Welcome to Changing the World One TTouch At A Time!
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Changing the World One TTouch At A Time 
Comments on: "Comments Welcome!" (21)
Hi Linda, I wish to thankyou for introducing me along with my two departed dogs Jagger (Greyhound) and Mimi (GSD) in the Fall of 2005 at a Client Day Session. My first couple of clinics were in early 2006. Then due to Jagger’s health getting worse but being helped by my understanding of Ttouch. I had to cancel a number of clinics. Jagger passed away in June 2007 due to a massive cancerous tumour on his good front right foot. He was very weak on his left side due to two Spine operations in November 2004.
In August 2007 I rehomed Missy (Greyhound) and then attended my third Ttouch clinic in Autumn of 2007 with Mimi (GSD) and Missy (Greyhound) but it felt as if it was my first one all over again.
In November 2007 I moved with Mimi and Missy to the Swansea Area after having to sell up in Berkshire due to splitting up with my wife Kay over rehoming Missy. In December 2007 I rehomed Merlin (Greyhound), who was being fostered after being rescued in Ireland in June 2007.
At the beginning of 2008 Mimi, who was 15, health started going down after she had been vaccinated for Rabies and a cancerous tumour started to grow on her stomach, she started to refuse to go out in the car and was having difficulty in walking. This meant I had to cancel the March clinic but the three Ttouch clinics information allowed me to reduce her suffering. However in April I had to make the decision to let her go as Mimi was in so much pain that neither Metacam, Acupuncture, Acupressure nor Ttouch was helping her plus the growth had enlarged such that her back end was collapsing. So Mimi joined her best mate Jagger at the Rainbow Bridge.
In May, September 2008 and March 2009 I completed my final 3 clinics attending with Missy and Merlin (both Greyhounds) plus submitted the required 15 case studies and became a Practitioner P1.
My aim on getting to this standard is to help my own three dogs, I rehomed Menta, about 5 year old, Podencos Andulez (Wire Haired Ibizan Hound) on Easter Sunday 2009. Plus helping any of my dog owning friends and the various Greyhound Rescues that I have contact with. I do not nor have I ever intended to use Tellington Ttouch as a business, but I do spread the word about the great world of Tellington Ttouch.
Once again Linda a Great big Heart Hug to you for introducing to the Tellington Ttouch world.
Dear Ted, thanks so much for sharing your story and for making a difference in the lives of so many dogs. are you acquainted with Dr, Ella Bittels’s “Spiritsintransition” website for hospice for animals? please do stay in TTouch. Heart hugs from Hawaiian Paradise, Linda
In April of 1992, my mom mailed me “The Tellington TTouch” with the inscription in the front cover, “Good luck to the new baby and the patient.” The new baby was my 14-year-old daughter Amy’s quarter-pony, Truly.
I lost Amy in March of 1993. That is another story which wounded me greatly. I trained Truly in my daughter’s memory and often told Truly that Amy would be very proud of her.
Fear was gradually taking over my life and affecting my confidence in riding. It reached such proportions that I couldn’t bear to even saddle Truly and sit on her back at a standstill.
In 2002 I wrote to Robin via email and received a beautiful encouraging reply. Robin said that Truly was my partner in working through the paralyzing puzzling fear.
I worked, I read, I tried – there always seemed to be a piece missing. I “knew” I needed to relax but when in the grip of fear, one cannot will ones self to relax. I had to dissect fear, the elusive and unreasonable enemy, and learn HOW to physically and mentally relax.
I learned many things that do not work, and almost gave up in despair. Then I found Robin’s letter. I couldn’t quit.
I went back to my 1992 copy of “The Tellington TTouch” and read in earnest. I had used TTouch successfully over the years to help my animal friends through illness and injury. The times that TTouch was helpful was when I was so absorbed in what I was doing that there was no room for any thought but giving to the animal. Experiencing that mental focus to the exclusion of all other thoughts paved the way for me to begin understanding that riding begins with the mind and I was giving even the most “kid broke, bomb-proof” horses the strong message of fear. I needed to become a bomb-proof rider!
