aloha
My name is Anuheaonamailelauliʻi which means, “the cool upland fragrance of the small leaf variety of Maile,” a beautiful vine and also my beloved Tūtū’s name.
Iʻm from Kāneʻohe, Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu. My kane and I, along with our three keiki, were priced out of our hometowns and currently reside in Puna, Hawaiʻi.
Although I went to a school for Hawaiian children, I never felt "Hawaiian enough" and didn't have a desire to intentionally learn about my Hawaiian culture until our hiapo. We enrolled him in Kaiapuni and it was there that major healing began as we grew confident in our identities as Kānaka ʻŌiwi; By learning ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, ike kuʻuna, moʻokuauhau, mele, ʻoli, hula, pule, moʻolelo, wahi pana, aloha ʻāina, lawena Hawaiʻi, pili uhane, etc.
“Anuhea does a great job. She really has a gift in helping others see their full potential. ~Jonelle
My story
Despite my education and professional experience, I felt I lost parts of myself and identity somewhere between two and three kids, which led me to dig deep into my own personal development and therapy.
I discovered 3 critical problems...
1 - I became overwhelmed quickly by the amount of information and advice that bombarded me online; Thousands of “experts, influencers, coaches, specialists, etc.” With every scroll I seemed to feel more and more disconnected from my own intuition and disempowered.
2 - Of the legitimate programs I did find, by actual qualified experts, the vast majority of them seemed to only focus on one or two specific areas of self-development. We are all complex beings and each aspect of our health affects the other, which is why my approach is holistic.
3 - It was so difficult to find another Native Hawaiian therapist I could go to as a client or receive supervision to complete my licensure. I didn't feel like any of the non-Hawaiian therapist understood me completely. Part of me was angry because many of my challenges are direct symptoms of the trauma Native Hawaiians face because of continued colonization.
mental health therapy
kanaka to kanaka
Research shows that Native Hawaiians suffer from alarming rates of negative mental health associated risk factors, which stem from colonization, disconnect from our ʻŌiwi identities, and generational trauma from navigating the many systems of oppression we continue to face today.
Kānaka ʻŌiwi experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, attempts, and successes, self-harm, postpartum, substance abuse, and other addictions, abuse, neglect, etc. Yet we underutilize mental health services. Why? Because in order to feel safe and trust providers who offer these services, services must be provided by trauma-informed, fellow Native Hawaiians, in alignment with cultural values and there simply isn't enough of that accessible.
I was able to begin healing my personal traumas and improving my overall wellbeing, across every aspect of health, by utilizing both modern and cultural practices that helped me cultivate a stronger self-identity as an indigenous woman. It has been an empowering journey and I'm super passionate about helping other indigenous women take ownership of their lives and break generational traumas.
In my simplest form I am an imperfect human and life-long student. I humbly share what I know as a #NoteToSelf which provides accountability for my own personal development and hopefully cultivates pilina with you and other Kanaka ʻŌiwi.
I am so honored and thankful we can make meaningful connections online and expand accessibility of Mental Healthcare. At a time where so many things are challenging indigenous and minority peoples, I’ve never been so sure that attuning to our bodies, minds, and souls as well as strengthening our connections to self, ʻāina, kūpuna, culture, values, ʻohana, Akua, modern day adaptations, etc. is the healing our Lāhui needs.
Working with Anuhea was an awesome experience.
I've gained happiness from putting the things I learned from her into practice, for myself and my family. S.H.