I always assumed you had to have a special gift in order to be able to do it, but the good news is that everyone has the ability to talk [...]]]> Today’s featured alternative health modality is animal communication. I have long been fascinated with it – being able to talk to animals sounds like a childhood dream!

I always assumed you had to have a special gift in order to be able to do it, but the good news is that everyone has the ability to talk to animals; it just takes training and practice. And you have to be able to listen to and trust your intuition.

There are many workshops and classes in animal communication all over the country, (some are on my Events & Workshops lists), so if you’re interested in learning more, there are plenty of opportunities.

Exactly what it sounds like! Communicating with animals telepathically through images, thoughts, feelings and physical sensations (smells, tastes, etc). Communicators can even feel the pain of an animal physically in their own body. And this is not limited to the pets in your home; communicators can also talk to wild animals, and animals who have passed away.

An animal communicator can help with all sorts of issues like health and behavioral problems by finding out what’s bothering your pet. He/she can also find out what your pet’s likes and dislikes are. Would he/she like another animal companion in the house? Is your pet grieving a friend or family member who passed away? You may have moved and now your pet isn’t sure of where “home” is anymore. Adopted animals are sometimes confused as to why they were given up by their previous owner and worry that they did something wrong. The communicator can help put their minds at ease. Sometimes animals just need to have things and situations explained to them so they can stop worrying.

Barbara Martin is a Professional Animal Communicator practicing in the California Bay Area. For the past 11 years, she has helped clients all across the US and Mexico gain a better understanding of their animals’ behaviors. She also works in conjunction with veterinarians and while she can’t diagnose an animal, she can let the vet know where it hurts, etc.

Barbara became interested in animal communication in 1998 when she came across the book “Kinship With All Life” by Allen J. Boone and wanted to learn more. Having always assumed that you had to be a born psychic in order to communicate with animals, she didn’t immediately follow up on that desire. But over the next few months, she discovered other books on animal communication, attended a workshop and decided she wanted to learn how to do this. She continued taking workshops and worked with other communicators, and eventually left her corporate career in order to do this work full time.

She assists animals with health issues, behavior issues, emotional issues, and can deliver requests from the humans. She can feel an animal’s body pain. This is helpful when deciding if a medical treatment is working; as well as “knowing” what is causing the discomfort. Barbara also has the ability to contact animals after they have “crossed over” to see how they are doing and what their perspective is about their time with their people.

Barbara also teaches classes and workshops in animal communication, and the next one is coming up May 8 in Concord, CA. For more information, visit Barbara’s website.

As I started working on this post, I found that I had thousands of questions and have been emailing back and forth with Barbara for quite some time (she has been very patient and wonderful about answering all my questions – thank you Barbara!). I thought others may wonder about the same things I did, so I decided to post some of the questions and answers; a mini-interview if you will.

Q. When you talk to animals, do you receive pictures or words? Do you hear their answers in English even if they’re from another country?

A: I receive pictures, words, emotions, and body feelings. Telepathy works in a way that my mind translates it into English. If I spoke another language it would translate into that language. How that works is something I cannot explain. When you send pictures from your mind to your animal, they translate it into something they can understand. So it is not that they are speaking English, just that it translates that way. If the Animal communicator sitting next to me is French, she would hear it in French.

Q. How important is it for someone who wants to communicate with their animal to be in touch with and trust their intuition?

A: In my classes I show people that they already use their intuition, and yes it helps to tune into it. You would be surprised how often you use it yourself right now every day. Think about when you know something about someone or an animal without them saying or doing anything. How you know how something in your day is going to go ahead of time. You probably use your intuition a lot more than you think. I have trained myself to get quiet enough that I can “hear” and I teach that in my classes.

Do you ever think about someone and they call you out of the blue, or email you? That is them thinking about you, and your intuition picks it up, and you think about them, and then they call and you say I was just thinking about you, or I was just thinking about calling you. Or knowing that your husband is going to be early or late before he tells you? Things like that. You are turning into their thoughts, just by thinking about them, and that is how it works with your animal. That is intuition. The more we trust it/use it the more we have access to it.