I’m happy to say that I am back in the saddle. Gee I made that sound simple! It wasn’t – unlocking the mystery of my fear took a long time. Truly was my patient partner throughout. I wrote to my mother constantly through the process, and mom reports that she followed what I was discovering and overcame her fear of public speaking. Mom now enjoys Toastmasters Club.
The same quiet mind and mental focus and breathing as when TTouching an animal (or human) is the basis for my breakthrough in returning to riding with confidence.
All I have had over the years is the one 1992 book, The Tellington TTouch – it contains the vital basics needed and has been instrumental in the healing of animals in my care, and as it turns out, has been instrumental in healing my own fear.
Thank you to Robin for her encouraging letter so many years ago! And thank you Linda for TTouch!
Donna Lindahl
Dear Donna,
thank you so much for your response. And congratulations to your Mother going to Toast Masters. I love their program and participated for a while. even though I learned to speak publicly in grade school in Canada and love presenting, i found it fun and informative.
You wrote that “The same quiet mind and mental focus and breathing as when TTouching an animal (or human) is the basis for my breakthrough in returning to riding with confidence. All I have had over the years is the one 1992 book, The Tellington TTouch – it contains the vital basics needed and has been instrumental in the healing of animals in my care, and as it turns out, has been instrumental in healing my own fear.”
I think one of the reasons i stay so passionate about sharing TTouch is the fact that when you make enough of those TTouch circles it brings you into a state of mental, physical and emotional balance. In 1984 and again in 1985 Anna Wise from the Boulder Biofeedback Institute measured my students attending TTEAM Trainings at the Jodar Arabian Ranch and discovered that the students applying TTouch gained as much benefit as those being TTouched. There is a quieting of the mind, as you say, that comes from those little circles.
Three years ago there was another EEG study done by therapist Robin Bernhard and Sandy Rakowitz on the effects of the TTouch Heart Hug – Place one hand lightly on top of your other hand on your chest. Imagine the face of a clock with 6 o’clock toward the ground and very lightly move the skin around the face of the clock one and a quarter times. They discovered that a person can be in a high state of anxiety and in a matter of a few minutes over-ride the fear and come to a place of peace.
We have had countless reports of the calming effects of this self-applied TTouch. It’s helpful to remember whenever you feel a little stressed or overwhelmed.
Since you read The Tellington TTouch in 1992 I have written 17 more books for which I give great thanks to my guardian angels and Mother/Father God! Since you love horses so much you should check out my latest horse book, The Ultimate Behavior and Training Book for the 21st Century. I think you would love having so many choices of TTouches, ground exercises and riding tips to explore. You can find it by going to http://www.ttouch.com and clicking on the store.
Do stay in TTouch. I would love to hear more details of how you overcame your fear of riding. Your experience could help many people.
Aloha and Heart hugs,
Linda
dear linda!
first i have to thank you for this grateful TTouch training on Hawaii.it was amazing! i learned so many things for example, how the horse feels wearing the gear. When we played horse two of the participants held me in the homing pigeon,they held their wands in front of me and they started me by giving me the signal .first the wands where really open in the front of me so i didn’t feel very safe and the lead was held on one side stronger than on the other side, so it made me go more to the one side. After talking to my companions, i told them how i felt and they held the leads with equal tension. but still the wands were to wide and i didn’t feel good. i had the feeling that i had to run in front and escape.so linda showed us how to hold the wands in an equal level and just a little bit open in the front so that you don’t get the feeling that your are stuck. She showed us as well how to make the important fluid move when you say ‘and go’ and move the wand fluently to the front and when you want to turn, you follow the direction with the wand and your body follows where you want to go. Now i had the right feeling. i really felt guided and in contact with my leading persons, but linda said that i was walking to slowly and she was right because i didn’t feel that i was shuffling my shoes over the ground. so she stopped me and did some leg circles with me . and after that i could walk straight and felt a lot of energy floating thru my body. It was amazing.It felt powerful and I wasn’t shuffling. i felt like a horse!! After that It also changed my feelings and my behavior. i have to say it changed my life.
