The "Dark Side" of Animal Communication

Soft and Sound (Facebook) wrote a post entitled: The dark side of animal communication. 

I don’t follow this page or know the trainer, it just showed up in my feed and caught my attention. I read the post and comments and because I appreciated the thoughtfulness behind the post I felt inspired to reply. 

The basis behind the post is that caring and compassionate horse owners reach out to communicators as a last ditch effort and receive advice or information that is unethical or not responsible. 

First, I will say that the words she uses in her examples I don’t use in my communication sessions. I often find that when people speak about communicators, or communication sessions, they use such interesting words that I would not find in my own sessions. I often wonder if it’s truly what the communicator said or how the listener interpreted it. Anyway, she lists examples of how the communicator received one thing, and she is seeing another, and it’s emotionally triggering for her to be in the middle of it. It seems like in her experience her clients reach out to animal communicators in times of desperation (at least what I can gather from this post) rather than times of curiosity. She then stated that she feels the communicators word is taken as gospel and all other professionals are ignored. 

But I think the most important part of the entire conversation she brings forward is this: “I guess my plea is that while a communicator can be a useful addition to your horse's welfare, don't forget your own abilities in this area. Your own capacity to observe,  feel, to really see what's in front of you. Your horse will very often tell you the truth if you are prepared to see it. And, you likely already have an amazing team of communicators around you -  they just may call themselves something different.” 

That’s just it isn’t it? 

“Your horse will very often tell you the truth if you are prepared to see it.” 

If you (the trainer) are in front of them, seeing all these things, and the owner is still seeking additional guidance, could that mean they aren’t prepared for the truths you’re bringing forward? The truth is hard to hear sometimes. Pain is hard to accept and recognize in those we love, and we know that by the way we feel when we focus our attention on them. We know by how responsible we feel for them. We know by doing all the things we feel are right by them and how much pain it inflicts within us when those things don't work.

Have you ever found yourself deep in a situation too close to the forrest to see the trees? All the “signs” are signing and yet you can’t see a clear way out. Then later, you look back and think, wow there were so many signs, how did I not see them!? You weren’t ready. You were not yet a vibrational match to the solution you were seeking, you needed more information and more experiences to feel into. 

My favorite question to ask myself is: Who am I to say that this (whatever is going on, triggering me, presenting itself, needs to change, pain, etc) isn’t for the highest and best good of this partnership? Truly. How can we know it's not? We can’t...because we are not living their experience from their own unique point of awareness. 

Sometimes pain and challenge are necessary for growth. Witnessing someone else learning to ride a bike does little for your own skillset, you have to ride it yourself. We must all move through experiences ourselves, no amount of “learn from me” or “trust me” will keep others from moving through their own, sometimes painful, lessons. 

Have you ever been told you need a new saddle only to change up as many things as possible because you’re not ready or able to buy a new one? Or have you ever witnessed someone in a relationship or friendship that is emotionally draining to them, you watch them change “for the worse” right before your eyes, but nothing you say will get them to leave? We cannot see things for them, they have to see it for themselves. Us ‘seeing’ it is only our own perception of them from our place of what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ anyway. 

Have you ever witnessed someone go through a traumatic event, or something that brings pain or physical trauma only for them to come out the other side saying they’d never take any of it back?… and that it changed them for the better? Yet when we look upon them from the outside we might feel sad for them because we have no idea where they are vibrationally in relation to where they’re meant to go. For some, their greatest inspiration and value come through immense pain, challenge, or adversity. 

Anytime we look outside of our ourselves for answers whether it’s a healthcare professional, trainer, or animal communicator there’s going to be someone else’s perception interfering with our own. What feels right can only be answered by each of us as individuals.

I do agree with the OP that people should not forget their own capabilities. Animal communicators are not gurus, at least not in my case. I’m someone who has diligently practiced listening to those little nudges every day and teaches others to do the same. I don’t have all the answers, the magic potion, the secret sauce, none of us do.. 

When I first started practicing telepathic communication it was interesting to navigate because there are those who are curious about working with an animal communicator but don’t fully trust or understand the process or are afraid of being judged. With this mindset, the the animal communicator is left without being able to ask questions, and is expected to tell the person mind-blowing information that they “couldn’t possibly know” to prove authenticity of the experience, or else it’s a bullshit, money seeking, Facebook sifting scam. 

