Spiritual Wellness

 SPIRITUAL WELLNESS

A holistic approach to health care incorporates Body, Mind (Emotional) and Spirit.

Frequency, as defined by the new physics, may be any dose of energy. In terms of energetic healing, this may be light, sound, color, homeopathy, aromatherapy, nutrition or the most important energy of all, love.

Ultimately, all physical ailments and distortions originate at a spiritual source, i.e., how we perceive ourselves at a soul level. Spiritual perception creates thought; thought produces emotion; and our emotions (through the vibrational hormones they produce) shape our physical reality.

Three thousand years of oriental medicine have proven there is a vibration called Chi or Life Force energy that flows like the branches of a tree throughout the entire body, touching every cell of every organ of every system. Any imbalance, deficiency or excess of these energies produces aberrations that filter down into the physical body and cause symptoms or disease. Each patient may be expressing symptoms as a result of energy congested or accumulated at one aspect of his or her being. Addressing the symptoms and root cause can lead to a greater sense of overall wellbeing, greater health and ultimately, spiritual evolution and connection.

New physics research supports the idea that each of us possesses the knowledge of how to be well. We are all our own best healers, but a highly trained facilitator supports the healing process. Integrative, natural therapies can include crystals, color, animal communication, energy healing, massage, body work, Shamanism, electromagnetic field therapies and more--all natural elements of this earth connected to patient's well being. In addition, animal-assisted therapy (referenced here) has been proven to build the human-animal connection.

This page focuses primarily on spiritual wellness care for pets. Please visit the holistic veterinary and alternative health resource pages for more information, links and resources on additional holistic methods & modalities.

For more comprehensive information, please see the useful resource links and references below. *Buy Local/Delaware Valley - PA, DE, NJ  To submit a link for consideration please click here.

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ARTICLES: Spiritual Wellness (scroll down for articles)

• Bach Flower Essences for Pets

• Meditating with your Companion Animal

• Animals in Need, Heal with the Power of Reiki

• Telepathic Animal Communication

• Animals and Natural Healing
  

                                                                                                                

Bach Flower Essences for Pets  By Kat Berard

Dr. Edward Bach was a physician and intuitive healer who in 1930 left conventional medical practice to discover

alternative health remedies in nature. Thus the Bach flower essence line was born. 37 remedies are made from

trees and flowering plants, and one from pristine waters (Rock Water). They contain the vibrational (energetic)

essence of the natural substance they are created from.

Dr. Bach believed disease of the mind/emotions/spirit causes physical disease. Hence, treating those imbalances allows physical imbalances to repair. The remedies rebalance negative thoughts and mental, emotional, and spiritual trauma and issues, which color how attitude/behavior is exhibited and physical illness is manifested. A few can directly affect the physical level as well (for instance, crab apple is used while/after clearing parasites, infections, etc. from the body). And the frequency, duration and effects of seizures can be reduced or minimized as well.

The remedies are not addictive or harmful in any way, and do not interact or interfere with medications or supplements.  They are not drugs or herbs; they are vibrational essences. The remedies are chosen based on personality and emotional state. The remedies are useful for issues such as aggression, timidity, depression, anxiety, poor sleep, grief, irritability, fears and worries, among others, or suffering from a particular event (car accident, injury, death of a loved one, etc.). 

The remedies were first developed for people, and then successfully transitioned to animals. Following are quotes from the Bach Centre regarding the essences (www.bachcentre.com):

"The Bach Flower Remedies work by flooding out negative feelings and emotions. Sometimes the emotions that are dealt with have been repressed for some time and in order to clear them they have to be cleansed from the system. On very rare occasions this can take the form of a rash, or unexpected feelings may be stirred up. Where such things do occur they can be disregarded and there is no reason to stop taking the remedies. . . . [One stops taking the remedies] [w]hen the problem that is being treated has gone. . . . Where things are getting worse in spite of the remedies this may mean one of two things. Either the remedies have not yet had time to work (two or more months or even years of regular dosage may be needed to deal with deep-rooted problems) or the selection was wrong."

"In any case, the remedies will not themselves cause any symptoms or problems that are not already in you and are entirely beneficent in their effects. This means that there is no need to stop taking the remedies, and even if the wrong ones are being taken this only means that they will not improve things - they will never make them worse."