i have to say that i am a dogs physiotherapist and i was working in a dog shelter too. i came to hawaii to make this workshop because i read the books before and i tried to work the ttouches but i was feeling that i needed some support and i wanted to learn it from linda.i love riding but i am actually not working with horses but i bought the book ttouch for horses and i really have to recommend to all the dog people that they buy this book ,because it made me understand everything easier and it has a lot more information,what is so important to get as well.
i knew that i would learn something but what i didn’t know was that it would be so profound. thank you!! i also have to thank all of the group. It was great to learn with each of you.
thank you for everything linda!! it was great! hearthugs to everybody mahalo anne from the Canary Islands
Dear Anne, i love hearing what you took home from the Ttouch for You and Your Horse week, in spite of being primarily a dog person. Every participant whose primary interest was dogs have said they gained so much from attending a horse training. i look forward to you staying in touch with us when you’re back home in the Canary Islands. or maybe you’ll just stay in the islands and surf!! heart hugs, linda
Dear Linda,
I want to thank you for all your books and the fantastic work you do! I read your books when I just started riding, when I was 9 years old. They helped me so much to develop the way to see my relationship with horses now. Even then as a child I found out that even the few minutes you spend to groom your (lesson)horse will change the way the horse will walk under you in the riding lesson. I did touches with the nervous lesson horses of our riding schools to calm them down before the riding lessons. In my opinion the horses always took care of me more then and didn’t just ran away without thinking about it in the lesson.
Later on, when I was 14 I got my very first horse, Bellarina. She is a very sensitive mare who is the alpha mare in her herd. From the moment I got her I wanted to always have a relationship that was built on trust and communication. It took a lot of time but now I have a horse who doesn’t jusz follow orders. She really thinks about every aid I give her and is even able to interprete the same aid in different situations in a different, in a correct way. When I show her new things she is never scared as long as I am touching the new things myself.
On the other hand, SHE tought ME to listen, too. Communication only works when both sides listen to each other. Over the years I understood that if she misbehaved or bucked it always had a reason. Sometimes she didn’t want to work with me because of her teeth. In the first year an ill fitting saddle caused a problem. I learned that if she wants to show me a problem, there IS a problem. Even if some other people say she was only being naughty. I’ve always found a problem so far when she misbehaved more than one day or so, fixed the problem and got a nicely behaving mare again. For instance a few years ago lay heavily on my hands during riding. She hang there so much that my finger once hurt a whole night after riding. I was sure she had teeth problems. My vet looked into her mouth and said: “I floated her teeth 6 months ago, that’s not possible. And they look really good.” But I knew she wasn’t just lazy and liked me to carry her head. I knew there was something wrong. So I fot another vet and he found out that my old vet had never done a good job on her teeth, which desperetely needed to be floated. Afterwards so much better under saddle. So from that day on I even began to trust my horse more than my vet! 😉
You know, sometimes people really look at me like I was crazy as it’s not too normal for dressage show riders to ride bareback from time to time or to listen to your horse that much. But I don’t care. I don’t think that good communication or lots of fun isn’t something a dressage rider and a dressage horse shouldn’t have from time to time.
Thank you so much for:
-helping me to listen to horses and to understand them
-helping me to make my horse understand me too
-writing books about TTEAM and TTOUCH
Greetings from Germany,
Manuela and Bellarina
PS: Bellarina is 17 years old now. I got her when she was 9. I can’t describe the relationship between us. It just feels like I just need to think something and she know what I mean. And the other way round as well, I always find the itchy spots with only one look into her eyes.
She is pregnant now and due in 4 weeks. I hope I’ll be able to built up a good relationship built on trust and good communication as well.
