Perhaps you know those balmy evenings when a very specific, warm summer scent lingers in the air. A fragrance that often reminds us of lightness. Yet this week, during an animal communication session, I was shown how that exact same smell became an invisible prison for a wounded dog’s soul.
A family reached out to me because from one day to the next, their dog refused to go outside in the evening. It did not matter whether it was already dark or just 6 p.m. The joy was actually there, he wagged his tail while having his harness put on, but as soon as he got outside, he put on the brakes and wouldn’t take a single step.
When I connected with him, I was very curious to see what would show up in the field. First, I noticed this distinct evening scent and shortly after, the image of another dog that was causing him an immense amount of stress. My first human impulse was to think of a rival who might be doing his rounds at this time. But as I went deeper and held the space for him, the true cause revealed itself.
The warm summer scent had triggered a deeply repressed memory. With his previous human, there had been a very unpleasant encounter with that exact dog on an evening just like this. The worst part, however, was not just the other dog, but the feeling of absolute vulnerability. His human at the time was often already intoxicated at this hour, with blurred senses and clouded vision. There was no longer any inner clarity, leaving them unable to offer the dog any protection or safety. For an animal, this state of disorientation in their own human is deeply threatening.
Just like with us humans, old traumas that seemingly no longer had any impact can suddenly be reactivated in our animals by an external trigger. For this dog, the fear from back then was suddenly present again permanently, regardless of whether the real trigger even existed anymore. He felt completely transported back to that time.
I then worked with him energetically to gently release the deep-seated, stored emotions in his energy field so that he could find his way back into his own center and strength. At the same time, we brainstormed together how his new family can actively signal to him in everyday life that they are absolutely mindful. He no longer has to carry the responsibility and can trust that they will never lead him into a potentially dangerous situation.
In a second short session, I showed him how he can also very consciously connect with the completely different energy of his current humans whenever he feels an insecurity rising within him again. He was allowed to feel how clear, present, and stable his new family is compared to the past. Since that moment, he has been joining his evening rounds again with joy and lightness.
Our animals feel so much more than we often realize. They do not just react to what is happening on the outside, but very finely to our clarity and the presence we bring with us.
Have you ever experienced with your animal that a behavior seemed to come out of nowhere, only for a completely different, deeper story to reveal itself behind it? Please feel free to write to me about your experiences, I am looking forward to seeing what unfolds in your connection.
With love, Tanja