The approach I offer draws from a variety of arts therapies; somatic psychology; mindfulness; and trauma-informed practice.  It takes place mostly outside, where we gently engage physically and creatively with the natural world.  Although that might sound daunting to someone with ME/CFS, the therapy starts from wherever you are in your illness, to help ensure we build your capacity and don’t diminish it (though it may fluctuate, especially in the first few weeks).  If all you can do is to begin by sitting in a chair in your own garden, this is where we will start from.

Through what I’ve learned from published research and my own clinical practice, better functioning in ME/CFS can be achieved through:

• the use of interoception
• somatic practices
• breathing practices
• resourced emotional / childhood trauma release
• memory re-consolidation work
• authentic change to one’s survival behaviours (such as the people pleasing etc)
• the building of resources, including deep rest, to aid ongoing recovery

Exploring life experiences, behaviours and coping strategies through story and creative work, can enable suppressed emotion to be released, in a gentle way that can be tolerated physically and emotionally by ME/CFS sufferers.  

The above can enable shifts within the body that lead to a reduction of symptoms, pain and fatigue AND an increase in capacity for activity, over a relatively short period of time, if practiced regularly.  I teach clients to use interoception to enable them to know, at any moment, what their capacity is and whether they can resource themselves and carry on, or need to rest and recover, so that they do not make themselves feel more ill.  ME/CFS impacts everyone slightly differently and we each have a unique nervous system blueprint, so I cannot claim that this approach will help everyone.