Meet Ilona Varo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilona Varo.

Ilona Varo is a Hungarian born psychotherapist practicing in Los Angeles. Her background in the beauty/entertainment industry as well the healing arts informs her unique, mindful and client-centered approach. Ilona’s practice focuses on women’s issues from adolescence through adulthood. Ilona identifies as an empath, healer, and highly sensitive individual. These qualities have informed her curiosity and journey of achieving and teaching mental health. Ilona was always the listener and peacemaker of her family and friends.

She was the go to individual to help bring mindfulness, guidance and compassion to any situation. After a brief career in entertainment PR, working for high profile celebrities and brands, Ilona decided to pivot her career and follow her original passion of holistic healing. Ilona is a believer of incorporating eastern philosophies into western medicine. She is a fan of such practices such as yoga, meditation, acupuncture, massage therapy, breathwork, and other mindfulness practices. Ilona focuses on issues involving body image, disordered eating, self-hatred/sabotaging behaviors, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders and trauma. Ilona is trained in EMDR and works with somatic modalities to help clients create safety in their body. Safety includes healthy self-regulation, healthy coping skills, healthy relationships and bringing awareness to the somatic experiences of mental health issues. A lot of mental health behaviors are a result of individuals being detached from their bodies, at war within themselves, and the struggle to rationalize a biological response. It’s not logical, it’s biological. Ilona helps provide clients with practical tools so that they can improve their awareness of the behaviors/thoughts/reactions which bring them distress. Practical tools and collaborative practices ensure that clients can learn to cope in healthier and more effective ways. Ilona is very passionate about women’s health, resiliency, and teaching effective/practical coping skills so that individuals can find peace in their mind/body experiences.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There haven’t been any over obstacles or challenges. There have been detours however. My career started in entertainment PR which was exciting, fun, and flashy for the young 21 years old version of myself. After a few years of working in the entertainment industry, I realize that my real passion and more aligned the way of being Was in the healing arts. While entertainment PR was fun and exciting, the curiosity of human behavior and the mind-body connection led me back to grad school to pursue a master’s and then license in marriage and family therapy. The road to licensure was difficult based on the requirements alone. There are two board exams that one must pass, along with a minimum of 3000 hours of clinical practice under supervision. Becoming a mental health professional really requires the individual to take a look at their own mental health, dive deep into their own healing, and develop a sense of resiliency so that they can hold space, compassion, and guidance for everyone they come in contact with. It is a privilege to be witness to the emotions of others. Vulnerability is such a beautiful thing.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is unique since I bring a variety of knowledge from my previous careers, life experience, and highly inquisitive nature. I am a seeker, student of life, and an insatiably curious individual. My own life experience of healing from an eating disorder, anxiety and “small-t” traumas inform my specialties and main focus of my practice. I love working from a somatic perspective to heal relational trauma and help others develop resiliency in mind/body. My overall journey informs how I work. My practice incorporates the mind-body connection since there is no separating the mind/thoughts from the body/behaviors. More and more research is showing the impact that trauma has not only on the mind and memories but how the nervous system responds to more mild triggers day to day. My goal is to teach individuals to become the most resilient versions of themselves. We must heal our relationship to ourselves first and foremost before we can have healthy relationships outside of ourselves. My practice focuses a lot on women’s issues, eating disorders, anxiety, and self-sabotaging behaviors. I am known for my creativity, curiosity, determination, and thinking outside the box. Healing is not a one-size-fits-all experience. I believe that the client is the expert of their lives, and we have to go at the pace that they set. My goal is to eliminate shame, guilt, and blame for why individuals are the way they are. Through compassion, mindfulness, and healthy coping skills, I believe healing and change are accessible to all.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is creating my own dolls and making clothes for them. I was always a very artistic and creative child. I loved making up stories, indulging my vivid imagination, and creating Elaborate worlds for my dolls to live in.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.ilonavaro.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ilonavaro
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilonaVaroCoachingAndPsychotherapy

Image Credits
Elena Gharbigi