She runs a renowned private practice and is an author of two books. And she attributes her success as an internationally sought-after therapist to a life-changing experience as a mother. We are privileged to interview Else and share her heartfelt wisdom with you.

Else Strom Vistisen is passionate about helping people return to their best so they can enjoy a pain-free, fulfilled life.

She is known for her intuitive and emphatic personality and has the ability to quickly tune in to individual clients’ needs. She’s a gem, being a lifetime partner of B1G1 (Buy1Give1), and determined to see more people live life to the fullest with the least amount of pain and discomfort.

Tell us about you and your business, and what you were doing before you started?

I was fortunate to find my passion at an early age in life. I graduated as an occupational therapist in Denmark and started out as a rehabilitation manager at Homeward Bound for severely mentally and physically handicapped children in Minneapolis, USA in 1984 and moved to Hong Kong late 1984 and has since worked and lived in Asia for 31 years.

I have worked in different settings within the orthopedic, neuroanatomical, and burn units in my career as a therapist. For the past 12 years, I have specialised in chronic pain relief and have successfully treated more than a thousand people in Singapore and from abroad with acute and long-lasting pain issues.

What played the most important role in helping you start?

I believe that many of us do what we do, because of some life-changing experience. Mine came when my daughter at 6 weeks old was diagnosed with, what was said to be an incurable disease; one that would leave her to suffer for her whole life.

I was determined that would not happen to her, and since that day, I have devoted my life to bringing the joy of a pain-free fulfilled life to clients around the world.

Individual Identity

Some people might say that I am an entrepreneur. I more so identify myself as a therapist with a curious personality and a great desire to learn from inspirational people so I too can learn, share and provide a better treatment and service for my clients.

I love challenges and being an independent person, I founded Else Vistisen Therapy in 2005 (previously named Combined Therapies) enabling me to help people in pain by providing a very personal treatment approach to accommodate, respect and embrace the clients’ individual needs.

Advice For You

What would you say to people who are struggling with making the jump into a new career, or position?

Trust your instincts, believe in yourself, and JUST DO IT. You can only learn from trying. Each new door opens up for new ideas and opportunities. You meet new, interesting people from whom you will be inspired and most often realise that you have undiscovered creative abilities that want to surface and develop as you open yourself to new challenges.

Dream Job Reality Check

Everything has its challenges and there are good days and ‘bad’ days.

I think that we all experience the moment of being overwhelmed with either too much work, loss of confidence or having clients that we are unable to help with the presented problem. When that happens to me I make an effort to take time out in silence, listen to good music, go for a run or a swim to raise my energy. Get clear about my goals and passion, to create a clear picture of why I am doing what I am doing.

What really makes me get out of bed in the morning is knowing, that I can help people lead pain-free, joyful, and fulfilling lives so they can return to their best.

What is your advice for fellow professionals who are tired, burned-out, and ready to call it quits?

Take some time out, recharge your batteries and think about what you really want to do in life. Follow your instincts, listen to what your heart tells you, be honest about what you want, talk to inspirational people. It is never too late to change direction, re-invent yourself. Remember that you have the answer within, if you just dare to listen to what your mind and body tells you.

Challenges Of Old

My biggest challenge and frustration is the lack of know-how in marketing, electronic communication, and social media which I have never studied or taken an interest in. It often takes too much of my time to figure it out and before the task is done I am exhausted from trying to figure it out.

How do you deal with, or overcome that challenge or frustration?

I am fortunate that a dear friend of mine is a technology expert and she has kindly offered to help me in setting up my social media content and even better, offered to maintain the data. When that is done I will feel so liberated and free to concentrate on what I love and what I am good at. Being a therapist and using my practical hands.

What was your biggest failure or lesson in life, and how has that shaped how you work?

For a number of years, I spend a lot of my spare time in helping and promoting unknown complementary therapies into Singapore and Asia. I was so passionate about sharing the new therapies with my fellow health practitioners that I didn’t realize that my time, effort and dedication wasn’t being appreciated to the extent that I had hoped for. For some time it made me upset and disappointed until the day when I was able to look at it with a positive mindset, embracing the true value of me learning from highly respected and inspirational therapists.

Lessons Learned

Why was this an important lesson?

If you are really passionate about helping and promoting a good cause, then do so from the bottom of your heart without any expectations. And be grateful for what you have learned from making a difference.

Focus On The Here And Now

Any advice for people who have “regrets” or have made mistakes along the way?

Generally, I try not to look back. I am very good at living in the present and enjoying the moment. For me life is not about the destination but all about the journey. We can’t erase past experiences. They are, and will always be part of who we are. It is far more beneficial to embrace and learn from the past and use it as a stepping stone to grow and move forward in a healthy and positive way.

We all make mistakes and at times make the wrong decision about what to do in a certain situation. Look at those as a lesson on how you can improve and learn to become a better individual in whatever new challenges you might face in the present moment and the future.

Please share a quote or saying that you live by, one of your own.

Whenever my children, family members, good friends or clients ask me for a good advice I most often look them in the eyes and tell them to: “Live the life you love.”

We are often bombarded with well-meant advice on how to live our life seen by other people’s point of view.

If we learn to listen to what we really want in any given situation first then will be able to live the life we love.

Else Strom Vistisen’s One Line

I am a therapist and specialise in chronic pain relief helping busy, high achieving individual with acute and long-lasting pain issues to return to their best.

Visit the Else Vistisen Therapy page to find out more about Else’s work.

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