: https://melissaellse.co.za/contact/ Please note, no previous ‘creative endeavours’ are necessary, such as art or music etc. Come as you are.
If life is a journey, most of us can identify transitional points along the way and perhaps some of us are negotiating these now. Transitions bring change, transformation, creativity and hope but they are often made of loss, confusion, illness and anger. You can, however, harness the power of transitional moments or periods in your life, heal and move into new spaces, finding meaning in the journey.
I am privileged to have been witness to the courage of my clients: those learning to embrace new things, those accepting themselves or others, those finally saying no, those finding their voices, those learning to let go, those walking the difficult path of grief and those navigating the treacherous waters of mental and physical health problems.
Clients have said that the sessions validated where they currently are and gave “permission to go into the future”.
Discovering meaning in transition is essential in order to tie our story together and make sense of who we are. This allows us to walk a full circle and brings a sense of completion to each journey we take, whether it be relationship-oriented, career-oriented, health-oriented or self-development-oriented. Only from this space of self-knowledge can we make sense of what we want, where we want to be and where we have come from. The process of meaning making and engaging with ourselves so deeply and honestly is difficult at times – sometimes it seems easier to forget or ignore parts of who we are or where we are. Yet our core or essence — our true self — wants to enter into conversation with us and bring transformation, healing and integration. During these conversations, we begin to discover meaning in transition and it is a rewarding, memorable journey, unique to each individual.
I use a variety of approaches in my practice to facilitate the discovery of meaning in transition including:
ARTS THERAPY – MUSIC THERAPY
DREAM WORK
MANDALA ANALYSIS
GUIDED IMAGERY, SOUND AND MUSIC
VOICE WORK
ECOTHERAPY
DEEP RELAXATION SESSIONS
Sessions are 60 – 90 minutes and aimed at adults and some teenagers. My practice is located in a beautiful garden studio in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. Please click here to book a session.
I have facilitated creative processes drawing on music therapy, arts-based learning and experiential learning at corporates, schools, universities and NGO’s in Cape Town. While these workshops/sessions fulfil different purposes depending on the client, they are playful, creative, non-invasive and ultimately offer new or different perspectives and insights.
The workshops are most often used for team-building, personal development and conflict management. However, more bespoke or tailored options are available too, such as a workshop for women in leadership or self-care workshops for employees.
The sessions are unique, drawing from my own interest and expertise in a variety of therapeutic, creative and healing modalities, including music therapy, as listed on the home page. Sessions will usually include a number of elements, including (for example) sensitively facilitated active music making, such as djembe drumming, as well as music listening and relaxation and also art-based processes that may include pastel, paint or collage work. These creative modalities offer employees, executives or students different ways of relating to one another and different ways of thinking about problems. The Full Circle is a creative space, offering enjoyment, insight and relationship.
To enquire about a group workshop at a company, NGO, school or university, click here.
Music is a profoundly powerful tool for connecting us to one another, to our emotions and to a sense of meaning. Qualified music therapists operate across the globe, including the tip of Africa, Cape Town.
Music therapy is the clinical use of music interventions and music experiences to achieve therapeutic goals, promote health and realise potentials. Music therapy is focused on the process of music experiences and the relationships developed through them. Despite the name, musical training is not required; this is because all human beings respond to basic elements of music. Music therapy can provide opportunities for communication when words are insufficient and it can assist in releasing and exploring emotions. Like other therapists, music therapists encourage, provide support for and offer guidance to their clients.
Music therapists are allied health care professionals registered with the HPCSA. Music therapists in South Africa hold a Masters degree in Music Therapy and have completed at minimum 1000 hours of supervised clinical internships at various placement sites. Music therapy techniques are highly adaptable and are suitable for use with a wide variety of clients including adults, teenagers, the elderly, children and even antenatal or end-of-life care.
What can a client expect to do in music therapy?
Music improvisation, using instruments and/or voice
Drumming
Music listening
Therapeutic singing
Songwriting
Verbal processing and reflection
Movement to music
Reminiscence-based music experiences
Guided Imagery and Music/music visualisation experiences
Creative Processes involving music (including drawing, clay and painting)
Book an appointment with Melissa Ellse (MMus, Music Therapy) by clicking here.
We often hear that teenagers today face a greater burden than ever before.
Indeed, they have a significant load, including navigating social media, screen time, cyber-bullying and sexting not to mention overt peer pressure, academic pressure, pressure from family members and from themselves. These stressors all come at a time of identity formation and often confusion, frustration and difficulty regulation emotions, which can lead to overwhelming feelings of isolation, misunderstanding, high levels of anxiety and distress. Teenage suicide in South Africa is something to be taken very seriously, and the rising statistics are alarming.
It is difficult to compare the challenges of teens today with the teens of every other generation. We can say with certainty, however, that our teens have new and different, never-before-faced challenges, which bring both new innovations and joys, as well as new problems. These new problems require new and creative approaches.
In my experience, music therapy is a non-threatening, creative and engaging therapeutic process during which teenagers tend to be open to building rapport, trust and establishing a working therapeutic relationship. Music itself is an important aspect of adolescent identity formation and plays a significant role in many teens’ daily lives – this helps to improve motivation, interest and engagement in the therapeutic process. This is especially important when faced with screen time addictions or lack of motivation to engage in other creative or social interactions owing to electronics/gaming/social media. In the music therapy process, teenagers can use non-verbal, creative means to express themselves in ways that they may not be able to in words alone, yet. This may provide some relief from overwhelming emotions as well as offer perspective. Teenagers may also reflect on their participation in the creative work, and develop their capacity for introspection and self-reflection. This also helps with developing coping skills. In group work, teens are able to offer support to others, develop social skills and reciprocal behaviours as well as share a range of experiences. The relationships developed in music, expressive arts processes and reflection become forces for change in the teenager’s life.Â
Contact me if you would like to find out more about music therapy for your teenager.
Melissa Ellse, registered music therapist, completed a Bachelor of Music (University of Cape Town) followed by a Masters in Music Therapy (cum laude, University of Pretoria). She is registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA reg no AT 0001350) as well as the South African Music Therapists Association (SAMTA) and the South African National Association for Arts Therapists (SANATA).
Are your patients benefitting from Music Therapy? – a call for treatment centers to make Music Therapy available.
Melissa Ellse offers individual and group music therapy in Cape Town, South Africa. She supports adults and adolescents diagnosed with mental illnesses and substance use disorder from an integrative, intuitive and clinically informed approach. Contact Melissa to enquire about group or individual sessions by clicking here.
Melissa McWalter 