Quantum Healing - Dr. Suzan Seelye Equine and Small Animal Veterinary Specialty Practice

Newsflash May/June 2009 - little girl leading horse

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese sage & founder of Taoism
600 BC – 531 BC

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Newsflash Jul/Aug 09: pdf

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
2009
>> Newsflash 11 (05/06/09)
>> Newsflash 10 (04/09)
>> Newsflash 9 (03/09)
>> Newsflash 8 (02/09)
>> Newsflash 7 (01/09)

2008
>> Newsletter 6 (12/08)
>> Newsletter 5 (09/08)
>> Newsletter 4 (05/08)
>> Newsletter 3 (01/08)
>> Newsletter 2 (10/07)
>> Newsletter 1 (07/07)

Ask the Doc
A Different Dance - from Buck to Tango
What Feeds You? – contributing article by Becca DeWolfe
A State of Balance, Part II, by Effie Ligon
New Things Happening!
Calendar of Events
Feed-Back
Gerd Heuschmann AUGUST clinic details

Ask the Doc

Click here to send an email with your question to Dr. Seelye.

Question: "Why do the horses yawn during bodywork?"

Answer: The full yawn, stretching their mouths ever so wide open, often with eyes rolling back in their heads, is a change of Chi, or energy frequency. All energy carries information. Different frequencies carry different information. Their brain, just as ours, has different areas that work at different frequencies. Most of us, and our horses, are usually operating at hertzian. The midbrain is where the center for yawning is. It is also a place that regulates many important functions in the body and where infrared frequency is processed.

So, the yawn is a result of the horse receiving information from the midbrain that processes different information. This information accesses new areas of DNA that have been previously unused, producing new RNA to be transcribed into new peptides (chains of protein molecules in your body) for new healthy cells. It is also a physiological need by the body to get more oxygen so that this process can happen.

A Different Dance – from Buck to Tango

I would like you to meet Tango (formerly Buck) who I took on as a project horse. He had come from a Montana cattle ranch; bought by a lady in western Washington to use as a trail horse. She had owned him a year and could no longer afford his medical expenses. The owner complained of chronic lameness. In the year she owned him, Buck had multiple chiropractic and acupuncture treatments, along with injecting the hocks, and nerving (a procedure where the nerve is severed to the leg so they don’t have any feeling) had been recommended. Buck had a name change to Tango after arrival. He presented with multiple spinal and body malalignment issues along with a lot of layering of emotional/chemical muscle memory that needed to be released. See a pre and post treatment video clip of his back flexibility. A good example of why chiropractic alone does not effectively create permanent change and why acupuncture is not affective without proper body alignment. He is on his journey to radiant health now.


Tango Before the Treatment	Tango After the Treatment

What Feeds You?

by Becca DeWolfe*

Pause for a moment.

Notice your breathing.

Notice your body.

Are you holding tension, stress?
Are you comfortable, and well?
When was the last time you ate?
What did you put into your body?
What emotions are you feeling?
Are you fulfilled in your work, in your relationships?
Do you wake up in the morning with energy, excitement about the day ahead, clear thinking, and a sense of ease and wellbeing in your body?

These simple things are your birthright, yet most people wouldn’t claim to feel this way first thing in the morning on a typical day. More troubling, many people wouldn’t expect to begin a typical day this way. Many of us would go to the ends of the earth for our horses, agonizing over feedstuffs, tack choices, training methods, and different approaches to farrier and veterinary care, ceaselessly striving to ensure optimal health and happiness for our equine partners… yet we seldom pour this kind of energy into achieving our own health and happiness.

Ridiculous as this may sound in a veterinary newsletter stop thinking about your horse for a few minutes. When was the last time you gave any significant thought to your own health and happiness? Not just losing those stubborn pounds, but what you truly want for your health and your life? Clearly America is experiencing a health crisis. As a population we are stressed out, sick, overweight, depressed, addicted to caffeine and toxic prescription drugs, and succumbing to chronic disease at an unprecedented rate. Obviously the food Americans eat is a powerful contributor to this state of affairs: low-quality manufactured and fast foods, in which the original ingredients are processed and stripped of vitamins, minerals, healthy oils, enzymes, phytochemicals, fiber, and glyconutrients, and subsequently laden with refined sugars, artificial ingredients, chemicals and preservatives. Is this really food? What we eat is important. It becomes the building blocks for the very cells that compose our bodies and impacts our energy levels, our moods, the clarity of our thinking, and the strength of our immune systems (among countless other things!). People are more confused than ever about what to eat, and misinformation fueled by corporate and political agendas abounds. For the scope of this article, suffice it to say we would all do well to eat more real food (i.e. it doesn’t come in a box or package and it has one ingredient: itself)… and although I could fill an entire book discussing this topic, the fact is that what we eat is only one of many things that feed us. In fact, my health counseling teacher, Joshua Rosenthal, likes to call what we eat “secondary food.” It can fill us, but will never fulfill us. Changing your diet can absolutely change your life; but what makes your life extraordinary is primary food.

