My Philosophy

My guiding philosophy is that by coming back to our bodies, we access a source of inner wisdom and love that can guide us, not only in our healing, but in our lives. We find our own unique path to a life full of love, meaning, and joy – at any capacity. And we build the resilience to recognize and resist the unjust and unloving systems that are harming us all.

My Approach

Here are three key areas I can be of most support:

1 – Building a relationship with the body. Underpinning everything we do is safely reconnecting to your body as a whole and accessing your own source of wisdom. I know for many of us, the body has not often felt like a safe place to be. Thus, over time, we have learned to protect, numb, and disconnect from ourselves, each other, and our world. However, while this disconnection can be necessary for survival, it also can keep us from fully healing – fully loving – and fully living.

Reconnecting to the body is a lot like learning a new language – one made up not only of thoughts, but also sensations, emotions, images, intuitive knowings, bodily positions, and movements. To deepen this relationship, we might draw upon somatic practices, dreamwork, creative practices, nature, ritual, and more. I will share the tools and experiences that have worked well for me, but always, the aim is to find what works best for YOU.

Trauma and stress are important pieces of this work. I hold an MSW and certificate in somatic trauma integration, and am deeply committed to ensuring that our work is done safely, at a rate your body can metabolize.

2 – Deep emotional exploring. Together, we can explore the profound emotional experience of being ill in a deeply ill world. For example:

• SELF-COMPASSION. How do we develop self-compassion and self-validation while being disbelieved or dismissed by so many around us?
• ANXIETY. How do we tolerate fear and uncertainty around our future, our livelihoods, symptoms, diagnoses, prognoses, and treatments?
• JOY. How do we reconnect with joy and laughter, pleasure and play so we can live a beautiful life in the midst of difficulty and discomfort?
• SHAME. How do we hold some of these most painful questions: Am I really sick? Is it my fault? Why aren’t I getting better? What is wrong with me?
• LOVE. How do we navigate boundaries and connection with such deeply low energy? How do we give and receive love in ways that heal us more then harm us?
• OVERWHELM. How do we navigate the overwhelming amount of information available online – the treatments, “expert opinions,” “solutions,” and more? How do we navigate the overwhelming amount of information from our body – the sensations, symptoms, emotions, thoughts, and more?
• HOPE. How do we balance radically accepting current circumstances and radically daring to imagine and work towards the future we most want?
• ANGER. How do we handle strong waves of emotions? How can we use our rage as fuel, as passion, as motivation?
• PURPOSE. How do we craft a meaningful life alongside fluctuating and severe limitations? How do we engage with a deeply hurting world?
• GRIEF. How do we move through intense levels of grief and the many compounding losses of being chronically ill?

3– Regulating the nervous system. We regulate our systems to grow the capacity to move towards what is most hurting in ourselves and the world around us, not away.

Together, we practice not only how to soothe our systems, but also how to safely activate them so we can heal long held patterns. We practice how to be with what is, exactly as it is, so that our bodies can feel safe enough to heal. And, we practice how to recognize and name the systems harming us, so that we do not place the burden of safety and healing on ourselves alone.

A note…

1:1 work has its limitations. Our wellness is deeply impacted by our families, societies, cultures, systems and structures. Our illness is not a personal flaw to be ashamed of, but rather a natural response to a very wide range of environmental, emotional, and cultural stressors. Illness and wellness are a collective issues, and therefore require collective and creative ways to address them. This is why I also offer group sessions in the form of Healing Circles.

About Me

I’ve been told I have a knack for providing a nonjudgmental and compassionate space for people to bring their whole selves. This may be partially because I have a tendency to fall a little bit in love with anyone who shows me a glimpse of their heart. I come as a package deal with all of my own privileges, biases, and imperfections, and welcome your feedback at every step. I firmly believe that you know your body best, and will be transparent with what I know – and do not know. 

For more about my own journey with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and complex chronic illness, read my bio: Meet Beth.

About You

• Are you experiencing ME/CFS? Or have you been diagnosed with another complex chronic illness such as Long COVID, Fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disorder, mold toxicity, or Chronic Lyme Disease?
• Do you want to more deeply connect to yourself and learn the language of your body?
• Do you want to accept and build a beautiful life as you are now and strive for greater vibrancy in your overall health?
• Are you are eager to explore both the individual and systemic root causes of illness?

If your answer to all or most of these questions was yes, then we might be a great fit!

Pricing

Each 45-minute session is sliding scale: $50, $75, or $100. Generally, $50 rates are for folks struggling to make ends meet, $100 rates are for people living comfortably, and $75 rates are for anyone in between the two.

As someone currently living with ME, I am searching for chronic illness kin so we can learn, grow, and heal – together. I am exploring a way of being with clients that is creative, playful, and honors all of our wisdom and experience. As a gift to my community, I offer a package of 4 free sessions to those with ME/CFS who are drawn to engage in this experiment with me – I only ask for your honest feedback in return. Please email me directly to find out more at bethanyschmid@gmail.com.

Not sure? No problem! 20-minute discovery calls are free!

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