ANIMAL HEALER Elizabeth Whiter

Review
As well as helping people, Elizabeth Whiter also helps their pets, healing them emotionally, physically and mentally. Cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, and even snakes and birds of prey - all have been healed, and now with over one thousand successful cases, Elizabeth shares her extensive knowledge and experiences of working with animals to show you how they act, feel, want and heal, examining all aspects of their welfare and wellbeing to bring both them - and you - the healthiest lifestyle they can have, and a long, happy life. Her secret? Listening - and now you can share that and rediscover exactly what our pets and all animals are capable of. By rediscovering the unconditional love and real needs of all animals, you can not only heal them - but also hold the power to heal yourself.
262pp, 142mm x 224mm, illus. in colour, hardback, 2009

Extract
Instinct and Intuition
One of the most gratifying things about what I do is witnessing the moment when the intellect of the mind surrenders to the wisdom of the heart, the moment when reason is put aside and something quite magical happens.

When an owner watches his pet selecting a remedy for her cancer, a macerated oil for her fear of being alone, or rolling over to allow her aching hip to be healed by my hands, the owner is usually humbled by this instinct, and the relationship between them is transformed.

In terms of real knowledge we've got nothing on most of the dogs, cats, rats, guinea pigs and horses I see, yet we're supposed to be top of the food chain. We only need to watch the way our animals live to observe how their intuition, their ability to tune in to energies, their instincts are all finely honed. Our animals remind us to think less and chill out more. They know what's what. They know whom to follow, how to lead, even what to eat to make themselves healthy.

Spending as much time as I do with those who live in harmony with their environment, whose carbon footprint contributes so little to climate change and whose belief system melts hearts rather than creates wars, I'm often left scratching my head about our modern world.

One of the problems with modern education is that it teaches us that science is king. I'm fascinated by science, but it is based on solutions and can't prove most of the things that I see every day. To modern science, aneCDotal evidence is inadmissible, so witnessing results counts for nothing according to its rigorous methodology.

Happily, as far as my clients are concerned we see all the results we need.

Most vets I come across are very respectful of the work that I do and see it as complementing theirs. I love the fact that I can combine knowledge of the endocrine system with intuition around the energy centres, taking the best of both worlds in my work. The physiology and anatomy module is one of the cornerstones of my animal healing course, yet the body is only half the story when we're dealing with a living being.

Vets work with animals because they have a deep understanding of what they are, and apply their scientific minds to animals' wellbeing. But I find that veterinary training and dedication create a certain mindset which does not allow them to expand their thinking. As with all modern medicine, time is at a premium and vets, like doctors, don't have enough of it to look under the surface or to tune intuitively in to the source of the problem. One thing that scientists/doctors and vets agree on is that the most effective remedy is the time that complementary therapists can spend on their patients.

Things are changing, though: veterinary schools in Europe and the US are beginning to invite specialist complementary therapists to lecture their students, and the final year at some veterinary schools offers students an opportunity to explore complementary healthcare such as acupuncture and herbalism.

I have deep respect for the enormous advances in medicine, but being around animals can teach us a great deal. Animals are deeply empowering for us, especially when they mirror our emotions. They can be great healers, and the moment when their owners wake up to the real relationship their pets can offer is a profound one indeed.

I believe that it is part of our role as top of the food chain to be good leaders and to understand the needs of everybody else on Earth if we're to keep ourselves and our planet healthy. It is about moving out of the master/servant relationship into a deeper understanding of the primal bond between humans and animals. Understanding and respecting the needs of the animal kingdom is about understanding and respecting yourself, your environment and the vital role you play in others' lives.

From The Animal Healer, ?2009 by Elizabeth Whiter, published by Hay House.