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Feel Creative Wellness - Elisha E. Madsen, Board-Certified Music Therapist, san fransisco, CA (2026)

01/08/2026

THERAPY IS POLITICAL ‼️

Ask my Mama, and she’ll tell you I basically emerged from the womb needing the world to know where I stand. ⚖️

I think it’s important to know where you stand and to hold the line. ✊🏼

During my Master of Social Work, I spent a year interning with , a powerful statewide labor union, fighting for healthcare and labor justice. That experience taught me A LOT about how political therapy is.

🧿 I met at a Prop 50 phone banking event while proudly wearing my necklace that says “f*€k I€e.”

🧿I led SEIU workers around the Capitol for Immigration Lobby Days.

🧿I marched at the No Kings protests.

🧿I helped organize for the California Billionaire’s Tax.

I did this because at my core I believe that THERAPY IS POLITICAL.

As long as people experience racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, mass incarceration, and state surveillance, THERAPY IS POLITICAL.

As long as people live within oppressive systems like the patriarchy and are subject to white supremacy, THERAPY IS POLITICAL.

As long as people are starving and the government is cutting social services funding, THERAPY IS POLITICAL.

As long as people are losing access to green spaces and we aren’t protecting our Earth, THERAPY IS POLITICAL.

As long as women earn less than men for the same jobs, THERAPY IS POLITICAL.

As long as access to healthcare depends on who is in power at the moment, THERAPY IS POLITICAL.

People who are silent about injustice make me nervous. Wishy-washy people make me nervous.

I know it isn’t *always* apathy that makes people stay quiet, but I grew up in southern Missouri and saw too many people stay silent out of fear, not because they didn’t have the privilege to speak out. 🤷‍♀️

So here is where I stand: as long as there is injustice in the world, therapy is political.

THERAPISTS: it is our ethical mandate to acknowledge the systems of oppression and the histories of violence affecting our clients.

Wellness isn’t an individual thing—it’s a collective thing.

Wellness is inherently political.

Therapy is political.

That’s where I stand.

01/02/2026

Happy New Year—it’s been a while! 👋🏼

I have some big updates to share with this community—some gains, some losses.

1️⃣ I completed my Master of Social Work from University of the Pacific in December 2025!! A colleague recently referred to me as a “Double Master,” so I’m fully owning that 💅: Master of Music Therapy ✔️ Master of Social Work ✔️

2️⃣ On July 7th, 2025, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Jersey Boy. 🐾 I’ve been in a grieving process ever since. A reminder that, yes, “even therapists” grieve and struggle.

3️⃣ We recently adopted a new dog, ⭐️Roxie⭐️ (photos 3 & 4), and she is thrilled to be joining music therapy sessions in-person and virtually. 🐾 She is deeply intuitive and emotionally attuned, just like her “big brother.” She can’t wait to meet you. ✨

🌲 What can you expect from Feel Creative Wellness in 2026?

🪄 Now that grad school is over, I am accepting new music therapy clients, in-person in Novato, CA and/or virtually throughout the U.S.! Visit my website to learn more (link in bio.) 🎵 Refer your friends! 🙏🏼

🪄 In addition to music therapy, now that I have an MSW, I will soon be expanding my offerings to include psychotherapy under supervision as I work toward my LCSW. Stay tuned! 🛋️

Other things you can expect from me + this account:

🌙 a continued commitment to authenticity: more weird, more witchy, more antifascist, more creative, more music.

🌙 a continued commitment to NOT use AI here. It is bad for the environment, the labor workforce, and for creativity.

🌙 less overthinking + more sharing with you about the way(s) in which I move through the world as a music therapist/social worker/spiritual/human being—with the hope that maybe some of the tools/practices will land for you and make your life a bit better (despite the world being a dumpster 🔥)

So how about you? How was 2025? What did you let go of? (By choice or by circumstance) What did you bring in? What hard sh*t did you survive?

Glad to be back. Thanks for being here. Photos = some of the bigger moments of 2025 for me. 🤍

Remember, the world needs your ✨. Keep it weird. 🐸

11/08/2024

An offering of words from my broken yet beating heart to yours 🖤 ✊🏼🪧🕯️

Image ID: the back of a woman who is holding up her left fist in protest.

