• General Session Preparation

  • Deepening Bonds

  • The Trust Technique

  • Remedy Labels & General Information

leopard on brown tree branch during daytime
leopard on brown tree branch during daytime

General Session Preparation

  • A resource for remedies and their uses for people & animals:

    Book: https://www.ingrahambooks.com/shop/p/innate-self-medication-book

  • Please use a laptop (phones don’t have the exposure needed) for Zoom.

  • Choose an area with as much light as possible.

  • A space that is comfortable for you and your animal is ideal.

  • It can be helpful to have someone available to move the computer camera around. I have found that most people also do well alone.

  • If your animal is on medication, it is generally best to wait to have a session 1-2 hours after a medication is given.

  • It is common for other pets in the house to be interested in the remedies during the session. If a separate session for them would be beneficial, the same kit can be used.

  • There will be recommendations when the session is through. Please have a notebook available.

  • Please have a bowl of fresh water nearby and a slightly opened window if possible, for some fresh air.

  • I kindly ask for the session space to be quiet as possible order to focus on body language, which can be subtle.

  • Your questions are welcomed following the session. If you have a concern during the session, please ask.

  • When a remedy is offered, I will be looking for what is a “yes” and what is a “no”. Stillness, soft eye blinking, deep breathing and mouthing (licking the aroma molecules) are signs that an animal is working with an oil. Sitting down or laying down to an oil is a sign that it is a key oil.

  • When an animal begins to work with a remedy, they will sometimes turn their head slightly, a mechanism used to adjust the potency of the dose. At that point, we stop moving towards them and let them work with it. Once we know they are working with an oil, we allow them as much time as they need with it. Once done, they will signal they are done by walking or turning away, although turning away can sometimes just be for a break.

  • The goal is to support them into a relaxed state where their bodies are working with the remedies selected. They can sometimes go into a fairly deep sleep. During this time, their body is going into a healing state. Petting or stroking tends to bring them out of that. Please wait until they have awakened, for this.

  • Initial sessions are usually longer, anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.

  • After a session, remedies worked with are usually offered 1-3 times a day depending on condition and how much they worked with it during the session. They will lose interest when no longer needed.

  • The need for remedies can change over time.

“The high speed with which some essential oils initiate a behavioral change in an animal through smelling alone is due to the fact that nerve signals from the olfactory tract take barely a second to reach the brain. This is because electrical nerve impulses travel faster than flood flows.”

Deepening Bonds

Most animals aren’t given the choice between natural or allopathic medicine. It is just administered or put into food. Over time, they can turn off. In this way, in a session, they may not know right away you are listening since, in their experience, the remedy is going to be administered anyway. When we give over control, they begin to realize we are responding to their yes and no’s, they start to feel listened to and the bond that can develop as a result, can be profound.

We hand the session over to them, trusting their ability to heal, becoming a facilitator, not unlike a caregiver. We give back to them the innate intelligence they have, taking the human mind out of the process in order to truly observe and respond to their needs. When we are able to quiet the mind, it gives them the freedom to be in full presence, as they are able to let go of their need to take care of us.

🌿 🌿 🌿 🌿 🌿

The Trust Technique

The Trust Technique is a present-moment based method of connecting with and supporting animal healing by reducing over-thinking, creating a space for them to be in "our" presence, lowering their need to be on alert, facilitating a genuine bond, allowing them to regain trust and let go. The Trust Technique also has a Facebook page. For your enjoyment:

Essential Oil Labels, Remedy Details

Please consult the guidance of an Animal Self-Medication Practitioner. In general,

  • Red label focus is antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-tumor support.

  • Purple labels are psychotherapeutic in nature.

  • Blue labels are pain and inflammation, though St. John's Wort, diverse in nature, also works as a calming remedy/sedative. It isn't an essential oil and animals who have had chronic pain may select it orally. German Chamomile is anti-viral (herpes simplex, Bells Palsy, etc.) and anti-inflammatory. Yarrow is another diverse oil also great for wounds and can heal collagen fibers back in perfect alignment. It also works on the mind in support of releasing unwanted memories and helping an animal go deeper. Birch and Wintergreen are selected for musculoskeletal pain and act like NSAID’s (professional guidance required).

  • Yellow labels are in general, anti-microbial/anti-bacterial/anti-fungal. However Melissa is a special oil in that it also is selected for neurological imbalances and as an anti-viral. Bergamot is selected for heart conditions and all things lumps and bumps. Lemon is selected for estrogen/hormonal imbalance, kidney/bladder stones and is supportive to targeting tumors in a certain way.

  • Green labels are diverse. Ginger is supportive for GI and also a liver remedy. Carrot seed is selected for liver detoxification, cellular and eye repair. Seaweed absolute is not an essential oil and is selected mainly to help reverse vaccine (and medication and dewormer) damage such as spinning and other neurological or liver-related toxicity. Sandalwood is usually selected as an anti-bacterial for kidney/bladder and sometimes ear conditions and can also selected by animals at the end of life, assisting them in transitioning to the other realms (along with Frankincense, Rose and Angelica Root).

  • Orange labels are generally hormonal/endocrine oils. Some are also anti-fungal. Sage & Clary Sage are hormonal in support. Cinnamon is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial and selected by many animals with Cushing’s. Geranium is for hormonal balance and is also an anti-fungal. Hops can be selected for fear reactivity and high anxiety.

  • The Waters have an overall supportive, gentle effect on the mind and body, albeit effective. Orange blossom water is supportive to help instill joy. Rose water is supportive with past trauma, nurturing and fertility, and some select it after selecting oils for injury on the body; it can help release stored trauma from fascia. Cornflower is for non-specific eye conditions and to help animals who feel shut down to open up to the healing process. Frankincense water is supportive when there is fear.

  • Green clay is for detox, is an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial (animals in the wild will many times risk their lives to get to clay deposits in order to rub on them), helps greatly for wounds and skin infections that are fungal. Just a few of many qualities of this one.

  • Comfrey oil - fractures and ligament damage (selected by inhalation, topically and orally).

  • Spirulina: Diverse but mainly immune support. Also can aid with purging.

  • Rosehip powder: Helps restore collagen, foundational for animals, mixed with rice bran oil.

  • Barley Grass: Contains all the B-vitamins including B12, minerals and all essential amino acids. Many animals who are low in vitamin and mineral support select it. Horses tend to need it in colder months. Can aid purging.

  • Coconut oil: Aids purging, GI, brain and skin support.