I am Carisa Holmes

Musician, Author, and EFT Practitioner

My mission is to empower people to heal and inspire them to create.

I help people tap into their creative power, release trauma-related blocks, and step into being more of who they really are.

My Story

I have overcome significant personal challenges related to trauma to become who I am today.

I lived with complex PTSD and ADHD that went undiagnosed for most of my life. Anxiety crackled like constant static in the background of my days, and I experienced cycles of depression that led to suicidal thoughts.

In youth, I was sickly and painfully shy, and learned to stuff all my feelings to create a false sense of safety. As a teen, I even ended up in the emergency room twice in one week as my first panic attacks had caused me to fear I was dying.

I am deeply grateful that along the path of my life, I found ways to heal through safe connection, music, and the healing arts. The animals, plants, and practitioners that worked with me and supported me in my healing process quite literally saved my life, and inspired me to become one who facilitates healing in others.

Coming Home: How I Overcame Trauma and Healed

Thankfully, when I was young I had access to horses and other animals, who became my best friends and four-legged therapists. And, I also had my creativity. I finally experienced safe connection with animals, and through the arts, I found the joy of self expression.

I have always been drawn to all things creative. From sketching images of my horse with charcoal to writing poems for speech contests at school, my primary channel for self-expression and healing has always been art.

I was introduced to music study at an early age as a soloist and member of a gospel choir under the direction of my father, who was the Minister of Music at our church. There I began the first steps toward using my voice without fear.

I began playing the flute in elementary school and then auditioned for and was accepted at the Stivers Music Magnet Junior High.

I then moved on to audition for and attend the Colonel White High School for the Arts, where I studied flute and voice privately and was the co-captain of the dance team. It was there that I discovered my natural gift for songwriting and crafting short stories, and began working in recording studios. I discovered the potent healing power of singing, and my confidence was building!

While attending Colonel White, I was featured in principal roles in operettas and musicals and received a voice scholarship from the Dayton Opera Guild. I was also chosen to represent the state of Ohio at the ACT-SO NAACP National Talent Competition in Los Angeles, California. I was beginning to receive recognition!

Upon graduation, I was the named recipient of the Leon Bates Scholarship for voice to the Wright State University and worked with major label recording artists in pop and R&B while attending college, honing my songwriting and recording skills. I was making connections and expanding into a network of nationally recognized professionals.

Then, when I was in my 20’s, my mother died of cancer, and it seemed all the progress I’d made was set back as I dealt with the profound grief and trauma of losing a beloved parent.

My mother had been my best friend, and we had been very close for my entire life. Losing her at such a young age broke my psyche and fractured my energy field in ways that would take me years to even recognize.

I remember the very palpable sensation of my awareness pulling out of my physical body, and most of my chakras shutting down when she was first rushed to the hospital.

It was like an echo of a sound barely recognized, and I now know I was not only living the trauma of the moment, but also re-experiencing trauma-based feelings from my own birth. I already carried a lot of fear around going to the doctor, or being inside hospitals. This intensified my fears to the level of phobia.

I was in no way prepared to cope with the situation. I just shut down.

Soon after death, I experienced a major health crisis and the initiation of the next phase of my healing journey. It was during this deep dive into holistic health triggered by my mother’s death that I truly opened the early trauma baggage and began unpacking.

I became devoted to my own healing, and sunk every dollar, every moment, and every ounce of energy I could spare into increasing my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

Through energy work, conventional therapy, addressing my diet and physical health, and receiving somatic work, I began to heal the trauma that had imprinted me at birth and throughout childhood.

I first addressed my physical health, then emotional, then mental and spiritual, recognizing how each area overlapped and intertwined with the others. I became vibrant, inspired, and I felt truly alive.

And, as I healed, my passion to help others in similar situations was ignited. I had found my true calling.

On fire, I became a holistic health business owner, first as owner-operator of an organic spa room at Harmony House Wellness Center (2004-2007), and then as an independent Holistic Health Coach.

Over the years, my healing practice expanded and evolved as I did, and become influenced by and integrated with my love for the creative arts. I was integrating and expanding.

Over and again, I have witnessed and experienced the healing power of the arts; from the power of music to move blocked emotions, to the potent activations that spoken and drawn Light Language can offer in mere moments. And, I have witnessed the miraculous transformations that occur when we combine the power of energy work with the potency of the creative arts.

Through this work, I have been set free!

I have cultivated healthy and rewarding relationships with others.

I create a safe and intimate healing container for my clients.

I provided music therapy for Mount Carmel Hospital’s Cancer Survivorship Services.

I have written hundreds of songs in multiple genres.

I stand on stages and sing joyfully and speak powerfully without fear.