Image text:
I ache and I ache and I ache and I ache and I breathe and I breathe and I breathe
and I refuse to let them take away my humanity
and I refuse to let them take away my creativity
and I refuse to let them take my compassion
and I refuse to let them take my empathy
and I refuse to let them stop my tears and I refuse to let them stop my rage
and I refuse to let them take my joy
and I ache and I ache and I ache and I ache and I love and I love and I love and I love
and I break and I breathe and I try
I try and I try and I try and I try and I try
and I feel and I feel and I feel and I feel
and I rest and I rest and I raise my fist and I march
and I refuse to let them take my hope
and I ache and I breathe and I love and I love
And I love.
-elisha ellis madsen

12/28/2023

Are you considering therapy in the new year? 🤔 Here are 8 reasons why 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 may be a good fit for you.

If you’re tired of feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and like you’re never fully present or happy, it’s time to take the leap and get the support you deserve.

As a board-certified music therapist, I’ve been helping anxious adults feel calm, grounded, confident, and optimistic for 10 years. (To read client testimonials, head to www.feelcreativewellness.com or Google “Feel Creative Wellness.”)

Through my private practice (“Feel” for short), I work 1:1 with adults in-person in the San Francisco Bay Area and virtually throughout the U.S.

Feel is a safe space for deep feelers and thinkers, those who are seeking to live an authentic and creatively inspired life, and those who want to dig deep to uncover their potential.

Is that you? If so, let’s connect. 💻

I offer a free 20-minute consultation so we can decide together if music therapy may be right for you.

Make 2024 the year you decided to take back your story—to reclaim joy and confidence and ease. Therapy is an investment in yourself, and you deserve the best. ✨ 🤍

🎵 Follow on Instagram and Facebook for music therapy, mental health, & mindful living content.
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12/05/2023

“𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦!” 10 Signs You May Be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) + 5 Tips to Help You Thrive ✨

I’m not that into labels. 🤷🏼‍♀️ (That’s partly why you won’t find me calling myself an “expert” of this or that, because labels just really aren’t my thing.) BUT!!…there are times when it’s helpful to create and use labels, especially when it comes to understanding ourselves better and getting the support we may need.

One label that’s been super helpful for me is identifying as an HSP—𝙖 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣.

HSP is not a mental health diagnosis, but it is a helpful description for a personality trait that involves heightened 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

HSPs are deep feelers and thinkers. HSPs have a keen ability to sense others’ feelings and needs. We often have high emotional intelligence, empathy, innovation, intuition, & creativity. HSPs don’t need to be “fixed,” but there can be another side to the coin: a hyper-sensitive nervous system that’s easily stressed and anxious, overthinking, emotional overwhelm, and inability to handle criticism (which sometimes leads to inhibited creativity & self-expression.)

So, are you an HSP? Swipe through the slides to find 10 common traits of an HSP. Then, check out my newest blog post on my website ( www.feelcreativewellness.com/blog )
to read 5 Tips for Thriving as an HSP (from someone who’s doing it!) In the blog, I also share a link to an online quiz that was developed by the psychologist who coined the term HSP.

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11/29/2023

MUSIC LOVERS: as we’re all celebrating Spotify Wrapped Day 🎉🎶🎧 (new holiday?), I want to remind you that engaging with music (listening to it, creating it, singing/playing it, moving to it) has HUGE science-backed health benefits. Here are just a few:

⬇️ anxiety
⬇️ stress
⬇️ depression
⬇️ chronic + acute pain
⬆️ relaxation
⬆️ mood
⬆️ sleep
⬆️ memory + executive functioning
⬆️ emotional expression + self-esteem:
F E E L what you need to F E E L 💫

So, as you’re celebrating your music listening for 2023 🎉, pat yourself on the back for using music to support your health this year! 🎶

If you love music and are curious about how the fields of music and psychology have come together, let me introduce you to Music Therapy! 🧠 🎸

Music Therapy is a highly specialized field that uses (you guessed it!) MUSIC as the primary tool within therapy. Board-certified music therapists are trained and nationally credentialed to use music to help you improve your mental and physical health. Here are a few ways we may use music in a session:

