I am so happy to give a completely positive recommendation for the heartfelt devotion and rock steady dedication of Sallie Smithwick as a facilitator of “The Work of Byron Katie”. It is an honor to be present with her over the phone, and to experience the depth of her “listening” is truly a blessed healing. She will definitely keep you “on task” … and always in a Loving way.
~ Larry Lawhorn, OT
Through practicing the work of Byron Katie with Sallie Smithwick, my life has changed.
In our sessions, Sallie had a loving presence and stillness. She had amazing patience with my resistance to self inquiry. The exercises were very insightful and fun. Inquiring into my sad stories, somehow dissolved the pain in them. With her deep listening and gentle questioning, I have begun to enjoy people and myself as we are; instead of how I want us to be. Her uncompromising optimism about my ability to love myself and love others has been a new beginning. I don’t know how this transformation has happened; I am just grateful for it.
~ Sue Hovey, retired teacher and grandmother
I used to make up all kinds of stories about why things happened and what people were thinking. I still make up stories, but I no longer believe they are true! My pre-Sallie stories generally created anger and hurt. Now my stories create sympathy and compassion. Sallie is almost magically perceptive in finding the core issue. And she can find a word or two that changes my whole perception and understanding.
~ A 69 year old grateful devotee of Sallie
I am forever grateful to Sallie for introducing me to The Work of Byron Katie. I would never have believed that this simple process of inquiry could have such a profound impact on my life. It’s truly amazing! I decided to start doing The Work as my morning meditation practice and things really began to change. I felt more peaceful. I felt happier. And I began to know myself on a deeper and more loving level.
Doing The Work with Sallie is for me an experience that is so beautiful and holy that it is hard to describe. She holds a sacred space, a space that is both kind and safe, where I am free to let go and examine any painful, distressing or disharmonious area of my life. (Sometimes I had kept these areas hidden, even from myself.) There was no thought that was too petty, too mean, or too shameful to examine. I have worked with Sallie on issues that I thought I would never share with another person.
Sallie’s presence is loving, clear and supportive. I have absolute confidence in her integrity and confidentiality. She is an excellent facilitator. I really can’t say enough.
You just have to experience it for yourself. I hope you will.
~ Diana Kirby
Sallie Smithwick is an inspiring facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. Using the inquiry process developed by Katie, Sallie effectively offered me clarity and resolve in problems I was facing. The process was empowering and was helpful in creating a shift in perception. Sallie has a gentle and effective way of using inquiry to heal thought processes that often hurt us.
Thank you, Sallie, for being such a loving, caring, effective healer and facilitator of Byron Katie’s work.
~ L Davis, Corporate Health and Productivity Facilitator
As a practitioner and facilitator Sallie is compassionate and trustworthy. She has excellent boundaries, practices what she preaches and she takes you as you are.
From my work with Sallie I am now more able to distinguish between my stressful thoughts about reality and the reality itself. The Work of Byron Katie dovetails with mindfulness meditation, allowing me to live more fully in the moment.
~ Annie
Sallie is a very skilled facilitator of the inquiry process. She asks the right questions and is skilled at helping to redirect my attention. Since doing inquiry with Sallie, my relationship with my mother has improved. Inquiry has helped me accept my emotions, take a wider view of the situation, and find peace within myself.
~ Deborah, horticulturist and herbalist from Charlottesville
Inquiry with Sallie has helped me improve many relationships and situations in my life. It has helped relieve stress, and offered me a more peaceful state of mind. After an inquiry, I am able to see my feelings about a situation in a whole different sense, which normally creates empathy, understanding and acceptance faster. Inquiry has opened my mind and soul to view and accept life less as a victim, and more as a participant and viewer. As a facilitator of inquiry, Sallie has been a teacher, mentor, and spiritual guide for my emotional and psychological health.
~ “Gardener of Earth’s Blessings”
Sallie is great in drawing you out in the inquiry process. She knows what to say to get you started and to relax you. We used the inquiry process several times on some stressful conflicts I was having and each time I went thru the process, I found relief. There was one particular situation involving members of my family in a dispute that was causing me tremendous stress. Sallie guided me through the inquiry process and it was a great help.
~ 65 year old retired microbiologist
Doing inquiry with Sallie has very much helped me release a lot of old issues from my past and also alleviate some fears in the present. Although the situations are the same, I am better able to handle them, and somehow I am more at peace.
~ Anonymous, Virginia