In time, I learned that animal communication is more beneficial if questions are asked. Similar to a trainer who asks the history or other questions about your horse so that you can ask better questions and receive more helpful information. Over time, I have grown from the person who felt like I had to have all the answers to someone who is consistently guiding people to find their own answers. If it wasn’t real (OP is not suggesting this), I wouldn’t have been able to teach hundreds of people to access and become aware of their own gifts. 

I find that many people criticize animal communication when they don’t truly understand what’s happening, and I do feel it’s the intuitive’s responsibility to explain the process and to deeply understand it themselves. 

When I speak here from the “AC’s perspective” I speak only for myself: 

AC’s pick up patterns of thought. Dominant vibrational energy. This is how we access the feeling of a personality. Our personality is a series of beliefs, thoughts, habits, and patterns that become dominant and they hold an energetic  pattern that can be felt. An AC saying a horse is a certain way in general, means they might be picking up on a dominant energetic pattern of that way of being. 

AC’s get a snapshot of information about the physical and emotional body in the moment. It’s important for an AC to practice feeling into what feels chronic vs what feels acute or in-the-moment. For example: the OP’s example of a poorly fitting saddle. From an AC perspective the mind body and spirit all go together and a few things might be being interpreted (and it IS the AC’s responsibility to understand which is which and explain it to the client so information doesn’t become misconstrued). The things: 

The saddle might not be feeling important to the horse in the moment, so no information might not be brought forward. 

There might be more pressing information the horse needs the person to focus on in relation to the bigger picture, so the saddle issue is not being brought forward. 

The person might not be in the space to actually HEAR that the saddle is the issue. What’s beautiful about the experience the OP posted about though, is that she (the OP) notices the saddle, and she can be the person to bring that forward, while the AC speaks about other things. It’s an opportunity for her to honor the clients experience with the AC while also speaking the truth of what she sees and then allowing the client to make decisions that feel good to them. 

The next comment I see all the time about AC: “This can’t be real, how can a horse even know what an osteopath is, they don’t speak English!” Of course they don’t speak English in the way we do. The words the AC uses are their interpretation of energetic blocks of thought, images, feelings, sensations, and symbols.

For example; Have you ever described pain in your body as something stabbing you? Something is clearly not stabbing you yet it is the closest word you can find that matches the sensation. Or have you ever said your heart fell out of your chest, or your stomach flipped? Those things are not actually physically happening but you find the words that are the closest match to the vibrational energy or sensation. 

I do also agree with the OP that messages from an AC can be taken too literally, and it’s important for people to critically think before acting. I think that’s with anything, though… Animals have taught me to believe in people, to separate what’s mine and what’s theirs… and to believe in them, and the process of each individuals journey. They’ve taught me to get clear about my role and my values in delivering information, and trusting that others will do the same. 

When we become overly responsible for how someone is going to perceive information, or how they are going to react, or the choices they are going to make… we actually take away from their experience. We view them as incapable of handling something or making a good decision…. 

I wonder what would happen if we all believed in one another a little more? Not necessarily in their communication abilities but their abilities to make choices that are in alignment with their own experience. Maybe we believe in ourselves a little more to do the same. It might lead us all into knowing that we are all exactly where we are meant to be, learning alongside one another, growing in our own ways, capable, and accountable for our own choices and feelings. 

We are all having experiences and receiving information that’s bringing us closer to our own truth and what’s right for us. The person pushing against experiences with AC is becoming more empowered in what they believe in. The person believing in AC is becoming more empowered in their own set of beliefs. 

I spoke about this with a friend of mine and her words are better than I can speak myself when she said: I think what’s powerful about animal communication is someone who’s not standing in front of your horse, someone who hasn’t witnessed the lessons, being able to clearly interpret the horses message. I think that’s what the person is looking for. Someone who’s objective and out of the situation to interpret what their horse is expressing. I’m sure as a trainer it feels insulting if things don’t align, but they can look at it as more information that they can choose to do something with at any point. People believe so strongly in what they are doing, but that doesn’t mean we all can’t take some feedback and remain continually open-minded to look for if what they’re saying is a possibility.

I’m so grateful for the inspo to bring this conversation forward, and for the reminder that I’m so incredibly in alignment with what I do as a law of attraction based, relationship centered, animal communicator.