Rescue Remedy is the special combination Dr. Bach concocted from five of the essences:

Star of Bethlehem for shock; Rock Rose for terror and panic; Cherry Plum for hysteria or loss of control; Impatiens for impatience and agitation, something often associated with pain; and Clematis for faintness and bemused, stunned, ungrounded feelings. Rescue Remedy is indicated for shocking events, from accidents and surgery (Clematis specifically clears the mental/emotional effects of tranquilizers and anesthesia) to traumatic experiences such as being attacked, receiving distressing news, abuse/neglect, anxious thoughts about an examination or interview, etc.

Rescue Remedy has been known to stop seizures in animals if administered immediately at the first sign of seizure and every five minutes thereafter until the animal is cognizant and functioning again. Use of this blend over a period of time, at 6-8 doses per day, plus doses every 5 minutes during a seizure, can greatly lessen the severity of the seizures and often reduce the frequency as well.

A few other Bach remedies that can be helpful with certain issues are: CHESTNUT BUD: Difficulty learning; lack of awareness; absentminded or distracted behavior. Good for training sessions when you need the animal to focus. OAK: To give strength and endurance to overcome the issue, whether physical, mental or emotional. ASPEN and MIMULUS: for known and unknown fears (such as storms, starving, abandonment, strangers, vet visits, etc.). BEECH: for the animals that don't get along together. WALNUT: Helpful for any type of transitions (including hormonal changes such as puberty and pregnancy, weaning, change of home/family, passing over, adding a new member to the household (give to both the incoming member and the existing animals). WATER VIOLET: for animals (bird, cat, dog, horse, etc.) that are loners, this helps them balance their need for solitude with their ability to have positive happy interactions with others.  LARCH: for confidence.

If you prefer to make a treatment bottle yourself, rather than consult with a Bach practitioner, typically up to six remedies may be included in a treatment bottle. The Bach Centre notes that rarely, up to nine may be included. If one of them is Rescue Remedy, which is comprised of five essences, that counts as one remedy. After determining the appropriate remedies, I ask clients to review the descriptions and confirm at an intuitive level whether the remedies "feel" right to them. I do this because they know their animal in a way I don't (although I do rely on my intuition, as well as knowledge of the remedies, in deciding which are appropriate).

 A treatment bottle consists of one ounce (30 ml.) of filtered or distilled water placed in a dark glass dropper bottle. To that add two drops of each remedy from the stock bottles (or in the case of Rescue Remedy, four drops), plus a teaspoon of brandy as a preservative. (Avoid the brandy if you or your animal is sensitive to alcohol.) Before taking the drops from the stock bottle, gently succuss (tap) the bottle against your palm eight times to activate the essence. When the treatment bottle is ready, succuss it 100 times to thoroughly blend the essences and water. After that, succuss the treatment bottle eight times before dosing. Keep the bottle in a cool, dark place. Treatment bottles are effective for about two months. After that they may go sour and develop a film on the water's surface.

It's certainly okay to give the full strength remedies (i.e., straight from the stock bottles), but this is wasteful and no more effective than if giving in the diluted form.  Dilution does not affect the vibration of the essence. The rate at which that plant, flower, tree (or rocks/water) energetically vibrates doesn't change.

To rebalance deep seated or long standing emotional disease, frequency of daily administration is important. The remedies do not build up in the body. The standard dose is four drops, four times a day from the treatment bottle. More doses can be given/taken as needed: before you load the animal; when you arrive at the destination; before and after anesthesia or tranquilization; at the first hint of a storm; when receiving distressing news; anxiety over a situation; etc. - whatever the triggering or causative situation is for you or your animal.

Upon the first time dosing from the treatment bottle for deep seated or long standing issues, I recommend the animal or person take four drops (a dose), three times, five minutes apart, then switch to four to six doses per day (trust your intuition here). Always administer directly from the dropper, and rinse it off if it touches skin/mucous membranes before putting it back in the bottle. It is best to take the drops orally; or you can drip the drops on food or a snack. If this is impossible, rub on lips, paw pads, the outside of the ears, nose, or belly, where the remedies are easily absorbed. In addition, you can add 10 drops from the stock bottle to 8 oz. of water in a small spray bottle and mist the animal, its bedding, places its sleeps, a room, etc.

