When Companion Animals Are More Than Comfort: Sentience, Somatic Awareness, and Healing
Many of you won’t be surprised to hear that I talked about animals, sentience, and the healing work that happens under the surface of conscious awareness A LOT this past week.
Many of our clients return home each day to a dog, cat, bird, rabbit, horse, reptile, or other companion animal that notices them, responds to them, greets them, rests near them, or offers a steady presence. Yet as clinicians, we are not always taught to explore these relationships as part of the healing process.
Recognizing that the companion animals we share homes and lives with become part of the nervous system story offers a bridge into the healing that is possible for our clients every day. This invites us to stay curious, observe, and feel into these relationships with intention.
In a recent article I co-wrote on sentience-centered practice, we explored the importance of recognizing animals as sentient beings with their own preferences, emotions, needs, and ways of communicating.
When we slow down and honor the relationship between a client and their companion animal, we may find a meaningful doorway into embodiment, safety, connection, and the creation of new predictions about the Self.
So maybe the invitation for us as clinicians is simple, but meaningful:
(Text reads “Ask about the animals who share your client’s life. What does it feel like to be greeted by them? What do you notice in your body when te animal chooses closeness? What happens when you slow down enough to receive that moment in stead of moving past it?)
Not because the companion animal is a tool or a technique, but because the relationship may already be part of the client’s healing environment.
When we honor companion animals as sentient beings, we also help our clients notice connections in new ways. We invite them to experience being welcomed, chosen, accompanied, and known — not only as an idea, but as something their body may begin to feel.
So the next time you talk with a client about their 4-legged companion ask them about what might be different if they slowed down the next time they went home.
(Text reads “Embodied Connection: Take a moment to slow down the next time you step into your home. As your companion animal greets you or you go to say hi to them, pay close attention to what unfolds within you. Focus on your breath, muscles, heart, body structure. Pay attention to yourself with intention in this experience, allowing a deepening as you connect with this living being. Embrace the insights they wish to share about you.”)
And sometimes, that small moment at the door can become part of a much larger healing story.
With Peace and Care,
Alison
P.S. If you want to learn more, I have a FREE three-part webinar series posted on my website about the Human Animal Bond and the Science of Safety/Polyvagal Theory. Just scroll down to the bottom: https://www.empower-healing.com/free-resources