REST, DIGEST, AND HEAL – this is the missing ingredient when it comes to any kind of healing!

Rest digest and heal. It’s simple. And it’s often the missing ingredient when it comes to healing. Doesn’t matter if it’s a physical issue, an emotional problem, anxiety, trauma, recovery from accidents or surgeries. The fundamental conditions that the body, mind, and soul needs to heal are a nervous system and being that is in rest digest and heal mode.

The opposite of this is fight/flight mode. Stress. Arousal. And over-excitement. A lot of people don’t realise that stimulation, excitement, things that are arousing, are a big fat barrier to healing. This is because as soon as you rpets (or you) go into aroused states, the adrenaline kicks in. All of the blood supply is shunted from the gut to the muscles (so the body can’t effectively absorn the nutrients it needs). Adrenaline and cortisol levels are elevated.

This puts the immune system under stress, so it can’t function as well. The opposite is needed for healing. Rest digest and heal! That’s how the body gets what it needs to heal, to recover, and in the case of healthy beings, to maintain strong vitality so that they can resist diseases.

Humans tend to always want to do exciting, active, stimulating, high-arousal type activities and play with their dogs. SOME of this is great. But your pets (and you too) should be spending at least 80% of your lives in rest digest and heal mode. In today’s world, especially for humans, that is very hard, if not practically impossible. There is so much stress, so much bad news, so much pressure to pay for your bills, etc.

Rest digest and relax, even if it’s challenging to make sure you get enough of it (you and your pets), needs to be non-negotiable. That means time without phones, without incoming information. Time when you can stop, let go, and soften. Time when you really switch of, and take time to get your whole being into rest, digest, and heal mode.

Rest digest and heal: Practical tips!

The first thing you need to do is to make rest digest and heal time for you and your pets a priority. You have to make time for it to happen, or you’ll just keep on spinning around, running like mad in the hamster wheel of life, exhausting yourself and not really getting anywhere.

With your dogs – make sure that you do small amounts of exciting/arousing play and activities. (If you do more, you’ll need to counter-balance that with even more quiet times.) And make calming, relaxing, settled, quiet play, activities, and time together a strong emphasis. Any and all games that include scent/smelling are very good to support rest digest and heal states of being.

If your pets are hypervigilant, can’t switch off, or never sleep deeply, then you’ll need to learn how to help them with relaxing touch and self-regulation training games. I can help with Zoom sessions, or you can learn Whole Energy Body Balance to get some powerful relaxing touch skills that move your pet’s whole being into healing states of relaxation.

For you?

Downtime, exercise, and activities that nourish you in a relaxing way are incredibly valuable. Time in nature (parks are fine for this) is a VERY powerful way to get yourself into rest digest and heal mode. Warm baths. No screens before bed. Meditation. Yoga, Chi gong. Creative pursuits – these are another very awesome way to soothe your whole being.

Making sure you get lovely massages, have saunas, dance, enjoy good food, spend time with beloved humans. There are SO MANY things you can do to increase your rest digest and heal medicine.

Another fun, healing, highly effective way to grow into profound presence is to come and learn Whole Energy Body Balance™ with me. This modality, created from 28 years of direct, deep experience in hands-on therapies with animals and humans, and in inituitive/energyhealing work, not only helps you awaken and express the power of your healing capacity (yes, you are a powerful healer, we all are), but it is highly effective in teaching you how to grow and maintain profound presence. 

Our core practice in WEBB, The Somatic Embodiment + Energy Connection process, is designed to get you into the most powerful state of presence and connection possible. This then sets you up to do healing work with pets (or with people) in a way that nourishes and protects you. 

 I invite you to consider  Whole Energy Body Balance™ Bodywork for Pets. Not only will you learn how to find and heal your pet’s Silent Pain, Anxiety, and Trauma, but you’ll learn how to listen deeply as you explore therapeutic touch with your pets (who will LOVE IT). 

Here’s a short video of me discussing this topic.

– Enjoy this article? You can check out last week’s one at this link.

– Want to work with me to create harmony for your pets (and maybe for you) with holistic veterinary consultations, intuitive insights, and energy healing? Drop into www.thehealingvet.com and book a free call with me. And if you’d like to learn how to heal your pets (and yourself) with loving touch and energy healing, check out www.wholeenergybodybalance.com

Loki and Gem snuggled up in front of the fire.