Healing with Intention

/ Marceil May, Holistic Healing Practitioner

Several years ago, in my first month volunteering at the Jacksonville Humane Society, I arrived for my scheduled shift to walk dogs. I entered the ‘bark, bark, barking’ echo of the long hallway of kennels looking from left to right through the vast and varied lot of homeless hounds, and checking out the updated notes on each chained-link gate to find out who was in need of a good romp. It was very common for the shelter to be at maximum capacity, with most dogs positioning themselves toward the front of their kennels vying for the attention of whomever was walking by.

As I explored who was in attendance that day, I stopped by a kennel that, at first glance, appeared empty. I looked closer to realize there, in the back corner, was a wet, shivering, dirt-grey pup with his head hung low. My heart responded instantly with a simultaneous hard pound that seemed to leap right out of my chest and a plummet into the depths of my belly. What in the world was he doing here?

He was Marty, a 4-year-old Schnoodle, quivering, petrified, and jammed against the wall. Marty needed some one-on-one attention, STAT! I went into his kennel and sat about five feet from him. He looked at me as if to ask, Why am I here and who are you? ( I’d come to find out later that he was going through heart worm treatment, which is a very painful experience, and he’d just been taken out of isolation into the main kennel area.) I started to speak to him very quietly, using his name over and over again. I reached over and extended the back of my hand. He looked up and started to move toward me, looking straight into my eyes. My heart was breaking right there in my chest.

Within several minutes of continuing to speak his name softly, he literally began to relax his tense posture. Just by the tone of my voice and intention by which I was connecting with him, he felt safe enough to soften.

After a short time, I reached over to gently offer some Healing Touch, a type of animal healing energy work. I focused on his chest, also known as the Heart Chakra, and within mere seconds, Marty began to to let go even further. Clearly, my heart wasn’t the only one breaking. Who knows why he’d come to be there, but what I did know was that he had been traumatized.

As I sat there with him, I realized that this would be the most important moment of my day—just Marty and me, together, giving and receiving from heart to heart. He needed reassurance, he needed to feel the presence of intentional, focused care, he needed the healing process to begin.

I found it so hard to leave Marty that day, but my hope was that the time I spent with him would help him understand that good things were to come. I cried all the way home; it was one of the most touching experiences of my life—that little guy responding with such clear and viseral signs to the power of touch.

The next week when I went into the shelter, I couldn’t wait to see how Marty was doing. There he was, wagging his tail and barking in tune at the front of his kennel with all of the other pups! He was there for another week or so, and then some wonderful family got to take my Marty home.

The intention to touch and heal another is very transformational. Stopping to take notice of other ‘beings’ is so incredibly valuable to the life and vitality of all involved. Stop, LOOK, and listen. Seeing eye to eye, hearing voice to voice, and feeling heart of heart is very impactful.

The truth is, when we’re truly paying attention by getting out of the chatter in our heads and into a state of mindful awareness, we can find all kinds of ways to connect with others to support and enhance the living experience of both humans and animals. Connecting with one another is often the greatest gift we can give.

Just one of many various professional and therapeutic modalities related to the human and animal healing bond is a technique called the Healing Touch for Animals® (HTA). HTA teaches pet owners and animal advocates specific techniques and applications to promote wellness.

HTA techniques benefit animals in many ways:

• Helps them understand appropriate behavior

• Builds the animal-human bond

• Reduces stress and anxiety

• Supports them through injuries, illnesses, physical and emotional trauma, abuse and grief

• Builds a solid foundation for cancer patients

• Develops confidence for training and competition

• Energetically supports animals through the endof -life transition

The energy-based modality of Healing Touch has been recognized throughout the human medical community since 1989, and is used by more than 75,000 healthcare practitioners worldwide to help provide whole-body wellness. These techniques are designed to enhance the healing process and don’t replace traditional medical or veterinary healthcare, medical diagnosis, or medical treatment for illness.

Besides HTA, there are manual therapies to help heal and connect with our animal companions such as massage, Reiki, kinesiotaping, cranical sacral therapy and acupressure. Also, aromatherapy, lymphatic drainage, and a whole foods diet can remarkably enhance the health, well-being and longevity of your pet. •

Join Marceil for her Holistic Health for Your Furry Friend course at UNF on April 13, 2019. You’ll learn natural ways to support your dog with nutrition, essential oil therapy, herbs and touch. Register: campusce.net/unf

/ Marci May Holistic Healing MarciMayHealingArts@gmail.com 904-662-5570