🎵Listening to ✨your✨ favorite songs to help tell me who you are, what brings you pain, and what lights you up. We may take a deep dive into a song’s lyrics to help understand what you’re feeling

🎵Singing familiar songs together to reap the many physiological and emotional benefits of using and/or reclaiming your own voice

🎵Writing a song together to help you explore and regulate your emotions

🎵Using musical instruments to “play” different feelings or “talk” about hard things without using words

🎵Learning to play a musical instrument to help you cope better with anxiety, depression, or stress (yes, it’s time to bring out that old guitar that’s been collecting dust in your attic for years)

🎵Creating music playlists for specific purposes (e.g. to improve sleep, to increase energy, to relax)

🤔 Curious and want to learn more? Visit my website (🔗 in bio). I work 1:1 with adult clients in-person in the San Francisco Bay Area and virtually nationwide.

11/15/2023

“What’s happening in your body right now?

⬆️ I ask my clients this question 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵.

A common response: “Body? What body?”😬

If that’s you too, it’s okay. 🤍

I was disconnected from my own body for a long time. Why?

Partly because my body was in pain.
Partly because I’d experienced medical trauma and lived in fear of “the next thing.”
But a HUGE part of it was because I was locked in my own head a lot 🧠—like Rapunzel in her tower but not nearly as endearing. 👑 🏰 💅🏻

Once I started to reconnect + restore trust with my body, I felt a lot less anxious and overwhelmed. I felt integrated. Grounded.

Wanna try a practice I teach my clients? ⬇️

1. Find stillness. (Whatever is accessible + comfortable to you. I often lie directly on the floor or on a sturdy bench. 📷)

2. Become aware of your breathing. Notice how effortlessly it comes into and out of your body.

3. Notice the parts of your body that have contact with another surface. (E.g. the ground, a bench, a bed, the earth.)

4. Notice what it feels like just to be aware that you *have* a body. (A lot of us rush through the days and are so preoccupied with our thoughts that we forget we even have one!)

5. Do a body scan. Bring awareness to different parts of your body starting with the top of your head and travel down to your feet. If you notice areas of discomfort or tension, simply breathe into them and then move through the area. Try to refrain from judging any sensations as “good” or “bad.” Instead, think: “I notice a sensation here,” and then let it go.

6. Conclude with gratitude. How often do you thank your body for the incredible processes that happen without you even having to think about them? It’s easy to focus on what feels out of whack. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Intentional gratitude is a mindset shift that can help you restore trust with your body and begin to see it as your ally.

Visit the 🔗 in my bio to learn more + follow ✨

10/18/2023

Music therapy helps support emotional and nervous system regulation. Curious to know how? Swipe through the photos below. ⬇️

Want to try music therapy? I work 1:1 with adults in Marin County, San Francisco, or virtually nationwide. Visit www.feelcreativewellness.com to learn more.

09/20/2023

“How long will it take before I’m ‘𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓’?”

This is one of the most common questions I’m asked when I chat with people who are considering therapy.

It’s a fair but loaded question, so here are 6 things you need to know about therapy (from a music therapist who doesn’t have time to beat around the bush.)

Want to explore what it would be like to work together 1:1? Click on the link in my bio or visit www.feelcreativewellness.com to request a free 20-minute consultation.

Let’s connect on IG: follow

Know a friend who could benefit from this information? Please share it with them! Let’s help people get the resources and support they need. 💛

09/18/2023

“What if?” Thoughts for 36 🎈 🌊:

What if I let go of “perfect” and embraced “good enough?”

What if I said “no” and didn’t over-explain?

What if I forgave you?

What if you forgave me?

What if it all works out?

What if it works out 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 than I had hoped?

What if it doesn’t work out and I’m still okay?

What if I worry about your opinion less?

What if what’s meant for me 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 find me?

What if what’s 𝘯𝘰𝘵 meant for me 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕?

What if detours lead to destiny?

What if roadblocks protect me?

What if I 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 the damn compliment?

What if I take a stand and mean it?

What if I breathed through the fear?

