Everything is Connected
“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else”
Leonardo Da Vinci,i
The world is our mirror, everything that we see outside is a reflection of what we feel and believe inside of ourselves. This principle also applies to the relationship we have with our dog.
“….our dog is our canary in the mineshaft of emotion…”
Behan, K, Your Dog Is Your Mirror
Something Missing?
Do you ever think that something is missing in your life? Have you found yourself thinking ‘if only my life was easier’ or ‘happier’ or ‘more fulfilling’…[fill in the words that work for you]?
Why isn’t there a manual telling us how to live the ‘best life ever’?
Where to go for help?
Of course we can find lots of advice for personal growth and living a better life, from a many different source. Over the years I’ve tried quite a few myself, its been a bit of an addiction. The approach that works for my own self-development has to feel right, although it took me a while to notice, and then trust, my own feelings. And I have found that the things that work for me vary, as I change, as I face different challenges.
But sometimes we can’t even tell WHAT feels right. Sometimes we’re so used to just getting on with it that we’re not sure how we feel any more, or what’s right for us.
How your dog can help
If you share your life with a dog you have a ‘feel-o-meter’ right at your side, because our dogs know exactly how we feel. When we’re happy, they’re responding to that happy feeling. When we’re sad they feel the sadness. When we’re anxious, that anxiety is feeding into them. They just can’t get out of the way of our feelings.
Sometimes we are unhappy about the relationship we have with our dogs. We might think our dog doesn’t love us and that’s why he doesn’t come back when called. We might feel guilty. Are they getting enough stimulation? Are they getting enough walks? Are they happy? There might be something about the dog’s behaviour that worries us. Maybe she barks too much, he’s scared of the vacuum cleaner, she’s aggressive on the lead. We want to fix the dog.
Here’s the thing. Any behaviours and traits that we find irritating in our dog can be their response to something in us that we are avoiding, suppressing or otherwise ignoring for some reason.
If we use the difficulties that the relationship with our dog brings to us we might uncover behaviours, beliefs, or traits in ourselves that we were previously not fully aware of. By becoming more conscious of, and reflecting on, any feeling of discomfort that our dog brings up in us, we start to feel our feelings again.
Anubis Therapy
I work with the emotional bond between humans and dogs. I believe that we learn more about ourselves when we consider problems we have in our dog relationships. A counselling service, my therapy is called Anubis Therapy. If you are interested in learning more about how the process can help you why don’t you get in touch.