Q. Can you talk to wild animals (squirrels, raccoons, tigers, etc.)?

A. Yes. Domesticated animals have to depend on humans for survival, so they have learned to tune into humans and are sending us messages all the time (and do not understand why we do not always respond). So with a wild animal it takes a little bit longer to get their attention. All Animal Communicators talk to wild animals. How do we know we are connected? Well, I ask them questions that I can verify. Like how often do you have babies, and how long does your species usually live, how many hours do you sleep? Stuff like that, and then I look it up and verify what I get with facts. And then of course I just ask them about other stuff that they want to talk about.

Q. I saw that you say you can talk to animals that have passed away. Where are they? Are they with people who have passed away?

A: That part surprised me a lot too. Just to clarify, I took a lot of classes with other Animal Communicators before I started doing this work. Where they are, I do not know. I believe that they are near. Animals cross over to a place that does not feel far to me, and yes there are times that they describe people to me, but most times it is just other animals. My experience is that they are in Bliss. They do not carry resentments or anything like humans do. They talk about things that their humans would remember, and it is very healing for the humans to hear what I have to say. And they always know that it is their animal that is talking. I like to think they are here and we just cannot see them. By the way many animals that are here can see the spirits of other animals as well as humans that have passed.

Q. I try to send pictures to my dog and sometimes it does seem to work (calm her down, etc). What I would really like though is to be able to understand what she is telling me. I’ve tried many times to just look at her and have an open mind, but I’m not getting anything. What can I do to receive her thoughts?

A. I am thinking that a class or a book on How to Communicate with Animals would be perfect. Or even looking it up on the web. It is a lot about trusting your intuition that what you are getting is correct. When your animal talks to you, you hear it in YOUR OWN VOICE, so many people think it is their own thoughts, when it is really the animal talking. So you would sit with her and clear your mind, and focus on her and ask a question. The first thought that you have (comes quick) is her answer. And by the way if you ask them things like “If you can hear me walk over to me” well most animals will not respond to that unless they really want to. They have free will just like we do.

Q. I always talk out loud to my dog, in a normal conversational tone like I would talk to people, does that do anything or does she just think I’m making noise? I’ll say things like: “we’re not going out quite yet”, or “it’s not time for dinner just yet”, or “the toy is over by the sofa” or “did you see the kitty? etc.”

A. That is very cool, and what she is really “hearing” is the thought in your head, the picture that you are thinking. So you can be thinking that you are taking her for a walk in a few minutes, and tell her the words that she is never going on a walk again, and she will start wagging her tail, since she saw that she is going on a walk. I tell my students to send positive messages of what they want, and talk like they would talk to a small child. We are not as confusing when we talk to a small child, we make it easier for the child to understand.

Q. Hearing about the killer whale incident in Florida recently made me wonder if zoos and animal parks have animal communicators on staff. Do they, do you know? Do you think things like that could be prevented if a communicator were to check in with the animals in a zoo every day?

A. Maybe, but most of us do not like zoos and we do not think that it is fair to the animals. Also many of the trainers would not believe an Animal Communicator. Think about it. They are in jail, I never realized that until I did this work. And if I told them that the animals were sad, or wanted to go back to their families it would not be good for business. There have been many other incidents with Killer Whales in parks, where the trainers are losing control. They are not pets. Food for thought.

Q. Do different species of animals talk to each other? Like cats and dogs for example? Or squirrels and dogs/cats? If they do, can you hear their conversations?

A. All species communicate with each other when they have to. Yes, cats and dogs especially. No, I do not hear what they are saying to each other, I have to tune in to hear anything. But I can get them to tell me what they think about the other animals in their household. Think about when you are far away from another dog, and your dog responds one way or maybe another, like happy or scared. The other dog shoots a thought and that is how they size each other up. They make fun of each other, they are sweet to each other, they act a lot like humans.

Q. How can you let your pet know with images that you love him/her? What comes to my mind first is me hugging my dog, but that’s not good, since they don’t like being hugged. What would be a better picture to send? Or is it unnecessary, do they know that anyway?

A. Animals are all about LOVE. Sit with your dog and open your heart and send warmth and love from your heart. Then tell her all the reasons that you LOVE her. I promise you when you say I love you, they say it right back.

Thank you so much for sharing all that, Barbara!

Today, we’re not doing a traditional case study, but instead an introduction by Barbara talking about how you can communicate with your pets, and then a few testimonials from some of her clients.

