Recently a California-base homeopath who treats animals, Beth Murray, wrote to me regarding what she has observed in her practice regarding the relationship between humans and animals. Her thoughts, which I think are important, I paste in below:
As a homeopath who sees animals at Creature Comfort Holistic Veterinary Center and at the Oakland Zoo, and treats people at Back to Life Wellness Center in Alameda, California, I often think about how remedy states, which are often described as being shared with or inherited from family members, are also shared by animals and their people. If we accept that a remedy state is a condition of the vital force that affects a person's spiritual, emotional and physical self, it's not a big step to imagine animals and their people sharing these states. We've all seen the old couple we "look" like each other, and we've also seen the dog and person who "look" like each other. In some cases this may be because a person consciously or subconsciously chooses a companion animal to echo her own appearance, in other cases, this resemblance comes after years of sharing the same space - the two begin to move like each other, cock their heads like each other, etc. So I do not find it strange that often pets and their people share the same illnesses.
For example, I have a weak bladder, and have to frequently use the bathroom. I think it is no coincidence that my both my cat and dog "leak" while sleeping and lying down. Quite frequently I discover that the animals I am seeing at the veterinary clinic share a weakness in a certain area of their body with their owners. I also find that the remedy that heals the pet is often the remedy that the owner needs, and vise versa. For example, I suggested the remedy Naja, made from the cobra snake, for a ten-year old cat with a heart murmur and early hyperthyroid. The cat continues to do well on the remedy. The owner went to see my favorite homeopath, who had no idea what I had given the cat, and this homeopath also prescribed Naja for this woman.
Unfortunately, I see the same phenomena in cases of cancer and other serious illness. The most common pattern I see is that an owner will bring in a terribly sick animal. The owner will be completely loving and terribly concerned about the animal - but I will have a sense that this animal has "absorbed" the illness from his person. In no way do I feel that this is the person’s fault. This is the nature of companionship, we share energy, and sometimes, illness.
In his book, The New Work of Dogs, Jon Katz discusses how the "work" of urban and suburban dogs is emotional rather than physical. He discusses how the "job" of being a companion and soothing their human's anxieties, may be taking a toll on dogs. Having a clear-cut job such as keeping a herd intact or bringing back a duck without tooth marks is a satisfying experience for a dog; the job is doable, and ends in the satisfaction of accomplishment. These jobs also involves a dog's best skills - her sense of smell and physical prowess, and while using these skills, the dog is simultaneously "discharging" stress through physical activity. Emotional work is not so clean cut. In a sense, "the job is never done," and discharge of stress is often not built into the job. I would expand Katz's discussion of work, to include other companion animals such as cats and rabbits. I do not see this phenomenon in herd and farm animals, who are more affected by and spend more time with each other than any human.
Recently Dr. Branch wrote ,“ "That which we cannot hold in our consciousness we express through the body.” I believe this, and would extend his statement further to say, "Sometimes, that which we cannot express, our animals and family members express for us."
He wrote something which luckily, is also true: "We are here on this earth to become conscious and to heal.” Despite the fact that animals do not use words or have intellects quite like ours, I do believe they have energetic and spirit paths, just as we do. And that each animal and person somehow “choose” each other in order to work on her own spirit’s challenges. Even if that means that the relationship is radically changed as an animal or person faces his own death, there is always healing in that process, and we share this healing as we accompany our animals through life, and stand at the doorway as they pass through death. Just as we share illness with our animals, finding the spirit-healing inherent in this process is a task we can also share with them.
Beth Murray, CCH, RSHom (NA)
www.wholehomeopathy.com
www.myanimalhomeopath.com
510.522.2469
Healing for all living beings
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