I have released 3 albums/EPs, and more are in progress.

I write custom songs for weddings, special events and spiritual gatherings.

I have co-authored three full length fantasy fiction novels (the fourth and final book is in progress!) and I have created numerous visual art commission pieces and other works.

And, in my spare time, I am an avid organic gardener and founder of the Ohio Organic Gardening Club, a place where Ohio gardeners can learn how to grow in cooperation with Gaia.

Essentially, I have been unleashed, and I can’t stop creating!

Perhaps more importantly, I love to inspire others to touch that stream of magic that is waiting to flow into their lives and fill it with creative inspiration.

During my long years of study and experience in music, holistic health, energy work, bodywork, and human psychology, I have created a unique coaching method that is both practical and open to magic and mystery.

I love helping people overcome the impact of stressful events, birth trauma, and ACE (adverse childhood experiences) and break through writer’s block, get over stage fright, and free up their creative flow!

Working with Me

My cat, Maya

I currently live in Columbus, Ohio with my crazy cool cat, Maya, my wonderful and talented partner Tony, and an ever-growing collection of house plants. I primarily work over Zoom, but I do offer some in-person sessions with clients in the Columbus, Ohio area.

Most people that are a good fit for my practice tend to feel a little hesitant or nervous about contacting me, and that is perfectly fine! It’s all a part of the process, and it’s actually a good sign that you’re on the right track.

Contact me now while you’ve got a moment, and we can take things at your pace.

My Tools

  • EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Practitioner (Accredited and Licensed)
  • Guided Meditation and Journey Work
  • Vocal Alchemy and Sound Therapy
  • Certified Holistic Health Advisor
  • Reiki Master Teacher
  • Certified Massage Practitioner
  • Polarity Therapy Practitioner
  • Voice: 6 years classical and jazz study, 35+ years experience
  • Flute: 9 years classical study, 38+ years experience
  • Music: 26+ years of songwriting, recording and producing experience

Remember – most people that are a good fit for my practice tend to feel a little hesitant or nervous about contacting me, and that is perfectly fine!

It’s all a part of the process, and it’s actually a good sign that you’re on the right track. Contact me now while you’ve got a moment, and we can take things at your pace.

I look forward to witnessing the power of art transform our world, one artist at a time.

Testimonials

Carisa is well versed as a writer and thought provocateur! I would most assuredly recommend her to those of you seeking an authentic and spirited coach, great listener, and also a result oriented professional.

I highly recommend Carisa as a wellness coach, a creative arts or healing group facilitator, as a professional writer and a one-to-one soul healer.

After our Reiki session, I feel much better physically. I had a nagging muscular problem in my levator scapulae that I could not make go away and it’s now gone! Thank you so much!

I have known Carisa for over 10 years her energy in her healing work is straight from the heart.

Not only do Carisa’s methods work, it is empowering to gain an understanding of the fundamentals of how our bodies work. It’s amazing how little most people know about these things including those in the medical profession. Why treat the symptoms when you can find the root of the problem and build from there?

Carisa, is that rare professional that has a work ethic that always exceeds your expectation. She is a most talented creative perfectionist that is quite the joy to work with.

Carisa is one of the most multi-talented human beings I have ever met – she can write bar none, she is an accomplished musician and singer, and she facilitates deep transformation within others through her healing and artistic work.

If there’s any person I know who is dedicated to health and wellness across all scopes of life, it is this lady. She knows and she shares for the benefit of others. She’ll coach you well.

I’ve had some of the most profound healing experiences while on the table with Carisa. I have witnessed others whom have worked with Carisa, children and adults, and it’s been amazing to see their transformation.

Carisa Holmes has a beautiful gift of creating soulful music and lyrics that touch peoples souls. She provided workshops at our health and wellness center. Everyone loved it and can’t wait to have her back.”

Carisa has a strong intuition and a gentle touch, super professional and comfortable to be around. To see her perform her music is mesmerizing and inspiring.

I would recommend Carisa to anyone who would want to expand their creativity. She will work hard to give you what you need to do so in all facets of creativity – music, art, writing, speaking, and much more.

Carisa is a talented and gifted performer. I have always enjoyed working with her and recommend contacting her if you are so inclined to pursue your creative interests.

I’ve been working with Carisa Holmes for more than two years now. She has opened many doors for me to explore myself and my creativity. From songwriting to music theory and using my voice, to allow me to tap into my creativity without inhibition, and giving me more confidence in what I want to achieve as a musician.

Carisa’s services are intuitive and personal. She makes a big difference in a small amount of time, I would definitely recommend her to my friends and family if they were feeling stuck in their creative projects!