I met Nancy and her then, four month-old German shepherd named Rusty, a few years ago shortly after Nancy adopted him from a local Humane Society. Nancy told me at the time of Rusty's first Healing Touch session, that her home was his fourth home since he was born. She described Rusty as a normal, energetic puppy.

About one month later, a family member was whisked away by ambulance to the hospital, and Rusty was left alone for the first time in his new home. He began showing signs of separation anxiety. It was at this time that Nancy contacted me for assistance with his emotional issues. I recommended a special blend of English Flower Essences for Rusty, along with providing two Healing Touch sessions over a course of three weeks. Nancy reported that both healing modalities provided relief from Rusty’s anxiety so that all of his good qualities could develop, instead of the negative ones.

Two years later Nancy contacted me again with more emotional concerns regarding Rusty. He was extremely anxious possibly due to a family member’s progressing illness. Rusty was particularly close to this person.

When Nancy brought Rusty to me on April 18, 2001, he appeared nervous, and energetically unbalanced. Nancy informed me that he was experiencing bouts of vomiting during early morning hours. She took Rusty to his veterinarian and the vet recommended breaking up his meal schedule into four portions. By doing this, the frequency of the vomiting decreased. However, the stress in Nancy's household increased.

I asked Nancy what her goal was for Rusty's Healing Touch session and she said, "I would like Healing Touch to help Rusty feel whole, balanced and to feel calmer." Knowing Rusty's history, I believed he was carrying some deeply rooted issues that may have stemmed from feelings of abandonment. He was bounced from home to home over a four-month period until Nancy adopted him at the tender age of 4 months.

With this knowledge, I chose the following HTA techniques: I began with the Chakra Balance because Rusty's root and throat centers were blocked. I believed he needed to be energetically balanced. I followed with the Bridging Technique to surround Rusty with unconditional love. My intent was to prepare Rusty's energy field for the remainder of the techniques that would be utilized during his session.

The most profound technique I truly believed was necessary for Rusty was the Trauma Release Technique. Prior to this session, I had not performed the TRT outside of taking Carol Komitor's HTA Level II class in April 2000. I hadn't had the opportunity to use this technique until now. 

I set the intention to help Rusty release any negative energy he had been holding from a traumatic life event. As a side note, Rusty was a little nervous at the beginning of this technique, but then he eased into the healing process. As I held my intentions for the highest good of Rusty, he continued to settle into the energy work. After several minutes of doing the Trauma Release Technique, I could sense a release coming.

Rusty's breathing became faster, he started panting and then he did a tremendously large yawn. His breathing then began to slow and resume to normal. After this technique he was much calmer. I closed with the Bridging Technique to anchor the release Rusty had. He even dozed off while I discussed his session with his owner. Even she remarked that his eyes looked "clearer". The eyes are the window to the soul. It only made sense that if Rusty had been carrying a traumatic experience with him, that after the release, his mind, body and soul would be clearer.

I instructed Nancy to monitor Rusty's behavior. I asked that she note any changes, positive or negative that Rusty may exhibit after this Healing Touch session. I also recommended that Nancy do the Bridging Technique on Rusty every day and Unruffle his energy field one to two times daily for stress reduction and relaxation purposes.

Nancy contacted me two weeks later and reported that since Rusty had the Trauma Release Technique, he was more responsive, had gained more independence and was more focused during their dog training sessions. She also said his appetite increased and he was acting like the Rusty she knew a year ago.

It was such an honor for me to work with Rusty. He is a wonderful dog, with a tremendously large heart center. It gave me great pleasure knowing that I was able to help Rusty work through some issues that had been emotionally plaguing him for the first two years of his life. I hope that he will now be able to pursue life with gusto and be able to enjoy life as a dog was meant to, with love, play and companionship.