Meet Trelisha & Eric Lochner | Holistic Spiritual Healing Consultation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trelisha & Eric Lochner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trelisha & Eric, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
In 2020 our world experienced an unsettling amount of racial tension; grocery store shelves were bare, and most children were no longer learning in school. At the beginning of the pandemic, our family found time to reconnect by playing board games, watching movies, and creating new recipes in the kitchen. That joy soon turned into despair, grief, and anger. The news was on recurring syndication in our home, which brought up many discussions. One, in particular, was racial tension. After a few weeks, I could tell something within my 8-year-old son had changed. He no longer enjoyed being at home, he wanted to socialize with his friends, and he was uncharacteristically emotional. Our son, who was 8 years old at the time, had changed. He turned to me one day and asked, “why are people not nice? Why do they do bad things?” The hopelessness in his eyes made me realize I needed to get him help. He needed someone to talk to.

As a biracial child, it was important to find him a counselor that he could help him navigate the racial injustice conversation. I spent the next 3 months searching for a counselor. I quickly discovered that Black and Brown counselors were booked or were not accepting new clients. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), only 2 percent of the estimated 41,000 psychiatrists in the U.S. are Black, and 4 percent of psychologists are Black. We eventually found a counselor that provided the necessary support our son needed.

I spoke to many of my friends that were living in the same situation we struggled with in our household: they were angry, frustrated, confused, and seeking help for themselves and their own family members. Many were seeking help through the church but found that many churches were not discussing social injustice or providing mental health support. When help was provided a single prayer was provided and was told they would be added to the prayer list. This led Eric and me to ask the question, “What can we do to help our community?”.
In 2020, I partnered with a friend, Shelly Ahlquist, to start a support group at our local church called “Be The Bridge”. Shelly and I shared the same frustrations about the direction of humanity as well as sharing the same passion to reconnect people through fellowship and mental health awareness. Be The Bridge is a social justice organization where groups can openly discuss social issues and how to build a bridge to reconciliation. Shelly and I spent time facilitating group discussions and brainstorming ideas to create change. What was really exciting was that the group was successful in bringing different individuals together to discuss reconciliation.
During this time, Eric and I continued to discuss what additional steps we could take to support our community. The answer was at our front door.
We had a meeting with the lead pastor of a local church to pitch the idea of starting a peer support/mental health program. Eric and I did not know the first step in creating our vision but we knew it was important to bridge the gap between mental health and the church. Our belief is that an individual should never have to pick between prayer or mental health. In 2022 we launched our consulting business Holistic Spiritual Healing, LLC. We help churches set up and launch peer support and/or mental health programs within their organization. Eric and I are looking to educate and train Pastors, Church Leadership, and their team on the importance of mental health, healing and prayer. The best part is, that we utilize the members that are found in their own church that represent THEIR own communities. This concept has a greater tie to leadership-membership relationships.
Eric and I strive to get this concept out to all churches, any faith included, because no one should be without mental health resources or help when they are in their darkest hours. It is our goal to influence as many places of worship as possible so that they may be inspired to create change within their own church community and even greater, to those outside of the community that reaches out to them for assistance.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Eric and I wanted to contribute to the healing of change and support. To start off with our mission to provide a better quality of life for those around us, we had to start with our own lives. I returned to school to earn my Master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling. Eric is a local firefighter with a passion for helping those around him. In 2014, Eric initiated a Peer Support Program inside his own department, designed for the members of his department that struggle with their job or daily life at home.

In 2020, I partnered with a friend Shelly Ahlquist to start a support group at our local church called “Be The Bridge”. Shelly and I shared the same frustrations about the direction of humanity as well as sharing the same passion for reconnecting people through fellowship and mental health awareness. Be The Bridge is a social justice organization where groups can openly discuss social issues and how to build a bridge in reconciliation. Shelly and I spent time facilitating group discussions and brainstorming ideas to create change. What was really exciting was that the group was successful in the way that it brought different types of individuals together to discuss reconciliation
We met with the church’s lead pastor to pitch the idea of starting a peer support/mental health program. Eric and I did not know the first step in creating our vision but we knew it was important to bridge the gap between mental health and the church; we have the understanding that most people will find solace and hope within their own community churches, no matter the religion. Eventually, we were able to follow a basic platform that Eric had used to create the Peer Support Program that was created through his own fire department.

Amid the Be the Bridge Program, Shelly and I learned that the youth of the church was struggling with social life, church, school, and social media. There were concerns because multiple students had attempted suicide (thankfully unsuccessfully) due to pressures they felt to fit into society. Five youth members came to us with a passion for love and support and they became the catalyst for the Peer Support Program within the church, designed to assist the youth through their struggles with compassion and a load of resources to get help.

Our belief is that an individual should never have to pick between prayer or mental health. The Bible speaks of mind, body and soul…the whole person. In 2022 we launched our consulting business Holistic Spiritual Healing, LLC. We help churches set up and launch peer support and/or mental health programs within their organization. Eric and I are looking to educate and train Pastors, Church Leadership, and their team on the importance of mental health, healing and prayer. The best part is we utilize the members that are found in their own church that represent THEIR own communities. This concept has a greater tie to leadership-membership relationships.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Eric and I love to explore our city, especially new restaurants. As avid travelers, we know food is the first thought when getting off the plane. When my best friend arrives, I will first take her to Southern Rail restaurant. They have delicious southern meals and fabulous cocktails. To work off the food, we will visit the first Friday art walk to view the multicultural range of creativity and artistic expression. The next day, we will head out to Ghost Ranch for a nice breakfast. Then take a bike tour of Tempe Lake. After our tour, we will head to Board & Brew for lunch. After the tour and lunch, we will head home to relax before heading to a concert or show. We love a good theater show, concert or comedy show. Afterward, we will head to dinner at Neighborly Public House. A casual eatery that provides a range of food from cast iron cornbread to ribs to a delicious lobster roll. We will end the evening at Westside Blues and Jazz. We will have a good time listening to great music, meeting new people, and having one of my favorite cocktails, the mule.
We will hang out at home on Sunday before heading out to take my best friend to the airport.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out Shelly Ahlquist for being an inspiration to change. She is a true example of the task God has placed upon each of us in loving our neighbor and living our purpose. Thank you for being an inspiration to Eric and me. We also want to also thank Chaplin Raul Ochoa for loving unconditionally without judgment. He has taught us to create change by loving with empathy and understanding while boldly living our truth. Thank you, Chaplin Raul Ochoa for loving us unconditionally and being a great example!

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