As a teacher few things give greater satisfaction than to see students blossom into excellent practitioners. This usually happens when they truly assimilate the concept and practise. Two names spring immediately to mind: Kelley Livingstone in North Carolina and Sylvia Corbesola in Montevideo, Uruguay. Both these women are distinguished by their sensitivity and observation skills while dealing with animals, particularly those who are anxious, fearful or overwhelmed.
The case I would like to talk about today is that of a little dog who, as is often the case, came out of the blue and a chance encounter. Sylvia was at the vet’s where she ran into someone she knew who was taking a little rescue dog and asked Sylvia to help with this little female.
This is quite a long post so I will not go through each essential oil session, but the list of oils selected in each case is available in the written text.
As nobody knew the name the dog had before, Sylvia named her Gigi. Gigi is a feral border collie type dog. The story as far as it is known is that Gigi lived on a country property where she had a litter of puppies. The property was sold and the owners simply went off leaving Gigi and her puppies. The fate of the puppies is unknown but Gigi disappeared for a week. The new owners did not want to keep the dog and said that if a solution was not found they would simply shoot her. Sylvia’s friend asked them to close her in one of the horse stalls if they got the chance, and she went to collect her and brought her 150 kms to Montevideo.
Getting the poor dog out of the car was a traumatic experience for all concerned. She was so paralyzed with fear that she was frozen and could not walk. Sylvia brought her home and put her in her computer room where she did her first zoopharmacognosy session.
Oils selected
• Rose essential oil (not absolute): she smelled it lightly.
• Angelica root oil: She sniffs it more intensely.
• Pink lotus oil: Like the previous one, she sniffs it eagerly.
• Incense oil: She sniffs it, but with a little less intensity than the previous ones.
• German Chamomile oil: She sniffed it with great interest.
While I was looking for other oils to offer her, she briefly returned to sniffing the frankincense and German chamomile.
All this time she was panting.
• Sandalwood oil: She barely sniffed it and licked it a little.
• Hemp oil: She sniffed it with interest and licked it repeatedly.
• Violet oil: She sniffed it and stopped panting.
• Nutmeg oil: Not interested.
• Ylang Ylang oil: Not interested.
• Melissa oil: Sniffed with interest and stopped panting again.
Sylvia left the oils she had shown greatest interest in for about an hour and a half and then removed them as she was not going to move on her own.
Not surprisingly Gigi was covered in fleas and ticks, so the day after she arrived Sylvia bathed her. This was a traumatic experience too, because it meant that Gigi had to be touched. As her heart was thumping, Sylvia put on a TTouch head wrap and this helped Gigi to calm down sufficiently for the bathing to be completed.
Getting Gigi to eat was also a major problem. Sylvia left her a plate with some food but after an hour she had not touched it, so Sylvia approached very softly and gently and put a piece of meat in the corner of her mouth. After two or three attempts Gigi ate her meal. That was a relief! The following day she refused all food.
As it was raining, Sylvia decided to do another zoopharma session at 4pm.
Oils selected:
• Pink Lotus Oil: barely moved her eyes.
• Angelica Root Oil: no response, remained still.
• Incense Oil: barely moved her nose, but at least there was a reaction.
• Rose Oil: no reaction, remained still.
• Jasmine oil: moved her nose more than with the frankincense.
• Hops oil: a minimal reaction.
• German Chamomile oil: no reaction at first, then blinked after a few seconds.
• Violet oil: moved her nose a little.
• Birch Sweet oil: barely moved her nose.
• Sandalwood: no reaction.
• Valerian: no reaction.
• Lemon balm: moved her nose 2 or 3 times.
• Yarrow: no reaction.
• Bergamot: no reaction.
• Tea tree: no reaction.
• Carrot seed: no reaction.
• Geranium essential oil: no reaction.
• Peppermint essential oil: initially no reaction, then I moved the bottle away and brought it closer to her nose which then moved.
At 8pm the vet arrived as Sylvia was concerned that the little dog might be in pain, but all was well from the physical point of view. The vet suggested that she should offer her some raw meat which might stimulate her appetite.