February 12-14: Introduction [...]]]> With the holidays behind us, activity is picking up quite a bit. Here are the events and workshops in February and March that I have been able to find, but as always, if you know of an event that belongs on this list, please contact me and I will add it.

February 12-14: Introduction to Equine or Small Animal Acupressure – Gilbert, AZ
Teaches you to perform a complete acupressure treatment protocol and gives you an understanding of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concepts and theories underlying acupressure. This class is immediately followed by the intermediate class “Meridians & Specific Conditions 1&2″, February 15-18 at the same location. Both classes are taught by Tallgrass Animal Acupressure.

February 13-14: Animal Communication Weekend, Paseo Poco, Santa Ynez, CA
Two-day animal communication workshop with Anna Twinney of Reach Out To Horses.

March 19: Demo of the Tellington TTouch Method for Horses, CA
Instructor: Linda Tellington-Jones.

March 20-24: TTEAM Training with Horses, CA
Instructor: Linda Tellington-Jones.

February 20-21: Reiki I & II Certification, Golden, CO
Two-day Reiki certification class with Anna Twinney of Reach Out To Horses.

February 22, March 10 & March 24: Intro to Working with Animals and Essential Oils, Kaeru Studio, Littleton, CO
One-day class where you learn the basics of essential oils and how to use them on animals. Also includes an intro to applied kinesiology.

February 26, March 9 & March 23: Creating a Ceremony for Animals, Kaeru Studio, Littleton, CO
In this one-day class, you will learn how to how to use plants and essential oils as a blessing and healing practice for your animals.

March 19-21: Healing Touch for Animals Level 1, Denver, CO
Two and half day workshop with dogs and horses where you will learn the basics of The Komitor Healing Method.

February 4-5: Animal Communication Workshop, Lake Worth, FL
Two-day animal communication workshop with Anna Twinney (hosted by The Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage).

February 26-28: Healing Touch for Animals Level 1, Jacksonville, FL
Two and half day workshop with dogs and horses where you will learn the basics of The Komitor Healing Method.

February 21-27: TTouch for You and Your Horse – Kona, HI
Six-day class with a one-day break for a boat ride/dolphin swim. Instructor: Linda Tellington-Jones.

February 6: Introduction to Canine Massage, Bancroft School of Massage, Worcester, MA
One-day class which teaches you basic anatomy and massage techniques to use on your dog.

February 12: Introduction to Tellington TTouch, NYC New
Introductory class at the New York Open Center. Instructor: Edie Jane Eaton.
February 13: TTouch for Cats, NYC New
Half day workshop at the New York Open Center where you will learn the basics of TTouch for cats. Instructor: Edie Jane Eaton.
February 14: TTouch for Dogs, NYC New
One-day workshop at the New York Open Center where you will learn the basics of TTouch for dogs. Instructor: Edie Jane Eaton.

March 26: Introduction to Animal Chakra Healing, NYC New
Learn the basics of chakra healing at this evening workshop at the New York Open Center. Instructor: Margrit Coates

March 27: Hands-on Healing for Animals, NYC New
Learn how to get “in tune” with your pet(s), read their non-verbal messages, distance healing, work with the chakras, spiritual first aid techniques, ease the suffering of terminally ill animals and cope with loss. One-day workshop at the New York Open Center. Instructor: Margrit Coates.

March 26-28: Healing Touch for Animals Level 1, Cincinnati, OH
Two and half day workshop with dogs and horses where you will learn the basics of The Komitor Healing Method.

February 13 & March 21: Equine Massage 101 – Camden, SC
One-day seminar where you learn the basic principles of Equine Massage/Muscle Therapy.

March 25-27: Jin Shin Jyutsu for You and Your Animal Companions, Best Friends Animal Society, Kanab, UT
Workshop where you will learn the basics of Jin Shin Jyutsu, an energy healing method that helps balance the body, mind and spirit.

March 10-19: The Heart of Canine Hydrotherapy – Level 1 & 2 Combined, Sequim, WA
Learn Canine Water Therapy, massage techniques, and explore animal communication.

ALBERTA
February 13-18: TTouch for Companion Animals, Calgary Humane Society, Calgary, AB
Foundation (and on-going) TTouch training with dogs, cats and other companion animals. Instructors: Robyn Hood and Kathy Cascade.