My name is Ellen Burholt. I was born in Wiltshire where I spent the majority of my childhood. I moved to Hampshire when I was 18 years old to go to university where I studied Childhood, Youth and Community Studies. During this course, I did a mental health module which I found interesting. From this, I worked as ‘Relief Recovery Worker’ in a care home for adults with complex mental health needs. A few years into working there, I thought there might be more I could do and so I signed up to do a Post Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing.

During this course, I have been fortunate to see people use the remarkable services provided by the NHS and many people recover. Throughout, though, I have found that there was very little physical connection with people as a mental health nurse. I have also found the course intense, working two jobs and full-time placement hours. As a result, I have had to be a master of my own mental health and so I practice yoga, get massages, use essential oils, stones, reiki and meditation to re-balance and re-charge. I have been involved with and practising reiki since 2017 with Jikiden Reiki. Here, I completed the Shoden and Okuden courses. I have practised with family, friends and at monthly reiki shares with other practitioners.

Later, in April 2019, I was on a plane heading back to England after a wonderful long weekend in Spain at an eco-lodge. I realised as I was looking out of the window that I needed something that I fully believed in to keep me motivated for the future. I wanted to do something to make peoples bodies and minds feel good without nasty side effects or complications. In the words of Phoebe Buffay, ‘Bodies at peace, make peace’.

I signed up to do a massage diploma with Calming Influences. Then, after a lot of thought, Alma Entera was born. Alma Entera means ‘Whole Soul’ in Spanish. I went on to study Indian head massage and aromatherapy. In 2021, I qualified as a yoga teacher following a 200hr training course with David Michel. I have since completed the reflexology course in 2022 with Calming Influences which means I am now certified in Level 3 Complimentary Therapies! I couldn’t stay away from learning and so then went on to complete continuing professional development courses in: Facial Reflexology, Reflexology for Fertility, Maternity and Menopause.

A career change in March 2023 has meant that I have started training in cognitive behavioural therapist with the NHS to provide free therapy to those who need it! I am remaining on the NHS Nursing Bank so that I never wave goodbye to nursing altogether.

With reiki, massage, aromatherapy, Indian head massage, yoga, reflexology and my experience in mental health support work, nursing and therapy, I am able to meet you find out what you need/want, and offer you a personalised plan of holistic therapies to help you on your journey to a more healthy, peaceful and happy version of yourself.