Research reveals that human emotions are powerful energies that impact both health and disease. Our emotions also impact those around us, including our companion animals. Can emotions in our animal patients provide clues to aid in healing for both pets and their owners?

Emotions are energy, and they exist on a spectrum, from the low-vibrating emotions such as shame, anger, and hatred to the higher-vibrating emotions of love, joy, and gratitude. These emotional energies play a vital role in our “human” experience. We are multidimensional energetic beings here to have an energetic experience.

Emotions are the key to solving many of our dilemmas in life. Recognition of the emotions associated with an experience provides an opportunity to detach, shift or maintain the attachment, whichever is for the highest and best good of all involved. Our animal companions are often able to help us “see” and experience the emotions we need to heal on the energetic level.

Much of what we know regarding the role emotions play in disease has been extrapolated from human research.  Researchers in human medicine believe that there are trapped emotions associated with all disease.

There is an ongoing debate in the scientific community regarding whether or not animals have “emotions”. I believe they most certainly do! In fact, the “trapped emotions” that pets have, associated with their specific health challenges, seem to always have a significant relationship to the pet’s “soul” parent, that owner who is attached to the pet for deep metaphysical meaning.

Emotions and the body: the mind-body-spirit connection

The Five Elements theory in Chinese Medicine states that each of the five elements has a corresponding emotion, as well as a corresponding organ. The Fire element corresponds to joy; the Earth with worry; Metal with sadness; Water with fear, and Wood with anger.

Chakra theory has its roots in the ancient Vedic traditions of India. Imbalances in humans and animals have emotional implications (see below). Chakras are concentrations of energetic activity in specific locations in the body. They act as portals of entry, connecting the outer world, our auras and the internal environment of the body so every cell receives energetic communication.  They also store “information,” much like a library, of past and present memories, experiences and belief systems.

Ancient yogic texts talk about the five energy bodies. Starting with the Spiritual body, energy flows down to the Mental body, then the Emotional body, through the Etheric body, ultimately manifesting in the Physical body.

Spiritual Body: The highest “body”. Source, where intuition lives, the connection to higher consciousness, where life as we know it starts and where all returns in the non-physical.

Mental Body: All the “thoughts”. This is also connected to all thoughts in the universe.  This is what we tap into when using Applied Kinesiology or Muscle Testing.

Emotional Body:  Everything is energy, even emotions!  Energy (and emotions) were meant to flow through us.  Trapped emotions occur when this energy which is vibrating at various intensities gets “stuck” somewhere in the body. Imagine they are like balls of energy that vary in size, depending on how much intensity of emotion is attached to them.  This “trapped emotion” continues to vibrate and disrupt the energy of the region/organ it becomes stuck in.

The spectrum of emotions, from the low-vibrating emotions (shame being the lowest) to the high-vibrating emotions (gratitude being the highest) serve as a “GPS” and help us navigate life by recognizing “flow” and “resistance”.  Flow is that state where everything falls into place seamlessly and effortlessly, being more than serendipitous.  Resistance is felt when everything seems to go wrong, nothing works out the way it was planned.

Emotions also allow us to see the contrast (what we do not like or want) and choose how to experience the situation (as a victim, angry and bitter, or from compassion and love).  It is interesting to note that in my experience, pets often reflect or mirror the emotions their pet parents need to address.  I always acknowledge the pet and “release” them from the emotional attachment.

By recognizing the “emotions” that surface, we can “see” the programs we are hard wired to.  Once we acknowledge the program we are running, we have the opportunity to delete and reprogram. This is referred to as neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the change in neural pathways and synapses that occurs due to certain factors, like behavior, environment, or neural processes. During such changes, the brain engages in synaptic pruning, deleting the neural connections that are no longer necessary or useful, and strengthening the necessary ones.

A thought from the mental body combined with an emotion from the emotional body creates a “belief system”.  A belief therefore is a thought we keep repeating. 

Beliefs are acquired by observing the behaviors of our caregivers when we are young, what we were taught in school or even what we hear in the media.  We consequently affect our pets’ behavior through our perceived beliefs on training and lifestyle.

Etheric Body:  The place where all the energy comes together before manifesting into the physical body.

Physical Body:  The vehicle we use to experience “life”.