Primary food feeds us on a deeper level, nourishing not only our physical bodies, but also our emotions, as well as the heart, mind and soul. Our primary foods are our relationships, our connection to nature, the physical activities we thrive on, doing work we love, our spirituality, playtime and passions. These are the things that make the soul sing. I suspect that for many people reading this article, spending time with your horse feeds you. It nourishes you in a way food never could. And the interesting thing is, the more primary food you have in your life, the less you depend on secondary food to fill roles it is not intended for. If you begin to pay attention, you might notice that sometimes when you crave something to eat, you are actually hungry for primary food. Eating chocolate and potato chips won’t suffice if what you really need is a hug, and all the kale in the world won’t bring you optimal health if you hate your job. Primary food is a vitally important component of health. Think about your own life. What feeds you?

And what does all this really have to do with your horse? Consider that your own health and happiness are very important components of your horse’s health and happiness. Horses need primary food, too. You—not just his feed—are a powerful source of nourishment to your horse; and I’m not just talking about the way you choose to train or ride him. Dr. Seelye likes to remind us that our horses are our mirrors. Can you feed yourself low-quality food, ignore your physical imbalances, silently suffer the aspects of your life that don’t resonate with your heart, and expect your mirror image to be healthy, physically fit, happy and well-adjusted? Don’t kid yourself into thinking that your wellbeing is isolated from your horses’. You are intimately connected to him physically, emotionally, and energetically. Imagine if you were feeling excellent, thinking clearly, and relaxed and fulfilled on a regular basis, as a way of life. How might this change your relationship with your horse, much less the rest of your life.

What feeds you? What feeds your horse? The beautiful truth is that you feed each other, and the more nourishment you each receive, the more you have to give. I challenge you to begin making yourself your top priority. Far from negative connotations of selfishness, making your own good your highest priority is an expression of love, for the more you thrive, the more everything you touch in the world thrives.

About Becca:: Becca Gerrard was born the only horse-lover in a large family and, somewhat to her parents’ (and now her husband’s) dismay, missed the memo about outgrowing the "horse thing." Along with her deep connection to horses, her life-long fascination with the workings of the human body, passion for nutrition and natural healing, and belief in each individual’s potential for extraordinary health and happiness, has led her to explore a wide variety of academic interests. After earning her BS in Animal Science at Rutgers University and working for several years in equine veterinary medicine and breeding, Becca became a Licensed Massage Practitioner and Certified Health Counselor. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University, but maintains that her greatest teacher is her horse, Emit. To learn more about Becca and her health counseling practice, visit her website at www.yourawakenedhealth.com, or email her at awakenedhealth@gmail.com.

A State of Balance, Part II

by Effie Ligon*

Welcome back to "A State of Balance, Part II"! In the last newsletter we began discussing three definitions of balance: (1) "the ability to maintain bodily equilibrium…, (2) "mental or emotional steadiness, and (3) "the power to decide an outcome."

We explored the former in terms of seeing balance as part of a dynamic process of movement in which you, yourself and your animal, are clearly a team. We then went on to give examples of how we can interfere with this state of balance through injury or discomfort.

Of equal importance is definition Number Two: "mental or emotional steadiness". Like physical injuries, emotional injuries are dynamic and can be just as profound in their effect upon one's ability to be balanced. Each emotional state is neuro-chemical in nature and has a corresponding mental state, or way that we interpret the emotion according to our previous experiences. It generally doesn't take long for any species to know what fear, anger, confusion, excitement and playful joy are all about. Each of these (plus countless others) has their own neuro-chemical signature in the brain and frequently interacts with each other. If they communicate long enough, we can say they become "hard-wired" or in other words, a habit. This is important to understand. It can be held onto even beyond remembering the incident that put it there!

Emotional injuries can come from a wide range of sources and are often tied to physical sensations such as pain or abuse. It is not unusual however, for emotional issues to have their roots in the inability to express oneself. "Inability" can also mean not being allowed to express oneself. This can lead to confusion when one is asked to do something that is not within one's ability or nature. Just try to sit still when one is full of energy! Over time, this suppression can lead to all kinds of physical problems as well as unwanted behavior. You can have a horse that spooks at everything, a cat that leaves a "present" in the middle of your bed, or a dog that develops a liking for the inner workings of your couch. What is interesting is that this need for release is as true for the human as it is for the animal!