I then made some suggestions about other oils that she might offer and also some homoeopathic remedies.
Five days later Gigi selected arnica macerated oil as well as some linden blossom. When Sylvia went out to take her little dog for a walk she left her with some oils, and when they came back she was delighted to see that Gigi had a positive response. She stopped and wagged her tail and then approached Ramon, the other little dog. She then approached Sylvia before going back to lie down in her chosen spot.
Gigi was still reluctant to walk around outside in daylight. She had chosen a tight corner in the patio where she seemed to feel safe. By checking the cameras, Sylvia was able to see that during the hours of darkness she did come out to do her business. She also started to wag her tail when Sylvia passed by but without moving from her spot.
Two weeks after Gigi’s arrival she was still not prepared to come out in daytime. Then there was a setback. Sylvia and her husband were invited out to dinner with some friends and the noise of her heels on the paving and/or the change in routine affected Gigi. Sylvia felt the absence of her beautiful English sheepdog, Oliver, who graces the cover of my book, because she knew that he would have been an invaluable help with Gigi.
Some days later another unexpected event cause great upheaval. Ramon, alerted the family to the presence of an unwelcome intruder who had to be removed! Sylvia then decided to bring Gigi back into the house and Gigi went immediately to take refuge in Oliver’s crate. (Could she still feel his energy there? Who knows…) All this upheaval affected Gigi’s digestive system and she was not evacuating at all despite eating healthy food: raw meat with cooked vegetables and bone broth.
Gradually Sylvia noticed that Gigi was more relaxed in Oliver’s crate and had moved closer to the door whereas she had been curled up at the very back before. Sylvia also thought that having her indoors hearing the normal domestic sounds would help her recognise that not all sounds are a threat. Meanwhile she was still taking homoeopathic arnica.
Three weeks after her arrival Sylvia had been sitting in front of Oliver’s crate feeding Gigi from her hand. Then she left the dish near the door and sat with her back to the crate to see whether Gigi would dare to eat in her presence. She did! Sylvia was delighted. Then another step backwards.
Feeling delighted, Sylvia went towards the computer room when suddenly Ramon jumped up and began to bark loudly. At first Sylvia thought it might be another unwelcome intruder, but then she saw that Gigi had come out of the crate and was walking towards the computer room. When Ramon barked (he reacts to every strange sound or movement), she got a fright and took refuge in the bathroom. Sylvia took her back to the crate and offered her some oils.
After the fright Gigi did not urinate or defecate for more than 24 hours. This worried Sylvia who then decided to take her outside. At first, she sat down on the ground with Gigi but then slowly moved towards the house leaving Gigi alone. Success! After that Sylvia took her back inside and Gigi went into the bathroom. At midnight and the following day at midday she repeated the same operation with success. Gigi also drank water which was a relief too.
Every day Sylvia had been offering some oils but Gigi’s response was limited. She was also taking homoeopathic arnica. The following day Sylvia did another zoopharma session.
Oils selected:
• Pink Lotus Oil: She was panting, but sniffed with interest and her eyes softened a little.
• Angelica Root Oil: She also sniffed with interest and remained calm.
• Frankincense Oil: She turned her head, did not sniff.
• Violet Oil: She sniffed eagerly, licked herself, and returned to being calm.
• Frankincense essential oil: Offered iagain and this time, she sniffed it and licked herself briefly.
• Bergamot essential oil: She sniffed it with considerable interest and licked herself.
• Ylang Ylang essential oil: She sniffed it with great interest, blinked, licked herself, and remained calm.
• Patchouli essential oil: She also sniffed it with interest, but a little less than the previous one.
• Melissa oil: She turned her head away; she did not want it.
• Jasmine oil: She sniffed it with great interest for several seconds, blinked, and remained calm.
• Rose oil: For the first time, she sniffed it with interest for a few seconds.
• Hemp oil: She sniffed it with great interest.
• Valerian oil: This is also the first time she sniffed it with marked interest.
• Yarrow: Sniffed with interest.
• Sandalwood: Sniffed with interest, more than on previous occasions.
• Mint: Turned her head towards the bottle and sniffed with interest.