For short term or one-time stressful situations, such as a show or class, a trip to the vet, household guests, etc., you can administer the remedies before, during and after the situation, and continue every 15-60 minutes until you notice calmness returning.

While sometimes improvement is seen immediately (a client's dog loses his fear of storms within 24 hours; a woman noticed immediate improvement in her melancholy state), this is not always the case with long-standing or deep-seated issues. The remedies may need to be given for several weeks or longer, so be patient. It also may be necessary to choose new remedies as more obvious issues are resolved and deeper ones surface.

For more information about Bach remedies, see the Bach Centre website, or one of several books including Bach Flower Remedies for Animals by Stefan Ball and Judy Howard (members of the Bach Centre).

Kat Berard is a professional Animal Communicator, Essences practitioner, Reiki Master, and holistic care consultant, and offers workshops on these subjects. She has a worldwide clientele and teaches workshops worldwide as well. She is listed on Penelope Smith's Directory of Animal Communicators and in Animal Wellness Magazine's Holistic Guide. Kat has appeared in a segment of the show "A Pet Story" on Animal Planet, and is quoted in a book about animal communication by Dawn Brunke called "Awakening to Animal Voices". You can reach Kat at kat@katberard.com, 210-402-1220, or visit online at www.katberard.com

 

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Meditating With Your Companion Animal 

By Dawn Wrobel

Don’t laugh. Meditating with your animal companion is not only possible – but a great way for BOTH of you to relax, de-stress and heal. Meditation has been used for many years as a relaxation method, and has been shown to having a healing effect on the body by reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and helping to strengthen the immune system.

Many people think that they have to be sitting in a lotus position and chanting “Om” in order to meditate, but there are many effective forms of meditation. Some are as simple as breathing in time with your dog or cat.

I got started down this particular path about four or five years ago when I invited my hedgehogs to meditate with me as I listened to guided meditations on CD. I was amazed at the results. The most noticeable was David. When I started one particular CD, he would stop whatever he was doing – even eating or running in his wheel – stay completely still until the verbal portion of the CD had ended, then resume his activities. If you’ve ever had a hedgehog, you know how much they LOVE running – and this particular hedgehog was a hearty eater. During the meditation, whichever hedgehog I was holding would always be noticeably more relaxed.

And so meditation became a regular part of our time together. It still is.

There were additional benefits in my group as well. I was doing a lot of hedgehog rescue work at the time and Lucky became a really interesting poster child for meditation. He came in with squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth, and he healed the tumor through meditation and prayer. It is the ONLY time my veterinarian has seen one of these tumors disappear. And we’ve seen a lot of them. And I know this is why it healed because Lucky told me. (I’m an animal communicator – so talking to my companions is a normal part of my life.) Eventually, he succumbed to other disease processes – but not to that tumor. He was able to enjoy the last part of his life in comfort and relatively good health.

Another benefit was that when it was necessary to help an animal cross, they were always calm and relaxed. My veterinarian noticed and commented on this. I give the credit to our group guided meditation practice.

Our favorite CD is The Healing Garden, part of The Power Within series created by Patricia O’Malley, Ph.D., with original music by Barry Weiss. (www.power-within.com)

This program was created for people, and although I’ve tried numerous taped programs over the years, this one remains the favorite with my animal companions.

Fast forward a couple of years, after I completed training to become a Certified Hypnotherapist. A friend and I began experimenting with our other animal companions. 

We found that we could help dogs with behavior issues using guided meditation focusing on the specific behavior pattern. Meditation helped build confidence in timid dogs, helped rescues adjust to new homes, helped stop nervous chewing on paws, and more.  Gradually, I’ve tried guided meditation for more and more issues. And I’ve even tried it out on a few cats! 

This year I offered a meditation session at a hedgehog show. One of the hedgehogs attending with his human was a rescue who had not yet shown his face – rolling into a ball when anyone touched him. By the end of the 20 minutes, he was relaxed and his face was out for the first time in two weeks.

If you’ve never tried meditation before, there is a very simple way to start. You can start by simply matching your breath to that of your dog or cat. Dogs and cats are natural meditators. Every notice the way they seem to sleep with their eyes half open? Purrfect lounge mode? Meditation in disguise. 