Entrainment: We entrain our pets and they entrain us

Entrainment is a physics principle that demonstrates that when energies come into proximity, they influence each other.

Common examples of entrainment include:

• Girls living in a dorm together often have synchronized menstrual cycles.
• Tuning forks that are used to tune musical instruments.
• Attending a motivational talk and leaving inspired.
• Becoming drained after an encounter with an “energy vampire”, the person (or client) who sucks you dry and leaves you exhausted after your experience with them. Once the energy vampire client is acknowledged and you recognize what emotion they elicit, feel free to shift the energy and release the attachment to them! Remember, on an energetic level, you attracted them for a reason! Identify the purpose, shift the energy, and see the attraction disappear.

This awareness gives us clues to the specific challenges our patients face. If the owner is anxious and fearful, their pet may exhibit kidney/urinary disorders.  If the owner has anger issues, the pet may be dealing with liver dis-ease.  This insight can help us see that it is often not a coincidence that a pet has a particular health challenge when viewed through the lens of its relationship with its owner.

Emotional energy

The autonomic nervous system

The first step in therapy is to get into a parasympathetic state.  The autonomic nervous system has two branches, the sympathetic nervous system (short term survival mechanism that uses cortisol to enable the individual to fight or flee danger) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, detoxify, and reproduce).  When one is turned on, the other is turned off.

Healing only occurs when in a parasympathetic state

As societies have become more complex, the stress of life has increased.  Jobs, family pressures, presidential elections, financial duress, and a global pandemic have created a level of stress that most people have never before experienced.  I believe that nature and our animal companions are playing a pivotal role in helping to decrease the “stress” for those of us who allow it.  Nature and animals are absorbing some of the stress and offering unconditional love to help us through these very dense times.

Trapped emotions

It is generally agreed upon that emotions play a role in the expression of human disease, and that all disease has trapped emotions associated with it. Trapped emotions can originate not only from the present lifetime; they can be inherited or of ancestral origin, or even develop within the womb.

There are several documentaries that explain how emotions are linked to disease in people. I recommend E-motions (Gaia), Heal (Netflix), and What the bleep down the rabbit hole (YouTube).

We are currently using what we know about emotions in humans and extrapolating that to the pets through our human lens. Though we have no way of knowing if this is truly accurate, I have experienced “healing” of the pet when these “trapped emotions” are resolved for the pet. Coincidence or truly related, cannot be proven.

To evaluate trapped emotions in our companion animals, explore these options:

• Qest4™ is a bioenergetic scan that is used for people and animals to evaluate energetic imbalances.  There is a built-in program to evaluate emotions in people as well.  With some intuitive skill, this information can be useful for the pet.  The machine then can produce “imprints” which carry the energetic balancing frequencies for the patient’s condition.
• The Emotion Code™ is the work of Dr. Bradley Nelson. This technique requires proficiency in Applied Kinesiology or muscle testing.  Using a series of charts, the “root emotion” associated with the problem is identified and then released.
• Applied Kinesiology or muscle testing.  There are many variations of this, from using a surrogate and testing muscle strength (positive indicator) or muscle weakness (indicating an energetic blockage or energetic problem) to using a pendulum to receive “yes and no” answers.   I prefer “sway testing” (using your own body as a pendulum) to receive “yes and no” answers.

Diet and toxins

Always evaluate the patient’s diet and exposure to environmental toxicity.  Feed a species appropriate, raw, grass fed or free range diet along with supplementation of the essential vitamins, minerals and parent essential fatty acids.  Eliminate as many toxins as possible from the environment and test for nutritional deficiencies and excesses.  Mold toxins and heavy metals such as mercury, lead, antimony and cobalt may have an insidious and significant effect on the pet’s health and behavior.

Environment

Some inappropriate pet behavior may be the result of environmental stresses and living conditions, inhibiting the animal from its natural behavior as we attempt to conform the animal to living indoors or under other non-natural settings.

Tools and techniques for entering a parasympathetic state

Any of the following techniques, performed by humans can impact the pet’s emotions either directly, through entrainment, or indirectly via intention.

Techniques 1-4 help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. The first 3 tools are free and are available wherever you are!