During the short daily sessions Gigi had been selecting melissa which she did not do during this longer session. All the sessions are accompanied by relaxing music so the atmosphere is calm. The major impression is that Gigi ‘s preferred oil at the moment is Pink Lotus. Sylvia remarked that during this session Gigi’s responses were more marked than before.
A few days later there was a small breakthrough. Sylvia took Gigi out of the crate and into the patio where she sat down with her. At first Gigi hid behind a flower pot, but then she came and sat by Sylvia’s side. Sylvia took the opportunity to stroke her gently and talk softly to her. Gigi moved back and forth at will with no pressure. After some time, Sylvia decided to include Ramon in the equation because, since the barking incident, Gigi had been wary about him. At first Ramon did not want to approach but Sylvia coaxed him and eventually he came and lay down on Sylvia’s left with Gigi on her right. They stayed quietly like this for some time. She repeated this operation at various times over the following days.
Then there came a breakthrough! Following the same pattern Sylvia took Gigi out to the patio. At first, she did as she had been doing, taking refuge beside a flower pot. Then she approached Sylvia waiting for her to open the door to go back inside. They waited there for a little while and then Sylvia stood up and went to the far end of the patio, turned the corner and went in through the kitchen door to get Ramon. All three stayed calmly in the patio.
After that Sylvia decided that it would be a good idea to go back inside through the kitchen door leaving Gigi and Ramon alone in the patio. Once inside she was able to monitor the situation via the security camera. Ramon approached the front door where Gigi was standing and sniffed her. At first, she turned her head away ,but then she sniffed him too and they stood together quietly. Then Ramon decided to walk towards the far end of the patio and to Sylvia’s surprise after a few seconds Gigi got up and followed him. She left them there for a few minutes and then opened the front door so that they could come in. Gigi went to her crate. They both ate and lay quietly in their respective places. This sequence of events was helped by the fact that Sylvia’s neighbours were asleep and silence reigned. As it is summer in Uruguay at the moment the neighbours are often around their pool making a great deal of noise, and this is difficult for Gigi to deal with.
When Sylvia took her out later, the merrymaking next door was too much for Gigi and she went back inside and took refuge in the bathroom. At that point Sylvia decided to do another zoopharma session.
Oils selected:
• Pink Lotus Oil: Sniffed a little, remained calm.
• Angelica Root Oil: Moved her nose a little and licked once, remained calm.
• Jasmine Oil: Sniffed with more interest than the previous ones.
• Violet oil: Sniffs, licked, blinked, remained calm.
• Lemon balm oil: This time sniffed several times, licked, blinked.
• Incense oil: Moved her nose very slightly, (Then the bottle was left on the board)
• Valerian oil: Sniffed several times, sighed, licked, blinked.
• Incense: Offered it again and this time she sniffed it more, smelled Sylvia’s hand and licked her.
• Rose: She sniffed it eagerly, touched the bottle. The oil may have irritated her a bit because she licked herself a lot.
• Bergamot essential oil: Sniffed with interest, licked.
• Ylang Ylang essential oil: Sniffed with interest, less than the previous time, blinked, remainsedcalm.
• Patchouli essential oil: This time she was not interested, she did not pull her head away but did not move her nose to sniff.
• Hemp essential oil: Same as above.
• Yarrow: Sniffed slightly, little interest.
• Sandalwood: Sniffed with interest, licked herself.
Sylvia left the oils within Gigi’s reach for 1 hour and then rfemoved them as she still does not move of her own accord.
During this session her nose was closer to the board with the rose, valerian, lemon balm and incense essential oils.
For the next three days Sylvia decided not to do any zoopharma sessions in order to be able to assess more clearly any changes.
Then yoghourt took centre stage! Gigi was fascinated by yoghourt. Sylvia was giving Ramon some yoghourt and when Gigi smelled it she came out of the bathroom and began to approach. She did not come right up but Sylvia rewarded her bravery by giving her a good dollop of yoghourt. Now when she goes out to the patio to do her business Sylvia takes out some yoghourt and offers it to her there. If Ramon is there, they both get some yoghourt and stay nice and calm while they are eating it standing quite close to one another. Sylvia is very pleased that there is no competition over food.