For a really simple form of meditation, I like the suggestions made by James Jacobson in his “How to Meditate with Your Dog: An Introduction to Meditation for Dog Lovers.” He suggests selecting a specific spot for your meditation ritual. Go to the spot and sit, turn on some soothing music, and place your hands on your dog – which of course has followed you. Close your eyes and focus on your dog’s breath.  Your breathing will synchronize. When a thought comes – just let it go and focus on your dog’s breath once again, continuing the process for as long as it feels good.

Jacobson also has a book for cats – but I haven’t read it yet since I don’t currently share my home with a cat. 

I’ve also used and enjoy Joshua Leeds’ CDs like ‘Music to Calm Your Canine Companion’. He and Susan Wagner, DVM authored “Through a Dog’s Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health and Behavior of Your Canine Companion.”

I currently share my home and my life with two dogs in addition to my hedgehogs – and they both love this simple meditation technique. But…jealously rules, so I always offer it first to my senior dog so he gets some alone time away from our newer and younger rescue. Our lab Splash just loves to sit or lay next to me with his head on my leg, my hand on his side. He is rarely the one to end a session. Roxie, known as JD for ‘juvenile delinquent’ to my older dog, will relax for a bit, then jump up and find the nearest toy – ready to engage in play. But meditation does get her to sit still for at least a few minutes!

When you meditate with your animal companion, you also receive benefits. Typically, you relax, your blood pressure drops a bit (or a lot), and you become calmer. All it requires is a little bit of time with your animal friend and some soothing music - or a guided meditation tape if you want to work on a specific issue.

Aren’t you both worth it?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Animal Communicator (and Hypnotherapist) Dawn Wrobel can be reached at dawn@dawnwrobel.com or by calling 708-946-9750.  She offers classes in the Philadelphia/Trenton area through Animal Spirit Network, www.animalspiritnetwork.com @2009 Dawn Wrobel

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Animals in Need, Heal With the Power of Reiki

By Sandy Herman

As a practitioner of Reiki, I have witnessed how this Japanese form of “hands-on” energy work can help increase the well-being of animals. When offering Reiki to an animal, the practitioner places her hands in a number of positions on, above, or at a distance from the animal’s body, sending energy wherever it needs to go. A Reiki session promotes relaxation, which supports the animal’s ability to heal.

In one instance, I was asked to offer Reiki to Victor, a skinny and timid orange cat, who had been recently adopted from a shelter by a woman named Diane. Victor had been originally found in an abandoned apartment without food and water. When Diane brought him home, Victor would spend most of his time in the bedroom closet. Offered food, he would eat voraciously, and then often would vomit after his meal. A visit to the vet showed no physical problems. Victor seemed to be suffering from the trauma of his early experiences.

When I met Victor, he was huddled in the corner of the closet. In approaching Victor, as with all animals, I was respectful of the distance between us. I spoke to Victor in soft ways, telling him that I would like to help him and asking his permission to give him Reiki. Victor’s eyes and body language told me that he was willing to receive help, but that he needed me to stay outside the closet. I then centered myself, and established my intention to offer Reiki for the greatest healing good. I held my hands in my lap, palms up, and spent the next 30 minutes allowing the Reiki energy to flow through me. By the session’s end, Victor had moved to the front of the closet, closer to me, and seemed more at ease.

I offered Reiki to Victor on a weekly basis, and we established a genuine connection. Victor was my teacher: from being with him, I developed an appreciation of his courage, and an intuitive understanding of the pain of his early life. When I arrived for my third visit, I was pleased to find that Victor had left the closet; he was lounging on the bed, ready for Reiki. He was even willing to sit in my lap, and allowed me to place my hands on his belly and back. Victor closed his eyes during the treatment, and seemed to enjoy it. About a week later, Diane reported that Victor was no longer vomiting after meals, and seemed happy in his new home.

From this experience and others like it, I have come to believe that Reiki has a valuable role to play, as a complement to medical intervention, in helping animals in need. Like people, animals have unique histories. Many of our beloved animal companions have known hardship, neglect, or abuse. These experiences may manifest in physical disease or emotional problems. Because Reiki operates on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels, it can potentially reach the deepest sources of an animal’s suffering.