Trust Your Dog
Our dogs respond to our emotions and feelings even when we aren't aware of them ourselves. When we get triggered we have an opportunity to increase our self-awareness. Our problems with our dogs give us a great opportunity for growth.
My dogs respond to my emotions. They don't see the mask I put on to hide how I'm truly feeling. They are able to read something truer and deeper. My dogs are not fooled by the filters I have developed to keep me safe, to make me acceptable to society. They just feel the true me. If I pay attention I will learn.
Our dogs can help us humans reach our true potential. That's why I share what I share on my blog.
Trust Your Dog with Others
Our dogs are tuned into others around us as well.
There was one time when Archie attended a counselling session of mine. At the end of the session, Archie was restless, jumping up on the counsellor as he sat in his chair and licking his left arm. The behaviour was odd. I pulled him away as I apologised and we left.
The incident stuck with me over that week. I had learnt that licking and pawing goes back to a dog's early development as a suckling puppy. They paw or lick at the mothers teat to release milk. I had come to read pawing and licking in my dogs as a sign that they wanted some sort of movement. Why the therapist's arm ? Was the left arm significant?
When I trained in Bi-Aura (a form of bio-energy healing)we use the hands, connected to the heart, to heal. In Bi-Aura, the convention is to take blockages of energy away from the client with the right hand and release it through the left. It made me wonder if Archie was trying to encourage some sort of emotional release from my therapist.
At my next visit I shared my ideas on Archie's behaviour with him. Could Archie have been encouraging some sort of emotional release in him? 'You clever dog, Archie!' He went on to explain. Just before our session he had been giving a lecture to a new group of counselling students. Despite two of the students having indicated the need for wheelchair access, the room allocated for the lecture did not have any. He had been outraged about the situation this had put him and his students in.
It was an amazing insight into what dogs are able to pick up and try and help us with, if we are aware. I probably should have asked for a discount on the therapist's fee, for the insight we were able to feed back to him!
Thanks..here are a couple of experiences in the last couple of weeks related to some of what you are sharing but in different situations..
I watched my dog respond to a woman with dementia in a very interesting way..I went back to see this woman again a week later, and watched Lup do it again, and even more insistently. It is a longer story but my dog was revealing something about this person’s behavior, and this woman’s therapist was really taken with the insistence from my dog in drawing this woman into focus eye to eye. She wants me to visit again with my dog so I will try and video some of the interactions.
Yesterday on a walk we often take Lupine looked at me and acted as if she wanted to turn around. I stepped a head a few feet, and she sat down in front of me, and as I looked down I saw mountain lion tracks in the sand below our trail up, and it was in about the same place we sited a lion last year. She did this same behavior last year except she circled my feet. I looked around and did not see a lion as I did last time on the ridge but instead of heading up to the ridge we turned around and she was very happy to head back up the arroyo.
Wow Nanda, sounds really interesting with your client – looko forward to hearing how it develops- and the mountain lion story too -brilliant!
Hi Joanne, thanks for another great post – it is so true that our animal friends use their senses with far greater sensitivity than we humans do. We have become so desensitised by the way we are conditioned and the many things we do that dull our senses down, like incessant thinking and dwelling in the past or projecting out into the future! The great news is though, is that we can resensitise ourselves, with willingness, patience, practice and skill development. I think this is another great teaching from our beloved animal relatives, we too can return to our intuitive and sensitive selves and the sooner we all do, the better for the whole planet and beyond! Sending much love and please do keep sharing! Julie XXX
Agree totally Julie – here’s to returning to our intuitive and sensitive selves – and thanks for the moral support as well! 🙂
Thank you for the beautifully written article – always a pleasure reading your stuff. As a professional therapist, having sat in both chairs of the therapy room myself, I believe there is a richness in what you are experiencing with your dog and the work you are doing with your counselor. All too often we forget that there are two people sitting in that room. Sounds like your pup was the real mediator in the room that day! I’m with you on the bi-aura stuff – its all energy no matter which lens you look at it. Again, great to hear about your sacred experience! Blessings!
Scott, thankyou so much for your kind words 🙂 I am constantly inspired by working alongside you and other NDT followers – can’t wait to visit Indiana in August!