What do your dogs feel in PetMassage?

What do your dogs feel in PetMassage?

With PetMassage Myofascial Release there is no consistent answer. It is like asking you to imagine the color blue. What you visualize will be very different from what I think I see. And, each aspect of blue will have a different set of emotional interpretations, tags and strings. Every thought, feeling, interpretation, refusal, acceptance, healing, or choice to keep things as they are, is contextual.
 
When I rest my hand on the withers of a dog, there are many ways he might respond. He might tense his body, or soften it. He may attempt to move away, or stand very still, waiting for me do indicate what I will do next. He may turn his head to look at me, or lower his nose to elbow level.
 
So many variables.
 
There are the effects of nurture. There are the effects of nature. There are the effects of environment, intention, presence, and of witnessing. Oh, and how the phase of the moon influences the mood. That’s for us, the practitioners. It is the same for the dogs.

PetMassage Myofascial Release
 
In PetMassage, we use the term Myo-fascial to refer to the myo-muscles and fascia- the connective tissue around and between them.  Fascia is the substance that contains and constitutes the muscle and interstitial tissue. It is also the matrix through which information about fluid flow, hormonal disbursement, neuromuscular coordination, and all mind-body-spirit movement is filtered and transmitted. Your dog is a hairy ball of energy bound up and expressing itself through its fascia.
 
PetMassage Myofascial work refers to the manipulation of the superficial muscles and fascial tissues. This work is done to assist and encourage the dog’s body to return to its normal balance and function.
 
PetMassage Myofascial Release refers to the process of the body performing two tasks: 1. acknowledging that it is holding stress that is restricting its optimal functioning and 2. releasing its restrictions. The restrictions the body acknowledges and releases can be physical, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, historical, and/or genetic. Here is an example for each: physical: fracture, emotional: abandonment, behavioral: resource guarding, spiritual: grieving, historical: memory of abuse, and/or genetic: breed characteristics.
 
PetMassageTM courses introduce students to how to sense holding patterns in the layers and layers of fascia; and to facilitate their release.
 
Each and every release of a holding pattern makes a difference in that dog’s quality of life. The effects are derivative and the effects are cumulative. That’s the reason I describe them as tiny course corrections.
 
Is this for real? How do we know, for sure?
 
Dogs do not have preconceived notions or expectations of what to expect. There is no placebo effect with dogs. So, when a dog indicates they felt a shift in their body, they have truly authentically felt it.  When a restriction the dog and I have identified releases, the dog invariably turns and looks at me. Their eyes say “I felt that. I’m better now.”
 

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