http://www.care2.com/greenliving/healing-broken-hearts.html
Pets and Broken Hearts
Often, the only way into a heart is that it be broken first.
This wise statement is from a book written by a dear friend of mine, Patrice Rancour, called Tales From The Pager Chronicles (published by Sigma Theta Tau International, 2008). Patrice and I have walked together on the path promoting wellness in humans and animals for many years.
Patrice is a psychiatric/mental health clinical nurse specialist who assisted families in crisis before she crossed over into focusing on wellness. As I read story after story of these families, and the doctors and staff who cared for them, I marveled at the healing that occurs when a tender heart and helping hand are available. Obstacles that seem insurmountable can be overcome. But isn’t that what nursing is all about? Nurses are our advocates in a complicated medical system. I always knew that when I wanted answers about my hospitalized loved ones, I asked their nurses.
The stories in Tales also created a deja vu feeling for me. Even though Patrice is talking about human medicine, many parallels to specialty veterinary practice revealed themselves. You may think it is inappropriate to compare the crisis over a human illness to that of a pet’s situation, but to those of us who have lived in the drama, it is a very real comparison. I have had pet guardians collapse in my arms over a unexpected death. I have seen them at the brink of suicide. I’m certain their lives outside of the vet hospital were not stable, and the emotions of what was occurring brought them to the breaking point.
Thanks goodness veterinary medicine has embraced the concept of support services for pet guardians. We are blessed to have the Honoring The Bond program at Ohio State Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and I am busting a few buttons over the fact that my niece chose the human-animal bond as her specialty in social work. I could say I taught her everything she knows about clients, but who am I kidding? It was one of her mentors who held me up as I was burning out. I can remember calling Dr. Brandt on the phone many times before going in to talk to a client. At the end of a particularly tough day I’d ask her to foam the runway, because I knew I was coming in for a crash landing.
Do all veterinary specialty hospitals have a social worker or counselor on staff? No, but I hope the day comes when this service becomes the standard of care. These professionals also provide a needed service to the veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and students who care for severely ill patients. The stress can be overwhelming. Veterinary medicine now has the highest suicide rate of all the professions. There are many theories as to why we have made it to the top, and hopefully we will soon gain the awareness needed to give up that statistic.
As I present workshops on living according to energetic principles all across the country, I am reminded that our wounds (whether it is patient or a wounded healer) begin with a broken heart. Something happens to shut us down. The anger, judgment and bitterness follow as the energy from the initial wound continues to vibrate in our field. I liken it to Nikola Tesla’s theory of magnetic resonance, which states that a seemingly gentle oscillation over time can topple a sky scraper. Our wounds continue to vibrate and create drama in our lives until an event such as the loss of a loved one (two or four legged) pushes us over the edge.
The good news is that once we understand life as energy, we can regain our power. Once we know that there is an oscillating device called heartbreak in our energy field, we can take steps to quiet it — before life’s inevitable crisis occurs.
I’d like to dedicate this day to all the medical and veterinary nurses and staff who work so hard to watch our backs — whether we are the patient or the care provider. Please take a moment to remember them.
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
44 comments
add your comment »yes, chana!
one of my cats, teddy, spends lots of time in the woods. sometimes, in the winter, he spends it with his girlfriend - who is a bobcat. because of his time in the woods, he often doesn't come home for a week or two.
when i especially miss him, i will stand on the steps and silently call his name, over and over. all of a sudden, i see a long haired black cat come from out of the woods, running quickly towards me. yes, it's teddy!
he then comes in the house and usually stays for an hour or two -- just long enough to let mommy know that he is okay, then back outside and to the woods he goes.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Has anyone else noticed a telepathic connection with their animals? I have often found that all I have to do is think that I would like an animal to come to me and within seconds he or she is there.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
i talk to my cats and birds all the time -- all day long. when the cats are outside and i want them to 'check in' with mama, i just open the door and whistle. within a few minutes at least 2 of them show up.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
chana i talk to my pets and my flowers/plants all the time so if anyone says your mad for doing it then theyre the mad ones for not doing it. You look after them and theyll give you the best from them and also they dont argue back lol
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Not at all, Frank. And if the people around you look at you strangely when you talk to your animals I would suggest that either you move or you get new friends. Those squirrels they would send you to might make better friends, come to think of it.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I hope you did not perceive I was contending with you. And the last thing I would do is tell anyone what to do regarding spiritual activity. I thought my original comment about hormones and channels in was in support of talking to and soothing plants
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Gee, Frank, the people I work with talk to their pets and I'm pretty sure that a lot of them talk to their plants. We are all beings of energy and we all thrive on love. There have been numerous studies that have shown that plants that are spoken to (or have music played for them) do better than those that are not. I'm not going to stop.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Hello Chana: You ask, "doesn't everybody talk to plants and animals." You are the first one I know who makes this claim.
Therapists are iinto advising that because around here people usually don't, especially to plants and not so many years back
they would send one to the squirrels if you know what I mean.
Of course I assume when you say "talk" it means out loud.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I'm a clinical social worker (a therapist) and I talk to my animals and plants. Doesn't everybody?
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I know a therapist who talks to animals and also to plants. While plants aren't sentient in the same way as animals they have a hormone and signaling system .I grew up as a very poor conversationalist so so it helps me by talking to my cat. But I believe loving and talking to a pet helps train the mirror neurons that are a subject of research these days.
The mirror neurons are involved in internalizing other people's feeling and activity.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: