It’s so uplifting and exciting when we welcome a rescue dog into our home.
Recent clients of mine, a couple, were very conscious of their parental duties to nurture and find the best way to create a harmonious family atmosphere for their older dog and their new rescue dog.
Their older dog had more settled habits and rhythms. His was a very different personality than their new rescue who was younger— though he was beyond puppyhood— and followed his new “Mom” April everywhere, his wonder-filled personality endearing him immediately to her receptive heart. Both “Mom and Dad” wanted to give each dog the kind of love they needed at their different stages of life.
Yet even such sensitive and caring parenting does not always work out as we wish.
Tragically, a sudden severe accident befell their charming new rescue. Grief-stricken, this loving couple had to let him go. His wings came much too soon. They could not reconcile the promise of his sweet life being taken from him so quickly. It was a profound shock. No matter how much we may know about or understand about life, nothing really prepares us for the gritty reality of deep grief overtaking us.
April brought this new challenge to a session with me. My work includes both living animals, and those who have passed from this realm, so I was able to be fully present to support her. No matter how careful you are with your animals, there is always a sense of guilt when accidents take them from you, even when there is nothing you could have foreseen or done differently. Survivors’ guilt is not limited to people-with-people. Yet most of us have not been given the energetic tools needed to deal with this. At any age (our or theirs) the loss of a beloved pet is heart-rending, and April was struggling mightily with it.
What was needed, and it made all the difference.
April and I dedicated a session to the challenges that come with grief and loss. Afterwards, she said, “By the end of the session, I was filled with nothing but lightness and love for my little dog. I felt grateful for having had him in my life, and I felt a calm acceptance…”
In fact, to both her surprise and her husband Steve’s, the idea of him having a session with me seemed like a very good next step, especially since he saw such a huge difference in April’s mood. To his further surprise, that was exactly what he needed to shift the pain from being unbearable, to a sense of the trauma waning. Steve was able to allow his grief to move through the stages naturally, releasing his pain.
We human beings are a complex species ourselves, with a habitual sense of pressure to battle our way through difficulties. But in reality, we often need energetic support beyond ourselves to shift what feels “stuck,” so we can move forward toward the healing balance we need in our lives.
In my sessions, animals who have passed on often visit their beloved people energetically, wanting to give them a healing message. They want to help family members lift a stubborn cloud, showing them a pathway forward that can make all the difference. It helps both right away, and in the longer term, bringing their people unexpected peace for the journey ahead. Our animals want to reassure us, with very personal messages, that the love will always be shared and not to feel any guilt. Memories can then move into healing moments.
Additional session work yielded new energetic peace that helped everyone. April, Steve, and their older dog were able to open their hearts further to welcome a new puppy, bonding with greater affection, better communication, and even a sweet kindness developed between these two dogs at such different stages of their lives, much more naturally than April would have thought possible.
Namasté
Carolyn
P.S.
April and Steve have shared more about their healing journey in their own words here (second item on this page), and here.
Carolyn Osborn
Discover the deep healing and connection, and the relief and freedom that await you, and your animal, with Chiron Energy Medicine.
• • •
P.S. Our newest program is featured right on our website homepage or in our sessions menu: Chiron Mirror Sessions • Tandem Healing for You and Your Animal. It is designed to help you discover the deep healing that awaits you and your animal when you are guided to release unwanted behaviors and unconscious wounds and patterns of suppressed emotions and traumas that trigger dis-ease or illness if left unattended.
See or learn more about our sessions and packages for people or animals here and view our equine and performance sessions or packages here.
Have some questions? You may also request an Introductory Consultation here.