Let's look at physical injuries. It is not uncommon for these to be layered with emotional bandaging. Emotional bandaging, such as fear and anger, can appear at the site of injury, or within any other part of the body. It can affect how one breathes, holds oneself, moves, and even how one approaches a new situation. All of us (two-legged and four-legged) have our own way of responding to what might be interpreted by the brain as a threat to our survival. If a horse slips getting on or off a trailer, he might think twice about wanting to try it again. Some dogs chronically chase cars once they have recovered from being hit by one! If a baby pulls a cat's tail, it is very likely that "Sweetie" will be gone for the day when Jr. comes to visit.

On the other hand, if you get yelled at for doing something silly, you might have difficulty joining in the fun later. If you are reprimanded for being curious, it may make you hesitant to try something new. If you have an inexperienced or unaware trainer or owner, the animal can receive mixed messages to which he seemingly responds incorrectly, potentially leading to frustration or even punishment. Fear, confusion, grief and/or anger can then ensue in the animal (or human!), all of which may end up stored in the brain and anywhere in the body!

Let's look at fear more closely. Fear is probably the biggest interference to balance that there is. One can react in fear to any situation, including joyful ones. Where does this come from? Perhaps some physical or emotional experience from the past that we may or may not remember, or perhaps it simply has to do with not feeling safe or sufficiently self-aware. It is very difficult to feel safe if one cannot determine where one's own physical body is in space and time, a circumstance not that unusual. What is important to remember however is that this unresolved emotion can lodge anywhere in the body and form complex relationships throughout the brain, body, and environment, including us! This is called traumatic muscle memory, or "active memory". When the chemicals of emotional trauma or memory become infused in the tissues of the body, they can and often do create physical constriction resulting in restricted movement. Now understand that his is the role of the emotional bandage: to put distance between ourselves and a perceived threat to our well-being. Unfortunately, this is like putting sunglasses on in a dark room and still hoping to see clearly.

So what role do we play as part of the environment of our animal?

We all know that laughter is contagious. What is not always so clear is that fear, anger, worry, and uncertainties, to name a few, are contagious as well. Almost everyone has felt the pulse of a group upon walking into a room and usually, even if unconsciously, reacts by either adapting to it or trying to change it. An animal does the same thing except he tends to pick up on our mood before we are even aware we have one!

If an animal looks to the human for behavioral clues and either mimics or reacts according to what it perceives, well then there you go: feeling impatient? The animal will gladly bug you by being impatient itself, or else by trying to avoid you. Feeling unsure? Your animal will probably not do what you think you are asking him to do. They will act out every fearful, insecure, angry, sad, excited, or joyful feeling one has! They are our companions, but they also instinctively look for a leader. A genuine leader, whether human or animal, always has the traits of mental and emotional steadiness. Why? Because this creates Trust, and trust relieves stress and ensures survival.

As the ones that have the power to create this trust, it is up to us to step forward and take personal responsibility for ourselves and what we may signal to our animal companions. If the human is upset, angry or insecure, the animal will instinctively respond with fight or flight. On the other hand, if the human exhibits a balanced mental and emotional state, the animal has a greater capacity to heal and be the steady, trusting and willing partner that we desire. That combination is hard to beat!

So where does that leave us when we have an animal that needs help? There is good news! Out of balance emotional and mental responses that have found their way into the body can be changed in both the human and the animal! This is huge and very hopeful! It also brings us to the final definition we are using to describe a state of balance: "the power to decide an outcome". This will be discussed next time in "A State Of Balance, Part III".

About Effie:: Effie Ligon was born in Maryland and grew up on a farm which had opened its fields to Pony Club activities early in her life. Ms. Ligon participated in Pony Club until going to college where she received her BA from the University of Montana in 1979. In 1983 she graduated from the Amherst Feldenkrais Professional Training Program where she had the honor of personally studying with Dr. Feldenkrais. She enjoyed her practice over the next 20 some years with time off for children and personal study. During this time she also became a Certified Bodytalk Practitioner, studying with Dr. John Veltheim and other fine teachers. Currently residing on a small farm in Rainier, Washington, Ms. Ligon now devotes her time to writing and enriching her personal knowledge of life and the dynamics of change. www.quantumbalancing.vpweb.com

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Calendar of Events

JULY 2009

Dr. Seelye will be sending email broadcasts for appointment schedules. Enjoy your summer!

AUGUST 2009

AUG 15th - 16th – 2-day clinic; Snohomish, WA

Dr. Suzan Seelye and Nancy Kittleson, certified Centered Riding instructor, are again joining together to present another dynamic 2-day clinic at FromtheMother Farm, Snohomish, WA.

AUG 21st - 23rd – Dr. Gerd Heuschmann clinic; Bainbridge, WA