Every animal communication session that I hold teaches me something. Hearing things from an animal's perspective is refreshing, simple, and pure. They don't ever really have an agenda. If they want something, they ask. If they need something, they provide or ask. Their straightforwardness is sometimes surprising and we, human beings, perceive it based on our experiences as edgey, snarky, sassy, sweet, sarcastic, and otherwise. How is that possible? It is simple, really. We can only perceive what we are used to saying/doing ourselves. For example, if you deal with someone who is always sarcastic and snarky in their tone this comes through in a text. You can hear the sarcasm when reading the words. If someone is always cheery, their tone comes through in the text. This is because we know the person and we can hear them in our minds. However, if you are totally self-absorbed no matter who you speak to will sound like your own voice. You lose the ability to hear someone else's voice because you fail to be able to connect with or value someone else. Hence, the miscommunications of text messages. Depending on our mood, we can translate a text as happy or snarky regardless of how the person intended the message.
So what does this have to do with animals? Animals learn our behavior. They pick up on our emotions and often mirror those feelings. If you are someone who leans towards the sad and mopey, your animal will appear to be the same. Then we think they are depressed. They are mostly just mirroring you. This is not to say that an animal does not have feelings of their own. They do. When in a home with a loved one, they often put aside their feelings, especially if attempts to engage their humans in happy emotions failed. Then, they mirror yours and wait. You can tell these emotions are not theirs with a simple test. In this example, imagine you are moping around and being a couch potato and notice your companion is doing the same. If you suddenly jump up and act excited, your companion responds in kind. Sometimes, they are even more excited! If they were truly depressed, they would not react this way. (This is just my opinion based on my observations, of course. I do not have any case studies or documented evidence.)
What animal communication sessions have taught me is that animals are much more in control of their emotions than we think. They are always thinking, always listening and observing, and are very much aware of what is going on in the house. Animals also trust their humans. When the relationship is a healthy one, animals believe what they hear. Say something often enough, and the animal will believe it and start acting it. We can all talk something into existence, and animals are no different. This is why it is so important to choose your thoughts carefully. Dismiss negative thoughts and replace them with something positive. Do not hold onto anything negative; you don't want to give that thought any power. Get rid of anything that has the word "can't" in it. Don't turn a negative situation into one that is greater by wallowing in pity. If there is a disease or injury (negative), deal with that but don't encourage it to take over your mind by associating it with a love action. What does this mean?
Imagine a toddler running happily in the park. Suddenly, their feet get caught on the pavement and they fall. If they are not hurt, they get up and keep running. If they are hurt, they may cry a little. If YOU scream and run over in a panic and start saying things like "oh my Gosh! Are you ok? What happened? Oh NO! Your bleeding!!", in a high-pitched nervous manner the child will now start wailing. They got hurt, but now your reaction (you think you are showing love) is propelling everything into a heightened state. Your reaction changed their perception of the event. An animal who goes to comfort that child, on the other hand, gets results faster. They are more even-keeled. They run over, sniff the situation, give a few licks, and encourage the child to get up. If it is something serious, the dog will bark for help and stay with the toddler. The child, in this case, pets the animal and starts to control their crying on their own.
In sessions, when I hear an animal say things typical of human response, I know that it is something they heard repeatedly in the home. This offered his humans an opportunity to reflect on their conversations and they realized that their comments, while said with love and humor, were perceived differently by their dog. He felt that he should take on these emotions, and voila! The words were spoken into existence. It was really great to see how much love they all had for each other. They listened to each other with open hearts, identified the root cause, and came to a solution together. Everyone felt better and expressed love and satisfaction and joy.
Today, set your Ego aside and listen with an open heart. Be more like the animals. Try it! You may find it to be a much more joyful way of communicating. As I always say, be kind to all kinds. It is a free investment with a huge return.
This beautiful zen boy is the latest of my teachers. He reminded me of the power of words and different perspectives. So grateful for his willingness to speak to me and share his thoughts and feelings.
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