The following article, "Soul Recovery For Animals," contains excerpts from a book Jacquelin Smith's currently writing entitled Soul Recovery For Animals.©  JACQUELIN'S BACKGROUND I've been doing animal communication work since 1979 and became interested in Soul Recovery around 1991. I first began guiding humans with SR and decided to try this work with animals. Before 91, I had experienced Michael Harner's techniques of shamanic journey and journeyed on a regular basis into various dimensions (or worlds) for my own healing. Then I read Sandra Ingerman's book, Soul Retrieval, which opened many doors into the work I was doing with people and animals. I've had the opportunity to experience SR work personally. Also, I was involved in a group for a few years, led by an anthropologist, where we'd experience shamanic journey by specific body postures used by shamans worldwide. Through the years, the angels have taught and guided me how to do this work with animals in a way that works well. Most of my work is done over the telephone. After praying and setting an intention for the work, I find myself instantly present in other dimensions, seeing where I need to begin. But there are occasions when the animal is physically present with me during SR. SOUL RECOVERY FOR ANIMALS The powerful work of SR involves gathering the pieces of an animal's soul and/or pieces of their energy bodies that have fragmented due to emotional/and or physical trauma and integrating them back into their proper place so that the animal's mind, body, emotions, and soul are once again intact and aligned. The animal experiences "wholeness" once again. Each fragment carries a part of the animal's lifeforce. So when all parts come "home," (I'm borrowing Ingerman's term "home" in referring to the body) the animal can fulfill their potential and live a happier, healthier life. Soul Recovery work can be compared to putting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. After doing SR with animals for a short time, I was stunned by the immediate results people saw in their animal companions. I knew this work was important. It isn't any surprise that animals need SR. The animals are subjected to our stress, violence, and fast-paced lives. They fracture more often than we might want to admit. WHEN FRAGMENTATION OCCURS Animals can become fragmented in many ways: birth trauma, physical abuse (kicked/hit), emotional abuse (screamed at while very young or ongoing), abandonment, hit by a car, getting lost, near-death experience, surgery, illness, pain, and other fearful and/or stressful experiences. Also, abuse may take place while being trained or tamed (many horses are shadows of who they truly are.) A young woman called me to work with her cat, Sally, who had been "kicked" in the head by an angry man. He caused so much damage that she had to have surgery and she almost died. When I checked in with her, I saw a number of pieces that had been literally "kicked" out of her bodies. After doing SR work, the woman said Sally acted more present and seemed to be in less pain. She added that before this event, Sally used to hiss at one particular cat in the household, but after the SR work she stopped hissing and was actually warming up to him. SYMPTOMS  An animal in need of SR work will often seem scattered and as if "they're not all there." That's because they're not. An they will usually exhibit a variety of problems and/or misbehaviors. They may be ungrounded - trip over objects, appear dreamy, seem distracted, act imbalanced, or experience illnesses. Also, they may suffer from separation anxiety, depression, aggression, phobias, and other symptoms. GETTING TO THE ROOT This work makes sense since the root of most physical and behavioral problems begin in the spirit, which directly affects the energy bodies and in turn manifests in the physical body. So why not go to the root of the problem? In doing this work, I find that fragments need to be integrated into the etheric bodies (emotional, mental and spirit bodies) as well as the physical body and soul. All the bodies and soul are a complex network of energies. So when a fragment comes "home," it has wonderful benefits for the "whole" animal. This healing work creates positive change that occurs in the physical body, energy bodies, mind, emotions, and spirit. I find this is so, no matter what the reason for fragmentations. For instance, I've worked with animals who were nearly knocked out of their bodies and fragmented when kicked hard or hit by a car; while others were screamed at or abandoned - SR helped all of them. It improves an animal's overall well-being and behavior.  ANGELS  In all the work I do with animals, I always ask the animal's guardian angels, other angels and light workers to direct and guide me. I'm an instrument they work through, and I guess you could say it's a team effort, but they're the ones who are doing the healing. The angels know exactly what each animal needs, so I listen closely as they direct me. (Also, the animal's soul talks to me about what needs to be done in order for healing to take place.) STEP BY STEP Some animals are more fragmented than others. This is a step-by-step process, so it can take two to three sessions (in some cases more) for full restoration. Learning to do SR work takes practice and experience. Anyone who desires to do this work should receive appropriate training from an experienced SR practitioner.  JAVA Java's person, Carol, called me in regard to a separation anxiety problem and several other problems, including that one of her dog's eyes was crossed. Java had been rescued from a man who had been beating him and was going to shoot him. This man had shot and killed Java's brother in front of him. Because of the severe abuse, Java was fragmented. Parts of his energy bodies had departed during the abuse in order to survive and stay sane. (People often do the same thing during sever abuse.) With gentleness, guidance, and help from Java's guardian angels, Java showed me all the trauma, which could then be released from his mind and spirit, losing power over him. I did three one-hour sessions (three weeks apart) with Java. The angels and I retrieved and integrated the pieces of his energy bodies into place. There were parts of him that had fragmented and scattered in various other dimensions. Literally a minute or so after most pieces of Java were back in place, I told Carol that his eyes changed and should look clear. She squealed, "I was just going to tell you that his eyes are now normal -- the one that was crossed in now normal. His eyes are bright." I asked her to put her hand gently over his third eye and say, "Welcome home, we all need clear sight." In the weeks that followed the third session, Carol told me he was a different dog. He was friendlier, more confident, and happy. She said he walked with a bounce and had a deeper, fuller bark. A number of Carol's friends noticed the changes, and she had not mentioned the work that had been done. It was inspiring to see him whole and enjoying life. Integration happens over a period of time, but I often see immediate results like Java's. RESULTS This work makes a huge difference in an animal's life. They're more present and become who they truly are, which shifts them into more normal and balanced behaviors. They feel better and are aligned with their soul. An animal who's had SR work is more energetic, happy, healthy, stronger, and their eyes sparkle with light. Right after SR work, the first thing I check out are the eyes. They truly are the windows of the soul. Some animals' sense of smell is better; some hear more clearly. Healing takes place on many levels with this work. There's an inner harmony that wasn't present before. Some animals begin to have feeling in parts of their body that used to be numb. I had done SR on a horse, Blaze. Many pieces had left due to abuse. A few days after the SR work, his person told me that while he was being shoed, he flinched which he had never done before. I told her that Blaze now had feeling in his back legs that once were numb. Healing happens in many ways as deeper integration takes place over weeks and months. SR work is not a replacement for medical treatment, but it adds a dimension of healing work from the spiritual level that is not often considered. When animals are restored to "wholeness," they live up to their fullest potential and lead happy, fulfilling lives. ©2003 Jacquelin Smith, Animal Communicator