Anneli Virkhaus

Music Therapist, Sound Healer

Spiritual Guide, Yogi

My Story

I know what it feels like to not belong.

From a young age, I felt out of place in this world. I was deeply emotional and often just knew things about people and situations without being told. I remember asking my mom when I could “go home,” and though she assured me I was already there, something in my soul knew otherwise. I carried the memory of another place — one of peace, harmony, higher vibrations, and light.

What I didn’t understand then was that I was an empath with strong intuitive and psychic sensitivities. I could feel the emotions and energy of everything and everyone around me. At first, I thought everyone could sense what I did — but I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. I absorbed the pain and emotions of those closest to me, especially my parents, who were struggling in their own ways.

Because no one could validate what I was experiencing, I learned to shut it down to feel safe. It took years — and many cycles of awakening — to recognize that these sensitivities weren’t a burden but a gift. They were the very abilities that would one day guide me home to myself and help others do the same.

Drugs were my haven of disconnection

When I was sixteen, I discovered the world of drugs — and at the time, it felt like a relief. For the first time, I could escape the constant intensity of my emotions and the energy I absorbed from others. What began as a coping mechanism soon became a path of deep addiction.

Even so, I managed to graduate from college with a degree in Music. But underneath that achievement, I felt lost. I was struggling with alcohol, body image, and self-worth, always comparing myself to others and feeling like I didn’t measure up. I had no clear sense of who I was or what I wanted, only that I loved music and people.

It was during this time that I stumbled upon music therapy and sound healing — and everything changed. It gave meaning to my pain, a way to transform my sensitivity into purpose. That discovery became the doorway to the healing path I walk today.

The Day I Got Sober I Jumped Timelines

After being accepted into the Music Therapy program at Appalachian State, I moved there a year early to gain in-state tuition. That year became one of the darkest periods of my life — a true dark night of the soul — but it ultimately led to my sobriety. Choosing to get sober changed everything, and I’ve never looked back.

When I removed alcohol, I realized it had been masking something deeper — an eating disorder. Six months into my program, I withdrew to seek treatment for anorexia. Without the numbing, all the emotions I’d suppressed came to the surface. I entered a treatment program, worked with a therapist and dietitian, and slowly began to rebuild my relationship with my body and myself.

When I returned to school, I excelled — graduating strong and landing my top internship choice in San Francisco. But during that internship, my awakening deepened. I found it increasingly difficult to fit into traditional systems. I resonated more with the clients in the psychiatric ward than with the clinical model itself. I knew I wanted to help people like them — but in a more holistic, integrative way.

After graduation, I stayed in San Francisco and continued my studies in sound healing, Reiki, and consciousness-based practices. Not long after, I met my husband — a divine meeting that marked the beginning of a new chapter of expansion and purpose.

I chose the inner journey

Over the years, I’ve worked with private clients, led group music therapy sessions and sound baths, facilitated workshops, and continually deepened my relationship with music and its profound power to heal. I also had the opportunity to open and run a yoga studio for over four years, where I learned about business, leadership, and community.

Ultimately, my true passion is helping people awaken to the deeper realms of life—to expand their awareness, elevate their consciousness, and learn to love and care for themselves.

For half my life, I was caught in patterns of self-destruction. Addiction and anorexia were forms of dissociation, a way to disconnect from pain. My healing began when I turned inward—facing my shadows, learning self-acceptance, and choosing compassion. While I gained valuable training in school, my most powerful lessons came through lived experience.

When I hit rock bottom, I discovered yoga, chanting, affirmations, manifestation, chakras, physics, Tibetan Buddhism, and meditation. These practices became the foundation for my transformation.

Now, I’ve become an expert in self-love and inner healing—and my greatest joy is helping others navigate those same inner landscapes. I know what it’s like to struggle, to feel lost, to want to escape. And I also know the freedom, beauty, and joy that await when you commit to your inner work. It changes everything. It’s worth it.

Fun Facts

I LOVE ecstatic dance and contact improv! Dance has been a huge part of my healing journey. I am a big part of my dance community and it's my favorite way to have fun and process emotions.
I am a caver and was also a cave tour guide at the Caverns. I am scared of heights but do repel and actively overcome fears by going caving.
I love nature and hiking and enjoy going on adventures. I have hiked the Grand Canyon and desire to visit all state parks and hike and camp in them.
I have performed with LSDREAM twice at the Caverns for his Lightcode progject!
I performed solo at the Caverns during Cave Fest and did a full sound bath!

Education

2007, Bachelor's in Music, Hendrix College

2014, Bachelor's in Music Therapy, Appalachian State University

2015, Sound Healing Certificate, Globe Institute

2015, Level II Reiki Training, SF Hypnotherapy

2020, 200-Yoga Teacher Training, Kripalu Yoga Center

2021, Quantum Healing Hypnosis Certificate, Dolores Cannon