Now that science is backing a lot of what energy practitioners have known for centuries, humans are becoming more aware of the impact that not only their behaviors have on the world around them, but their thoughts and energetic patterns as well. A question that pet owners often tearfully ask me is, “Did I cause this illness/behavior/accident to happen?” I get it. Before understanding the nature of energy, I asked the same thing.

8 years ago, I rescued a one-year-old chihuahua with an unknown background. His anxiety and aggression were beyond what I was capable of managing. I took him to group trainings, hired personal trainers, massage therapists, and nearly reached my wit’s end. As a last-ditch effort before admitting defeat and returning him to the shelter, I took the Healing Touch for Animals level 1 training. This energy work was the miracle I needed to calm him and empower me enough to choose to keep him in our family.

A few months after the training he reverted back to nearly that same level of fear and aggression. I began watching his behaviors and recognizing my own. He was reflecting to me the very same unsafety I felt within my own body. At that time, I felt angry and scared most of the time, I lashed out at my family regularly, I had withdrawn within myself not even wanting to be around anyone else which his aggressive behavior ensured that no one could. I wanted him to be relaxed and chill, but how could he when I wasn’t relaxed and chill? I was now certain it was all my fault. That he was probably a chill dog before I got him, but my fear had caused him to feel the need to protect both me and him.

I felt terrible and knew that if I wanted him to change, I had to change. Over the next year through therapy, intuitive coaching, and self-care I recognized and began healing my own traumas. The more I healed, the less I tried to control everyone around me, including Tater. The more I let go of control, the more relaxed Tater Tot became until a year later when my family came to visit, I heard over and over again, “I don’t even recognize Tater. He is not the same dog he was last year!”

The change in us both was a blessing, but we still had a long way to go and it felt as though both of our progress stalled for the next five years. He still lunged aggressively at other dogs while on walks and barked incessantly when anyone he didn’t know came to our home. But, the most
heartbreaking thing I still noticed was the way his brow seemed to be permanently creased with stress. I often ran my fingers over it hoping to soothe his fears and release the tension. It never worked.

The guilt I felt over “causing” him this stress and fear had me berating myself.

“I know better.”

“I need to do better.”

“My yelling at him isn’t helping.”

“What else am I missing within myself?”

“I really need to let go of my control completely for his sake.”

“Why can’t I figure this out?”

“Will he ever feel comfortable enough to relax with me?”

“Does he regret choosing me?”

All of these thoughts kept me in a low vibration but I hadn’t yet learned the impact of that. It wasn’t until I began learning new and more healing modalities – including further education in Healing Touch for Animals that I truly heard and understood the importance of meditation, centering, and grounding for raising my vibration and the impact that has on the healing of whoever I am working with (including myself). This was when I first heard about entrainment – the ability to affect (but not change) someone else’s experience by holding a vibrational frequency that is more dominant than theirs regardless if it’s a higher or lower frequency. The example given was when a string instrument is played in a particular key, the other string instruments in the room vibrate in that same key without anyone touching them.

I still wasn’t sure if I believed that I wasn’t causing Tater’s insecurities, but I was fascinated with this insight and willing to try anything to ease his fear. With this new information I was able to begin letting go of the guilt associated with the belief that I was causing Tater harm.

I refocused my efforts from trying to change Tater (and my own) behaviors to shifting and raising my vibration to become the higher, more dominant frequency; a frequency of love. The more I did this, the more I let go of my guilt. The more I let go of my guilt, the more I healed. The more I healed, the greater the change I saw within Tater.

I will never forget the day, sitting on the couch with Tater, I turned to him and noticed his smooth forehead. Tears flooded my eyes to witness him finally feeling safe enough to release the tension in his face. It was in that moment I recognized my own face felt softer. My heart overflowed with love. I scooped him up in my arms and covering him with kisses, I thanked him profusely for being my greatest teacher and guide.

Thanks to this profound first-hand experience of entrainment, the greatest gift I have been able to give my human clients; whether I am working with their pet or them, is the freedom of knowing it’s not their fault. The freedom of knowing that they are loved by their pets in all the ways they show up. The understanding that they can’t cause any of their pet’s problems. And, that love truly does heal all.