A THERAPEUTIC TOUCH TREATMENT

A THERAPEUTIC TOUCH TREATMENT

By Barbara Janelle M.A.

In Touch, Vol. XII, No. 4, November 2000

Houdini comes and stands on my lap, staring intently into my eyes. Then lies down belly-up placing himself directly under my hand. I know that if I do not respond he will push against my hand with his head and insistently rub his ears against my hand. All are signals that he wants a treatment.

I have observed Houdini’s eyes and posture closely for the past year ever since the veterinarian’s blood test indicated that his pancreatic enzymes were off. Houdini is 14 years old, a neutered male, black and white cat, and a singer of love for my family, my home and our city block. (1) He has had teeth problems for a while and has had several teeth removed. The drooling had started up again last year and he was having difficulty eating. He also developed an arched back posture that limited the use of his shoulders and front legs, so that his nails kept catching on things and straining his shoulders. His eyes had a dark ring around the outer edge of the iris.

The veterinarian offered the possibility of several more tests and the decision not to operate and remove more teeth because his system was not strong enough for surgery. I asked Houdini what was going on, and he replied that he would live for two more years. I chose to not put him through more tests and to treat him myself.

HOT CASTER OIL PACKS

I started with hot caster oil packs every other day for a week. Houdini accepted this beautifully, lying on my lap while I held the oil-soaked cloth, topped with a plastic sheet and hot pack (2) in place. For the twenty to thirty minutes that he lay there, I worked the acupressure points in his ears (3) and supported the grounding of the field. Each day Houdini also received a TT treatment. By the end of the week, his back was straight, his eyes were clear, he was no longer drooling, and he was eating well. I’ve repeated the caster oil pack treatment twice over the past year.

 

Houdini receives regular treatments of both Therapeutic Touch and Tellington TTouch. (4) The way Houdini’s places his body on my lap determines the approach I use.

Last night he presented himself to me as I was reading. He lay flat out on my lap, not pushing into my hands for physical touch but staring intently at me, demanding that I get to work on him! His back had been arched more in recent days and while the dark band is gone from his irises, there is a blotch of red near one of his pupils that I am watching as a health indicator.

THE THERAPEUTIC TOUCH TREATMENT

I put my hand on his hindquarters and through visualization checked for the strength of grounding. The image of long but fine roots into the Earth came. I asked Mother Earth to hold him well in her embrace and the roots deepened and thickened. They connected not only to the hindquarters but also into the belly, the heart and then along the spine to the crown chakra. Houdini melted more completely into my lap and half closed his eyes.

I made a pass through the field from the head down through hind legs and tail and noticed a very “hot” spot over the heart area and another duller “sounding” feeling over the abdomen. Going to the root chakra, I checked the vibratory quality and found it sluggish and dull. Again, a request to the Earth for help and the feel of growing strength and rhythm came rapidly. More energy was being absorbed through that chakra now and I offered light through my hand. The energy was drawn into the chakra and moved to the abdomen brightening the area, steadying the rhythm. From there a finger of light extended to the heart. Another pass through the entire field invited a pastel rainbow of light to come through the crown and dance through the field, brightening and increasing the energetic flow through the field. Houdini’s eyes were shut now.

On to the sacral chakra, and instead I found my hand over the lower abdomen, “listening” to the rhythm. Help was needed here, and a “helper’s” hand moved in to work – “pushing buttons” in the area was the comment and image I received. In moments, the field felt lighter, better. Another full field pass bringing dancing pastel light flowing through helped the field become more energized.

The heart area drew my attention next. Gumminess stuck to my fingers and I drew it out in long fine threads. I went in again with deep, sticky light fingers (5) and drew even more off. A “helping hand” took the end of the steamer and pulled more congestion out of the field.

 

I thought of the heart of this wonderful being and gently cradled the area in my hands. “Hi,” I said, and Houdini’s brightness grew as the Being expanded. The physical body was very small in this image. Too often we see the body as full truth, when the reality is that the Being is so much more. I deepened my peace and Houdini and I touched the edges of the universe. The heart area became very light and rhythmic.

I made another full field pass: integrating, brightening, moving the treatment toward completion. Houdini stretched and moved his throat and mouth to my hand insistently. Assessing with the tiny chakras at the tips of two fingers, I checked the state of his gums and teeth. An area on the left side near the front of his mouth required a little unruffling and light energy. The treatment ended with a reassessing pass through the field and a final check on the grounding. There was good, strong flow through the field now. Houdini lay stretched on my lap absorbing the treatment that had lasted about five minutes. A few minutes later he headed off to bed and I returned to my murder mystery!

SYMBOLIC CONVERSATION

The Therapeutic Touch treatment is a conversation with the field. Sometimes the conversation is only at the level of feeling energetic differences and changes. However, the most profound treatments come with images. Sometimes they only show the needs and response of the field, but many times, there are pictures, words, sounds and even smells that guide the treatment. To trust these implicitly, to work with and/or follow them is to participate in a multi-level conversation with the field. Here is the edge of learning as we meet an infinite wisdom. Here is multi-level healing.

Houdini chases butterflies and runs as fast as he ever did. He sleeps more now, but his appetite is good, his coat is bright and his humour is in tact!

 

 

 

 

1. (See “Earth Song,” Our Healing Power: Therapeutic Touch for Humans and Animals by Barbara Janelle, self-published, London, ON: 1999.

2. I use a microwavable hot pack rather than an electric pad because of my concerns about the electro-magnetic field on an already compromised health system.

3. Each ear has almost 400 acupressure points and a gentle slip-slide movement on the ears will support all physical systems. This work is from Tellington TTouch.

4. In addition to ear massage, TTouch circles on the muscles both sides of the spine and very gentle back lifts and tail pulling help to straighten the back. TTouch around the shoulder girdle and hips increase range of movement and soft circles on his belly speak to the body’s own healing mechanisms.

5. I owe the image of sticky light fingers to London TT Hospital Team Member Kelly Trevail who developed the idea. She says she images her fingers having tape like that used to remove pet hair from clothing, and she reaches deeply into the field and draws congested energy to her sticky fingers. She pulls it out, turns off the stickiness and shakes the energy away. This is a very effective way of reducing localized congestion.