I\’ve been visiting an ex racing Greyhound, Jackson, for 8 months now. I have seen him ten times, for Whole Energy Body Balance sessions. He was a really top racing dog, huge drive, and loved racing with a passion. Then he had a nasty fall, and broke his leg badly. Probably the only reason it was repaired was that he had won so much money. He never recovered to race again, and he was unusually lucky to find a home. His mum has three greyhounds (including him), and is deeply involved in rehoming greyhounds, and lobbying against the industry. He is a difficult dog- he has a very high prey drive, and would never pass the tests for a green collar (so he has to go out with a muzzle on). He had severe post traumatic stress.
When I first saw him, he was very anxious, and had been on medication for anxiety. The first session was a bit interesting. He wanted nothing to do with me! I followed him around the house, him looking back at me with one eye, very suspiciously. He\’d stop and settle, I\’d put my hands on his body, and he\’d get up in a huff and walk off, giving me the evil eye. So I\’d gently follow him until he stopped and settled again. This went on for a good half an hour until he finally gave up in disgust and suffered me to do the treatment, with an extremely sulky look on his face. He had so much pain and tension in his body, it silently screamed under my hands. His pelvis was all askew, and his sacrum was so terribly painful he could barely allow the lightest touch. I ever so gently eased pain and tension away, working to release all that awful trauma. The pain of the physical injury was the least of it! He was so angry and resentful that he couldn\’t race any more!
After the first visit, His Mum noticed that he was Happier, and more willing to share space with the other two dogs.
Over the next few sessions he gradually allowed me to work with him more and more, and actually started to relax into a deep trance during the sessions. I sensed fear around losing his present owner, and helped that to dissolve. His mum noticed that he was less likely to lunge at other dogs, and that he seemed more agreeable, less grumpy, and started to share the bed with his mum (something he had never done before).
Over the next three sessions I could start to get his physical body flowing much better- especially around his sacrum and occiput – and I helped him let go of a lot of anger, open up his heart center, and also healed some trust issues. Every time he was more open to me working on him, and noticeably more friendly and engaged when I arrived. The cold glint in his eyes really softened.
By now we were 9 sessions down the track. When I visited for the 10th session, he had gotten worse, and was lunging at other dogs, being difficult, not flowing so well with his housemates and so on. His mum had wondered if he was too much to handle, and had talked about euthanasia. (Then his behaviour suddenly improved, so don\’t tell me dogs don\’t understand a lot more than we think they do!)
In the last session I did, there was a huge amount of anger to release, and then wells and wells of sadness. I also prescribed some bach flower essences, and then, I got an email…
\”Just to let you know that Jackson has turned a corner, the Bach Flower
remedy has really helped ( and last month\’s treatment). He\’s finally let go
of some of his anger and resentment, he\’s much happier, and has realised
that he has to move on. He\’s more obedient, actually enjoying family life.
Doesn\’t glare at you showing the whites of his eyes so much, happy to come
out for a walk. He used to bury his face in his paws when it was walk time
as if to say, \”just don\’t ask me out, I don\’t want to go.\” \”Go away.\” I
think he\’s finally accepted his place in the family.\”
Very heart warming news indeed. This story is a great example of how animals improve incrementally with this sort of healing work. It\’s like peeling away the layers of an onion, session by session. And then sometimes a whole lot of old trauma surfaces, and needs to be cleared out. It\’s been such a privilege to watch him blossom into a more relaxed, happy, engaged dog.