In observance of AA&NHPI Heritage Month (Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander) and Mental Health Awareness Month, Hawaiian Diaspora reached out to Alexis Kamakanoe Ornellas, a Licensed Professional Counselor and founder of Mana Counseling. Born and raised in New York as a mixed-race Kānaka Maoli queer woman, Alexis brings both lived experience and professional expertise to the forefront of healing work within the Hawaiian diaspora (Hawaiians living outside of Hawai’i.) Her practice centers culturally grounded therapy, decolonized care, and trauma healing through an Indigenous lens. In this Q&A, Alexis shares insights on disconnection, identity, and the path toward reclaiming our mental, emotional, and cultural wellbeing.
Q: Can you share a little about your background and what led you to this work in mental health and healing?
A: I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado, a consultant and trainer for therapists and practitioners and I'm committed to collective liberation, the land back movement, and the return of Hawaiian sovereignty. I identify as a mixed race Kānaka Maoli queer woman of the generational Hawaiian diaspora. I was born and raised in New York to a white European mother and a Kānaka Chinese Portuguese father. I am a mother, a wife, an artist, a hula dancer, an activist and a person who stutters. My own experiences with being mixed race, disconnected from my indigeneity and experiencing trauma and substance abuse coupled with my own journey of healing led to my path of becoming a therapist. I have been a psychotherapist since 2010 working with mixed and BIPOC folks to heal developmental, complex, historical and intergenerational trauma, and have been more recently focused on building pilina* within the Hawaiian diaspora to create online spaces where Kānaka can feel Hawaiian enough and reclaim their culture and heritage.
Q: As someone who grew up in the Hawaiian diaspora, how did being away from Hawaiʻi shape your understanding of identity and mental wellness?
A: For much of my early life, I felt a huge hole, like something so inherent to me was missing. I also felt so different from everyone. It was hard to feel like I belonged and I often felt like an outsider or foreigner. These experiences led to severe anxiety and shame and using substances to cope. 15 years into my healing journey, I can now see that the missing pieces were the connection to my indigeneity and the pae ʻāina* (as I often felt less of these issues when I was in Hawaiʻi), the acceptance and acknowledgment of my Kānaka identity (whether I am on the ʻāina or not), and recognizing the impact of intergenerational trauma that likely affects many of us Kānaka. I also want to acknowledge that generational assimilation can have huge impact in disconnecting us from culture and from our authenticity. If our mākua* or kūpuna* had to exile aspects of their culture in order to fit in and survive, that can have significant impact on future generations.
Q: What unique mental health challenges do you see among Hawaiians in the diaspora—and how can culturally grounded care help address them?
A: Many struggle with even claiming Hawaiian identity or not feeling “Hawaiian enough”—whether it's because they have grown up disconnected from culture and ʻāina, or they don’t present in ways they think Hawaiians should present, or they don’t know the culture and language. They also name struggles of feeling insecure or struggling with low self-esteem/self-worth, a feeling of not belonging, feeling disconnected from themselves or others, struggling with patterns of depression or anxiety, and coping with painful feelings through addictive processes (drugs, alcohol, gambling, gaming addiction, etc). Are these challenges unique to Hawaiians in the diaspora? No. But I think the causes are—a combination of intergenerational and historical trauma (i.e., colonization and the immense horror our people and ʻāina experienced) coupled with displacement, assimilation, and disconnection from cultural practices and values.
Culturally grounded care is essential to addressing these challenges as lack of culturally grounded care is likely part of the cause of the imbalance. When we connect to cultural practices and values we strengthen our mana* and move towards balance. Historically, our people valued holistic healing, meaning healing that addresses all aspects of the person—including their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. They were much more open about their emotions and acknowledged them in many ways—through language, mele*, hula*, and uhi* (tattoos). Weaving cultural practices into one’s path of healing or making them the primary focus can restore mana, help reclaim Kānaka identity, and significantly improve our mental health. Therapy and culturally grounded care has been essential in my healing journey.
Q: How does your identity as a diasporic Hawaiian influence the way you hold space for others in therapy?
A: I work holistically and very much acknowledge the horrific impact that intergenerational and historical trauma, colonization, and systemic oppression have on ALL people, both the oppressed and the oppressors. This lens shapes the questions I ask and the ways I work in therapy. Meaning, that I never assume that the pain people are experiencing comes solely from just their own life experiences. I also do not pathologize their pain or strategies of coping that I believe are ways of dealing with severe distress (the cause of which is often not their fault or something they had control over). I will ask about their families’ experiences, where they come from and what world events impacted them or the generations before them. I will ask about cultural practices that are important to them, ways assimilation may have impacted them or their families, and if they are disconnected from their ancestral culture, what impact do they imagine this might have? I also weave in therapeutic practices that support the healing of intergenerational and historical trauma, that honor the wisdom of the body and the spirit and don’t just focus on our thinking brain, while also inviting my clients to bring in cultural practices that honor their lives, families, and inherent sovereignty. I honor loss and invite grief as a sacred practice. And I hold space for rage—a feeling many therapists struggle to honor.
Q: Many people think therapy looks a certain way—but what does it mean to offer mental health care that honors Hawaiian values and worldviews?
A: It means that we can offer mental health care that acknowledges more than just the impact of one’s individual experience, but that honors and acknowledges the impact of major tenets of Hawaiian culture—which includes connection (or lack thereof) to ʻāina, ʻohana*, ʻaumākua*/nā akua*, and kūpuna. It means we can weave more Western therapy modalities like EMDR or IFS with centering oli* practice or aloha ʻāina* to move towards healing.
Q: If you could speak directly to another Hawaiian living far from home who’s struggling to feel grounded or “enough,” what would you want them to know?
A: Please know that the ʻāina and your kūpuna are in your koko* (blood) and iwi* (bones) even if your feet are not on the pae ʻāina. Our people and land are always here for you even if you don’t yet feel it. You are inherently enough just as you are, whether you are culturally connected or not. You belong, you matter, and you are not alone.
Q: Is there anything else you would like Hawaiians in the diaspora to know about you and your work, including offerings, vision, hopes, and needs?
A: One of my greatest missions at this time is to help those of the Hawaiian diaspora who feel lost, disconnected, and not enough be able to claim their Hawaiian identity and heritage, reconnect to their culture, and band together for the future of the lāhui*.
As much generational trauma we Kānaka have inherited, we have also inherited our people’s fierceness, aloha*, and resilience. We must tap into that fierceness, aloha and resilience to heal and recover—for ourselves and for past and future generations. Hawaiʻi and the lāhui need us, and we need them. It is no secret that Hawaiʻi and our people continue to face significant systemic oppression. My concern is that if we in the diaspora don’t continue to reclaim and reconnect to our identity and culture and heal our generational trauma, we may continue to struggle with the issues that keep us disconnected from the greater issues our people and ʻāina are facing. This could lead to not enough forces to fight back and then our culture and ʻāina could be in real trouble. Which means those of us who need to, need to start to address the painful feelings that live in us. It is time for mai hilahila—do not be ashamed.
Learn more about Alexis Ornellas and Mana Counseling:
Mahalo to Alexis for her courage, manaʻo*, and commitment to culturally grounded care for our people. We are deeply honored to share her voice and support her work.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Glossary: