Dr. Eleni Boosalis is deeply passionate about her work as a psychologist, a field she knew she wanted to pursue since high school. “I feel this is the most important field,” she says. “Ultimately, every single person on this Earth wants to feel peace, happiness and contentment within themselves. We all have that in common, without a map on how to get there. Most people are stuck in their head, trying to ‘think’ their way to happiness through external means. But the true path to happiness and joy is internal and must be accompanied by emotional intelligence.”
Her passion has not dulled in the 19 years she's been in practice, but those years certainly taught her hard truths about society. “I feel society is in a sad state,” Boosalis notes. “You can tell a lot about a society by what it values. In my opinion, most of society values power, control and money. It idolizes the things and the people that emulate these values. For society to improve, it is necessary for people to heal their childhood wounds and traumas—and we all have them. The pursuit of wealth, power and control over others is the lie that society has bought into as the solution to pain. Healing the wounds of childhood is necessary because every single one of us is operating daily out of our own trauma. The childhood experiences of a lack of safety, control or love impact how we treat ourselves, others and the world around us. We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are. Every day, I hope that one therapy session will help heal an individual, which will ultimately help the world heal in a small way.”
"Most people are stuck in their head, trying to ‘think’ their way to happiness through external means. But the true path to happiness and joy is internal and must be accompanied by emotional intelligence.”
Boosalis holds balance, boundaries, self-love and living within one's truth as the ultimate keys to a healthy mental state. Personally, she achieves this by engaging in nourishing relationships, mindfulness and gratitude on a daily basis. She also believes in being authentic. “By not being authentic, your body is lying and your mental and physical health will pay for it,” she says. “Engage in self-care because you must fill your own cup before you fill someone else’s. Protect your energy. It’s okay to say ‘no.’ Be mindful of who and what you spend your time, energy and thoughts on—these are all a reflection of who you are and what you are becoming. Grow and evolve daily, even if it is uncomfortable. Release what doesn’t serve you, whether these are thoughts, actions or people. And exercise regularly and eat real food as much as possible."