What if I could help others learn to do the same?

What if I lead my own evolution?

What if I step into my full potential?

What if I don’t?

What if you didn’t mean to hurt me?

What if the right people find us at the right time?

What if it’s all a game of chance?

What if instead of content I focused on creativity?

What if I see failure as a chance to 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏?

What if I kept being honest with you?

What if it hurts less than I expect?

What if the answer is “yes?”

What if I learned to go with the flow like the vultures soar on the changing wind with ease?

What if I write the words and no one reads them?

What if I write the words and too many people read them?

What if I don’t take it all so seriously?

What if I can stay rooted like the redwood, unafraid of fire and floods?

What if joy is found in 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 instead of more?

What if I can make space for multiple truths?

What if. 💜

06/21/2023

Reclaiming has been such an important part of my story.

For me, rest is anything that feels good to my nervous system.

Rest is a long, slow walk in nature. 🌲

Rest is choosing to turn off my phone.

Rest is meditation. ✨

Rest is focusing on my breathing, one in-breath and one out-breath at a time.

Rest is laughing as loud and long as I want.

Rest is watching the birds. 🦅

Rest is singing, listening to music, creating music, and dancing. 🎶

Rest is reading a good book. (And honoring my body’s needs if I fall asleep while reading it.)

Rest is cuddling with my aging dog. 🐾

Rest is taking breaks when I need them.

Rest is a firm but polite “no” when I’m feeling overextended.

Rest is walking away from people and situations that do not support my health or access needs.

Rest is noticing every single bench around me and choosing to enjoy them.

Here are a few of my favorite benches that I’ve enjoyed and photographed over the past year in Northern California. If you ever spot me in the wild with my doggo, you are *always* welcome to join.
(PS—if you want to know where one of these benches is located, DM me! I’m happy to share so that you can go enjoy them, too.)

How does rest show up in your life? I’d love to hear from you. DM or comment below. If you struggle with your relationship with rest, visit my website (link in bio) to learn how we can work together. I love helping people reclaim rest, joy, and creativity in their lives. 💜

If you spot incredible benches where you are, please tag so we can spread inspiration! 💫 📸

06/14/2023

Disillusioned by ? Me too. 🤷🏼‍♀️

To me, 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 is entirely different than wellness 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, which in its most toxic form is infamous for being particularly inaccessible and non-inclusive for marginalized populations, including disabled folx (oh hi, it’s me, just over here navigating life with an 🙋🏼‍♀️).

But health and wellness practices like and are well known to improve physical and mental health. So in my newest blog post I’m asking this bold question: 𝗜𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲? 🤔

I got to interview — wellness coach and health blogger—to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion concerns within wellness culture. We both offer practical ideas to help other wellness practitioners prioritize accessibility and equity within the wellness space.

Here are 𝟱 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 for you to ponder:

1️⃣ The gold standard is perfection. 🥇
You may notice an image-conscious version of “health.”

2️⃣ Healing is “guaranteed.”
(As long as you do “this exact thing” with “this exact person” for “this exact amount of time.” 🫣)

3️⃣ Everyone’s a self-proclaimed expert—ESPECIALLY on social media. ⚠️

4️⃣ The Self reigns supreme...at the expense of the collective and their needs.

5️⃣ Profit-driven: at the core of toxic wellness culture is the message that there is something in you that needs to be “fixed,” and the “solution” will likely have a high dollar tag attached with little to no financial flexibility and an endless ladder to climb.💰

Want to read more on this topic? Visit www.feelcreativewellness.com/blog to read the new post now, and/or save this post to read it later—link to blog in bio.

We want to hear your opinions! Do you agree? Disagree? Do you think it’s possible to have wellness without toxic wellness culture? Comment below, DM us, or email me at info@feelcreativewellness.com. 💻

For more illusion-free wellness content, follow

Feel Creative Wellness - Elisha E. Madsen, Board-Certified Music Therapist

01/08/2026

01/02/2026

11/08/2024

12/28/2023

12/05/2023

11/29/2023

11/15/2023

10/18/2023

09/20/2023

09/18/2023

06/21/2023

06/14/2023

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