Another step forward was when Sylvia was playing with Ramon in the patio with his soft toy. Much to Sylvia’s surprise Gigi let out a whimper and her eyes began to light up. She did not join in the game, which was a relief because Ramon is quite possessive about his toys.
Another day, when Sylvia returned from taking Ramon out for his walk, she found Gigi lying with Ramon’s red parrot toy. She later took that toy away and gave Gigi another one which Ramon is not so fond of.
When taking Ramon for his walk Sylvia left Gigi in the patio. When she came back Gigi wagged her tail quite vigorously. Then Sylvia invited her to come back inside and when she looked back she saw that Gigi was following her quite happily. She is now much more accepting of Sylvia’s presence and being touched and stroked.
The selection at the most recent zooopharma session was as follows:
Oils selected:
• Pink Lotus Oil: Sniffed a little, interested, remained completely calm lying on her side, smacked her tongue against her palate.
• Angelica Root Oil: Moved her nose a little, slightly less interested than other times.
• Violet Oil: Sniffed eagerly, remained lying down and her eyes narrow, as if dozing.
• Frankincense oil: Sniffed, raised her head and Sylvia held the bottle in front of her nose for a few seconds. She stayed still, smacked her tongue against her palate quite a lot, lay back down on her side.
• Jasmine oil: Sniffed very calmly, her eyes narrow, she remained lying on her side and smacked her tongue against her palate.
• Valerian: Sniffed, lifted her head, licked herself several times, sniffed again and lay down again.
• Patchouli: Sniffed without much interest, but her eyes half-closed again, she dozed.
• Bergamot: Sniffed, licked herself, remained lying down.
• Ylang Ylang: Sniffed, moved her nose, remained lying down dozing.
• Rose: Sniffed, licked herself and dozed.
• German Chamomile: Sniffed with great interest, raised her head, remained still in front of the bottle, licked herself and sniffed repeatedly. Lay down again. This was the first time this oil was presented to her.
• Lemon Balm: Sniffed while lying down, remained calm, licked her lips, dozed.
• Hemp: Sniffed without much interest, but remained very calm while lying down.
• Yarrow: Sniffed, raised her head, licked herself, lay down again.
• Sandalwood: Sniffed while lying down, licked her lips, dozed.
Sylvia left the oils out for her for 1 hour. During that time she lay on her side completely calm and then fell asleep.
If we follow her responses over these sessions, I think we can see quite clearly that there is a trend of greater interaction with the oils and also an increasingly calm response.
That night, when they came back from Ramon’s walk Gigi received them enthusiastically with a madly wagging tail. She sat down waiting to be stroked and then followed them into the house. Up until then she mostly had to be carried in.
There is still a long way to go but little by little Gigi is growing more confident and trusting.
This experience is an example of the power of patience, persistence, respecting the animals’ responses and giving them space to feel that they have a choice and that we respect those choices.
It also shows us that there will always be setbacks but that by giving the animal space the setbacks can be overcome. We cannot control the environment 100%. Living in the real world is not the same as living in controlled laboratory conditions. The key is to read the situation as well as we can and take a step back when necessary. With her keen eye of a professional photographer Sylvia observes events closely. Her natural sensitivity makes her aware of what seems to be causing distress, and she is using all the tools at her disposal. So far with Gigi she has used zoopharmacognosy, Tellington TTouch body work and body wraps, Reiki and the power of sound with music.
It is also a good example of the importance of recognising and celebrating any step forward, no matter how small. Generally, people tend to focus on the end result they would like to achieve, and so are constantly discouraged or even annoyed when that result seems to remain distant. On the other hand, when we acknowledge the small achievements, then we are aware that we are slowly but surely advancing towards the desired outcome. Sometimes the final outcome surprises us too!
This is indeed a difficult case but great progress has been made, and I feel that from now on it can accelerate even more as Sylvia is building on a solid foundation which she has worked to establish with Gigi fostering a sense of safety and trust which is the basis of all learning.