1. Breath! There are many breath exercises; they all work to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, activating the rest, repair, digest, and detoxify physiology of the body. The animals will entrain to the owner’s state of being.

2. Sitting and walking in nature, petting our animals, and being “present” all help to reduce our stress, and consequently our pet’s stress.

3. Practice daily gratitude. The more we stay in a higher emotional vibration, the more we impact those around us to also achieve positive emotional vibrations, making life so much better!

4. Wholetones™. This unique blend of music with frequency is profoundly effective in reducing anxiety and stress in animals and people.  Live blood studies I performed on animals and people demonstrated rouleaux resolving within minutes of playing Wholetones, even in animals under anesthesia!  I have seen aggressive animals become calm and tolerate handling without needing muzzles or sedatives. I have also been successful using Wholetones for thunderstorm anxiety and separation anxiety.

Wholetones for Pets™:

https://wholetones.com/music-for-pets?a_aid=341343&a_bid=dc2a20c1

Wholetones 2sleep™:  For anyone that has challenges going to sleep and staying asleep!

https://wholetones.com/music-for-sleep?a_aid=341343&a_bid=11110007

Supplements for mood modification

1. CBD. There is a plethora of information on the benefits of CBD on the endocannabinoid system.

2. Herbs can be used to bring balance or harmony in the heart fire through the kidneys (the water element controls the heart shen). Herbs are known to tonify (strengthen) the kidneys and calm the heart energy. Examples include rehmannia, asparagus root, ginseng, chamomile, peppermint, St. John’s wort, passion flower and valerian root. All have ingredients known to calm the body and center the mind.

3. Flower Essences were first prepared in England in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach. Bach recognized the soul-spiritual dimensions of healing. Each of the 38 remedies in the Bach Flower system is associated with a basic human emotion.  Using plant material, water and heat, the “vibrational energy” of the flower is transferred to the water.  The person (or pet) can be muscle tested to see which remedies are needed to balance the energetic disturbances. Remedies can be taken orally or applied topically.  Excellent reference books are also available to guide practitioners on flower essence selection for animals.

Additional tools for relaxing and reprogramming emotions

1. Magnesphere™ is a Pulsed Electromagnetic device that is FDA approved for enhancing feelings of rest and relaxation. Studies using heart rate variability in people conclusively showed improvement when using the Magnesphere. Copper coils produce a low frequency signal, synchronous with the frequency of normal tissues, to restore normal vibration. Many readers will be familiar with another PEMF device, The Assisi Loop, which uses higher frequencies that work by interrupting the pain signal.

Theta brain waves, measured at 4-7 Hz, are the brain frequencies of barely conscious states, just before sleeping and just after awakening. Theta is the intriguing border between the conscious and the subconscious worlds.  When in a theta state, the mind is capable of deep and profound learning, healing and growth.

The Magnesphere has frequencies that help attain a theta brain wave.  The theta brain wave is the brain wave of hypnosis. Putting a patient in a theta brain wave state allows the practitioner to clear “trapped emotions” faster and more effectively.  This emotional clearing technique also requires proficiency in muscle testing to identify the trapped emotions. This is particularly important for cancer patients who are holding onto unresolved resentments.

2. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also called “tapping”. The person “taps” on specific meridian acupuncture points while identifying the emotional stressors.  The “tapping” activates the amygdala, part of the limbic system that plays a key role in the processing of emotions.  The amygdala helps store memories of events and emotions so that an individual may be able to recognize similar events in the future. Tapping also stimulates the hippocampus (another part of the limbic system) to lower stress and reprogram negative beliefs. People can “tap” as a surrogate for their pets too.

3. Aromatherapy using essential oils. As smells enter the olfactory system, signals are sent to the limbic system (comprising the amygdala, hypothalamus and hippocampus) which is known as the feeling center of the brain, responsible for emotion, behavior, motivation, memory and learning. Essential oils cause the brain to release neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, endorphins, and noradrenaline, depending on whether the oils were selected for their calming, euphoric, or stimulating effects. Essential oils have strong medicinal effects and must be used properly. Consult an aromatherapist knowledgeable in essential oil use for animals.

