To be truly present with someone's pain without feeling a need to fix it, reconcile it, or or recoil from it is one of the most powerful gifts we can give another.
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Empathy is the language of the soul.
When we offer empathic support, vs imposing advice,
strategy or judgement,
we contribute to the
light and possibilities on anothers path of healing.
Image copyright Nancy Bright.
Used with permission and gratitude.
Cards and prints for sale at
www.brightcreationsart.com
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Class Series
on Death and
Healing Grief
The Animals' Persepctives
About Death,
the Other Side and
Coming Back
Next teleclass
Jan or Feb 2009
Legacies of Love: A
Workshop of Gentle
Healing for Those Who Have Lost Animal Loved Ones
Next Teleclass in 2009
Grief Support Skills:
Effectively Helping Others Through
Their Grief
August 5, 12, 19, 26;
Nov 4, 11, 18, Dec 2
Image copyright
Nancy Bright.
Used with permission and gratitude.
Cards & prints available:
www.brightcreationsart.com
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For one species
to mourn
the death of another
is a noble thing ~
Aldo Leopold
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Dear Clients and Friends,
Losing an animal, for some of us, is one the most painful experiences of our lives. Effectively and lovingly offering support to someone in the darkness of such grief can make a huge, positive difference in that person's healing journey.
This workshop is designed to assist those who want to build, refresh or reaffirm their abilities to support others through the pain and healing of grief from the loss of a beloved animal. It is appropriate for anyone who is exposed to people grieving the loss of their animal loved ones: animal communicators, veterinary professionals, animal shelter and rescue group workers, trainers and behaviorists, therapists, energy healers, as well as friends and family members who want to better support their loved ones who are grieving.
I would love to have you join us in this special teleclass, as well as in the classes of the new Series on End of Life Issues, Death and Healing Grief in 2008 (see sidebar below left).
I wish you and your beloved animals much love and many blessings,
Teresa Wagner
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Location: Nationally Available Teleclass
Dates and Times:
Two separate classes in 2008each with four 2 hour sessions
FIRST CLASS:
Session 1 Tuesday, Aug 5, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
Session 2 Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
Session 3 Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
Session 4 Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
SECOND CLASS:
Session 1 Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
Session 2 Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
Session 3 Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
Session 4 Tuesday, Dec 2, 2008, 8:00 - 10:00 pm CDT
Please check your time zone compared to the CDT (Chicago) times listed above. Click here to get the accurage time for your location:
http://www.worldtimezone.com
Costs and Registration:
This class is sponsored by the Animal Spirit Healing and Education Network, A Healing Arts Community and Education Resource, created by my animal communicator colleague Carol Schultz. I am delighted to be on the faculty of this group and teach this class, and honored to be on their Board of Advisors. I encourage you to explore the depth and breadth of educational opportunities available in animal communication and healing arts.
The cost is $214.00 for 8.0 hours
To register for the August class click here
To register for the Nov/Dec class click here
Conference call phone number and password are provided to registered students the week in advance of the class.
Content:
When another being truly cares, understands, and acknowledges the depth of our loss, our path is lighter. When the truth of a tender and difficult loss is acknowledged, we know we are not alone. When we are understood, healing feels much more possible. All of us on earth are here together to help one another. Almost anyone seeing another in emotional pain wants to help. Yet, seeing or hearing someone in great anguish can also be overwhelming and intimidating. We may feel awkward or unsure about what to say or do. Sometimes in attempts to help, friends, family and even professional counselors, healers or authors impose their beliefs, thinking that their own paradigms of animal death and grief will be relevant and helpful to all others. For grievers, this intentional or unconscious imposing gets in the way of them discovering for themselves what they believe or need, and what will work for them. It also often adds anger and frustration to an already stressful time of grief.
The most empowering things we can do to help grievers is to learn to be truly present with their suffering: to listen, not advise; to judiciously and gently suggest possibilities, not impose our beliefs as fact; to be with them as they find their own way, not judge, push or prod them in the way we think they should grow. To be truly present with someone's pain without feeling a need to fix it, reconcile it, or recoil from it is one of the most powerful gifts we can give another. It requires patience, discernment of what to say when, skills of empathic expression, and great respect for the wisdom of the other's soul. These delicate and subtle grief support skills can be learned and integrated into our practices as animal communicators and healers.
This four session teleclass offers an introduction to these skills and ideas as well as an overview of the grief recovery process.
SESSION 1:
· What are energetic boundaries and energetic protection?
· Why are they important when working with people and
animals in pain?
· A chakra perspective of these issues
· Levels of Compassionate Response to Others' Pain
· The Whale's Lesson on Death
· Specific techniques and strategies to practice energetic
protection
SESSION 2:
· The Two Golden Rules of Grief Support
· Why Animal Loss is Different
· Personal Understanding of Grief:
Intimate Self Awareness of our Motivation to Help and
our Orientation as Helpers/Healers
· Intellectual Understanding of Grief:
The fallacy of stages of grief;
Understanding the tasks of healing grief and choices involved
Complicated Grief;
The Humpback Bridge
SESSION 3:
· The Skills of Empathy: The Core of Grief Support
· Using specific language to communicate compassion and
support grievers
Empathy vs. Projection
Empathy vs. Enmeshment
Empathy before Strategy-Always!
Permission to offer resources or ideas vs. imposing them
SESSION 4:
· The Role of Spiritual Beliefs and Paradigms in the
Grief Support Process: Helpful or Hindrance?
· Specific Do's and Don'ts Known to Help Grievers
· Resources on grief support for additional learning and referral
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A Bit About Teresa:
Teresa
has been working with animal loss and grief issues since 1986 when she
facilitated her first grief support group for people who lost their
beloved animals. Since then, Teresa has worked with thousands of
grievers in bereavement support groups, workshops, in individual
counseling and in her animal communication practice. She is passionate
about helping others through this typically disenfranchised loss.
Her
traditional education includes a master's degree in counseling from
Villanova University, studies at the Grief Recovery Institute in Los
Angeles, and post graduate work in counseling and organizational
development at Columbia University, Wharton, and with Carl Rogers at
the University of Nottingham, England. She has also completed the
Clinical Training Program in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the
National Center for PTSD, Dept. of Veterans Affairs. Her healing arts
education includes animal communication with Jeri Ryan, flower essence
training at FES, Perelandra, and Desert Alchemy, energy healing
training in Reiki, Tellington-Touch and Therapeutic Touch, and psychic
studies with Evelyn Isadore.
For
more information on her background and for much more detailed
information about grieving the loss of animals, please visitwww.animalsinourhearts.com
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Grief is indifferent to the species lost ~
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It does not matter from whom we learn about love, or with whom we exchange love, only that we love. We need not make narrow, culturally endorsed or forced choices regarding race, gender or species about who to love, or how to love. We must just love.
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