EXPANDING UNIVERSE: What My Dog Taught Me about De-stressing
Submitted by spiritandhealth on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 13:06.
by Betsy Robinson
It’s not Brad Keeney’s spontaneous vibrating and shaking medicine (see S&H May/June 2007). And I didn’t learn it from Peter A. Levine, Ph.D., inventor of Somatic Experiencing®, a therapy based on wild animals’ responses to life-or-death threats to heal trauma (see traumahealing.com). Instead, I learned my special practice from Maya, my 12-pound Puerto Rican dachshund/terrier/Chihuahua from Stray from the Heart (strayfromtheheart.org). It’s the dog shake, and it starts at the head and moves down the back to the tail — canine or human. It’s what Maya does to get dry or wake up or recover after a 90-pound German Shepherd gives her a hairy eyeball. She literally shakes off water, sleep, stress — whatever.
I tried it after confronting a man who was pouring old Pepsi into my building’s recyclables, which I had so meticulously organized. Ignoring my Recycling Initiative teacher’s directive to never challenge crazy people, I not so politely asked him to cease and desist, to which he snarled, “Garbage is for everybody!” while baring his rotten teeth. I escaped into my vestibule, then tried the shake: from head to tail I shook as fast as I could. And by the time I reached the stairs, stress was gone.
Advisory: do not try this while driving or operating heavy machinery.
Issue:
2008 March/April
by Betsy Robinson
It’s not Brad Keeney’s spontaneous vibrating and shaking medicine (see S&H May/June 2007). And I didn’t learn it from Peter A. Levine, Ph.D., inventor of Somatic Experiencing®, a therapy based on wild animals’ responses to life-or-death threats to heal trauma (see traumahealing.com). Instead, I learned my special practice from Maya, my 12-pound Puerto Rican dachshund/terrier/Chihuahua from Stray from the Heart (strayfromtheheart.org). It’s the dog shake, and it starts at the head and moves down the back to the tail — canine or human. It’s what Maya does to get dry or wake up or recover after a 90-pound German Shepherd gives her a hairy eyeball. She literally shakes off water, sleep, stress — whatever.
I tried it after confronting a man who was pouring old Pepsi into my building’s recyclables, which I had so meticulously organized. Ignoring my Recycling Initiative teacher’s directive to never challenge crazy people, I not so politely asked him to cease and desist, to which he snarled, “Garbage is for everybody!” while baring his rotten teeth. I escaped into my vestibule, then tried the shake: from head to tail I shook as fast as I could. And by the time I reached the stairs, stress was gone.
Advisory: do not try this while driving or operating heavy machinery.