4. TTouch® (also known as Tellington TTouch) is a body work method using circular movement to reduce fear and pain, enhance cellular function and communication, and support the healing potential of the body. When structural discomfort is reduced, there is reduction in anxiety and improvement in emotional balance.

5. Fear Free® is a fee based training certification founded by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker with contributions from experts in behavior medicine and handling. Their mission is to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them.

6. Anti-anxiety clothing. The concept is to swaddle the pet and reinforce a sense of security.

7. Core Distortion is a structural and energetic therapy that realigns the skull and spine, allowing the body to rebalance, improving energy flow and structure. This new modality is grounded in cranial sacral therapy, adding another dimension to the structural energetic therapy. Training on this technique will be available for veterinarians in the near future.

Conclusion

I have extrapolated information learned from modalities on the human side and successfully adapted them to my animal patients, enabling the pets to release these “trapped emotions”, bringing healing to both the pet and the pet parent.  Imagine having suitcases tied to your legs and “dragging” this baggage through life.  Releasing these trapped emotions is like cutting the ties to the baggage.  Most pet parents feel an emotional shift, becoming calmer and more peaceful as these trapped emotions are cleared.

The universe, G-d, source energy, universal consciousness, whatever you choose to call it, that “energy” we are all connected to, is talking to us ALL THE TIME, through our emotions and experiences.  If we choose to listen more, life becomes a magical exploration with endless possibilities, limited only by our beliefs.

Animals, like people, have seven primary chakras

Root chakra: located between the genitals and the perineum.  When balanced, beings feel safe, grounded and supported.

Humans with imbalances may experience eating disorders or greedy, insecure behavior.

Animals with imbalances may have low energy, food aggression, or be territorial.

Sacral chakra:  Located in the lower pelvis. When balanced, individuals feel creative, passionate, outgoing, and willing to take risks.

Humans with imbalances may experience reproductive disorders, kidney/bladder dysfunction, fear, rigid thinking, or hip/pelvis/lower back pain.

Animals with imbalances may be lethargic, aloof or clingy, and have separation anxiety.  They may also have poor personal boundaries.

Solar Plexus chakra:  Located at the solar plexus just below the diaphragm. It plays a role in digestion and endocrine balance.  It affects the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and adrenals.  When balanced, the individual is confident, has self-respect, and is in control.

Humans with imbalances may experience chronic fatigue, digestion and liver dysfunction, stomach issues, low self-esteem, and fear of rejection/criticism.

Animals with imbalances may lack confidence or be overly competitive, aggressive or dominant.

Heart chakra: Located in the thorax. When balanced, individuals feel joy, love, compassion, and trust.

Humans with imbalances may have heart disease, lymphatic issues, shoulder problems, jealousy, anger, neediness, or separation anxiety.

Animals with imbalances may be needy, clingy, and demanding or they may be disconnected, withdrawn and aloof.

Throat chakra: Located in the throat area, it is home to creativity and the ability to speak the truth.  When in balance, there is a free flowing of honesty and truthfulness expressed in words. The person may also be a good listener!

Humans with imbalances may see neck/shoulder pain, throat or facial problems, lack of willpower and the inability to self-express appropriately.

Animals may be overly vocal, not listen well, have a poor attention span, and be stubborn.  Or, they may be timid, shy and introverted.

Brow or 3rd Eye chakra: Located just above the eyes and between the brows.  This chakra is all about self-awareness, spiritual vision, clarity and truth. When balanced, there is a sense of purpose and direction in life.  The individual has a good memory, excellent problem solving skills, and a keen awareness of their place in society.

Imbalances in humans appear as visual and auditory problems, headaches, dwelling in negative thought, learning disorders and hormone dysfunction.

Animals with imbalances are poor learners, confused, can’t focus, and may be overly reliant on others for directions.

Crown chakra:  Located at the top of the head. It is associated with the pineal gland which is connected to spiritual awakening and expanded consciousness.  This is where enlightenment, inspiration and higher consciousness reside for humans and animals.

When balanced, one lives “in the present” and trusts their inner knowing.

Imbalances for humans may be depression, an inability to learn, fear of alienation, a sensitivity to light and sound, and a disconnection with self-knowledge.

Animals may be overly sensitive to environmental stimuli, anxious, worried and unable to relax.