We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marisa Fanelli a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Marisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

Back in the early days of my business, I had a new client come in for a session of Hypnoacupuncture (a combination of acupuncture and hypnotherapy.)

From the start, I noticed something very interesting about the clientele I was attracting. I was a magnet for all types of psychics, mediums, and other metaphysical practitioners. At least once a week, a new client would arrive and inform me, apropos of nothing, that they felt compelled to share that they could read minds, talk to dead people, or see the future.

During this particular session, the woman began to answer the questions on my health intake, and then began to talk about her experiences as a medium. I listened intently; I love a good story! Once we finished chatting about her experiences in the paranormal realm, I returned to my original line of questioning, and we finished up with the intake form.

I walked her over to my treatment table, and told her to remove her shoes and socks, and to pull up the legs of her pants so that I could begin the session. She nodded and began to prepare for the treatment, hopping up onto the table. She then looked up at seemingly nothing, and said, “Oh, okay.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t talking to you. I brought a spirit with me,” she replied.

“Excuse me?” I repeated.

“He comes to hang out with me sometimes,” she explained. “He wanted to see what one of these sessions was like, so I brought him along.”

Struggling to keep my face devoid of all expression, I said, “Oh, that’s…nice of him to join us. Do you mind lifting your pants legs a bit higher? I need to access a point here.” I pointed at an acupuncture point above her knee.

“Sorry, my pants are tight,” she said, struggling to tug them higher.

“I can give you a sheet if you want? I know, all these tight jeans are the bane of my existence as an acupuncturist. Ever since they came back into style no one can get them up high enough…”

“Hey!” she snapped, interrupting me. “Cut it out! Don’t be rude!”

I stepped back, confused. “Sorry? Did I say something to offend you?”

Her gaze drifted from the ceiling to my face. “Oh, not you. The spirit told me to tell you to stop talking so much and get to work. He’s getting bored from listening to you.”

“Is this really my life right now?” I wondered, as I glanced in the general vicinity of where this supposed spirit was hanging out. Okay, I can play this game too.

“Well, I think YOU’RE the one being rude,” I said to…well, the air. “It’s not polite to tell a stranger to stop talking.”

At that moment, my diploma, which had been hanging on the wall behind the treatment table, FLEW off the wall as if someone had violently thrown it. The glass exploded and shattered everywhere…except for where my patient was lying.

“You made him mad,” she said, completely unaffected by it all. She calmly tucked the pillow under her head and closed her eyes.

“Uh…sorry,” I replied.

Shockingly, I made zero effort to get her to rebook. She and her ghost were definitely not welcomed back.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was inspired to become an acupuncturist after watching my mother suffer throughout my childhood with a variety of illnesses that were worsened by Western medicine. Although this type of medicine has its place, what struck me was the reduction of the human into nothing more than a series of parts that needed to be fixed. My mother spent much of her time struggling to be heard and understood by her doctors.

After I began my career in acupuncture, I realized that I wanted to add an additional element to my sessions in order to create sessions that treat on every level. Years prior, I had several positive experiences with hypnotherapy, and I decided to add this to the mix. I got certified in this modality and began incorporating it into my sessions.

I believe that businesses should be in a constant state of evolution, just as our clients are. Each year, I look at the lessons I’ve learned from my patients and from life as a whole. I then ask myself: How do I elevate my work into providing the deepest healing that I possibly can? What can I incorporate to catalyze the highest level of transformation within my clients?

This has led to an expansion of my work into the metaphysical realm. I use my intuitive gifts in every session to propel my clients forward, and this work gets to the root of most issues far more quickly.

My practice is extremely unique, as my patients will attest to. I receive similar feedback from my clients on a regular basis: simply walking into my space seems to regulate their nervous systems. Clients speak of feeling completely unjudged, able to unveil their darkest parts without any fear. In my office, there is lots of laughter, connection, and the relief of being able to reveal your most authentic, unabashed self.

My goal is for every client to receive exactly what they need, even if it isn’t with me. I refer clients out to other practitioners on a regular basis. I have a vast network of talented professionals that I am always happy to share and an innate gift of being able to create powerful and lasting connections.

I see each client through an intuitive lens that highlights their infinite potential, and I help them expand into their full magnificence.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When Covid struck, I was at the high point of my career. Before the pandemic, I would have said that my worst fear was having a factor outside of my control force me to close my business. Once the pandemic hit, I was forced to close down. My overhead was extremely high, and I had no idea what to do to pay my bills.

I decided to get creative. I obviously couldn’t continue to see acupuncture clients, as my clinic wasn’t allowed to open. I thought about how to transition to the virtual world, and I designed my “Bedtime Hypnosis” sessions. During these sessions, I would have everyone signed up get on a Zoom call at 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Everyone would fall asleep listening to the hypnosis sessions, and then receive the recording. So, they would get to experience the magic of transformational hypnosis while also receiving a blissful night’s sleep-a win win situation!

I then began to offer all types of unique psychic experiences online. I developed something called “Friday Night Flights,” which were a tasting menu of three different types of psychics, readers, and healers. These Flights became a huge hit, and kept me afloat financially while I was waiting to reopen. As a bonus, these events also helped to support other small business owners who were also struggling.

As difficult as the pandemic was, it taught me that I will always find a way to be okay. With resilience, creativity, and determination, nothing is impossible.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I started my business, I had no idea where to begin. I was single and self-reliant; I had no savings and my credit cards were maxed out. I was waitressing at night to pay my rent, had tons of debt, and was starting from absolutely nothing.

I found a small room to rent at a very affordable price, and set up my schedule so that I could see clients during the day, while waiting tables at night. When my business began to grow, I started cutting out a few shifts in my waitressing schedule. After about a year, I was making enough money to stop waitressing entirely. I quit the restaurant and never looked back.

I speak with a lot of entrepreneurs who say that they can’t open their business until they somehow manifest the funds to get started. I always share my story, explaining that it’s perfectly okay to start with the basics, and to spend more as you grow. So many believe that it can’t be done unless they have the ability to bring their ideal vision into instant reality. The truth is, if you have the desire to make it as an entrepreneur, you will (and should) always be in a state of transition. Today’s version of your dream will look completely different ten years down the road. There’s no shame in starting on a smaller scale and growing as your income grows.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.healingpointtherapeutics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisaadele1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealingPointTherapeutics
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/healingpointtherapeutics/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/healing-point-therapeutics-marlborough?osq=acupuncture

Image Credits
Photos by Ksenia Verdiyan and Josh Adam