PPS: If you come to Germany in 2011 , after my mares pregnancy time out I would so much like to attend a course of yours with Bella. I hope you’ll come her in 2011. 🙂
Dear Linda,
I think you are the most amazing, loving and caring animal person in the world!! I recently learned about and used your techniques on my 2 yr old filly, Honey, who had a bad childhood, and was angry and reared alot, and I am SO AMAZED at the wonderful bond we have now!! Pan Beets came out and taught me! I want to be a practitioner, and I’m going to do everything I can to get all the training!!
I wanted to ask you, about what you think happened to Dawn Branchau and her Orca, Tillikum, recently in the news at Sea World. It’s really bothering me so very much, because I saw footage, and know the whale really loved her very much, and must be grieving right now. Can you tell us your thoughts on that..I would really need anything to put my mind at ease, and would love your opinion on it.
God Bless you,…Judy Grace, Arvada, CO
Dear Linda,
(sorry, I need to make some fixes!!)
I think you are the most amazing, loving and caring animal person in the world!! I recently learned about and used your techniques on my 2 yr old filly, Honey, who had a bad childhood, and was fearful, nervous, angry, and reared alot, and I am SO AMAZED at the wonderful bond we have now!! Your practitioner Pam Beets came out and taught me, and she was wonderful!!
I want to be a practitioner, and I’m going to do everything I can to get all the training!!
I wanted to ask you, about what you think happened to Dawn Branchau and her Orca, Tillikum, recently in the news at Sea World. It’s really bothering me so very much, because I saw footage, and know the whale really loved her very much, and must be grieving right now. Can you tell us your thoughts on that..I would really need anything to put my mind at ease, and would love your opinion on it.
God Bless you,…Judy Grace, Arvada, CO
Hi Judy, what do you mean about the fixes? can you clarify please. sorry to take so long to answer but i forget i’m supposed to look for the comments after answering all my emails.!!! happy easter, Linda
Happy Easter, Linda!
Oh, the fixes were in the second entry, I just added a couple of words. I’m looking forward to your reply about your thoughts on Tillikum!
Also, I wanted to add that I’m just having a bit of a problem right now, with Honey. She’s very difficult with her face. I can’t seem to get any work done on her face. She tosses her head, and swings it into me, or throws it high in the air, showing the whites of her eyes…and won’t allow the touches, especially around her mouth. I’ve gotten to do her ears, only by giving her a bucket of grain, while I rub them!
Can you tell me what I could do to get to work on her face? could I use the wand, or a feather?
I love your website it is MAGICAL so glad you are giving this to the world Linda.
Hi i’am a horse lover &would be lost if i didn’t have them in my life.
But i seem to lack communication with my horses. I have sustained physical injuries from my horses. Something has to change on my behalf, i like the sound of TTouch how can i learn more about TTouch to help me be a better horse women,so i can have a safe &loving partnership with my horses
Please help
Michelle
Australia
Dear Linda , i have a debilitating condition called ankylosyngspondylitis, wich is inflamation of joints, do you think the touch could work on humans?
My friend is having a baby in 6 weeks. The baby has shifted and is now breech. Does anyone have some experience/ideas about using TTouch to get the baby to change his direction? what touches? wraps?
My experience is with horses, I’d be glad to have the human connection.
thanks
Hello, I’ve been a great fan of TTouch since I learned to use the basic techniques to ease my horse’s arthritis. He passed away years ago, and now I have a new horse, an Arab gelding, who is very fearful — not mean at all, but very reactive, twirling and trying to get away from any new stimulus. My trainer is great, and we are going very slow, so is learning to have his feet handled, etc., but my good experience with a Thundershirt for my dog made me wonder if there is any such product (maybe not the same brand) for horses? I’ve been looking at Sleazy lycra sheets, but they don’t wrap around the belly. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Kathleen/ Denver, CO
I have had good success with Ttouch for fear – Mouth and tail in particular.
Eclipse is a BLM Mustang – he was not a “skittish colt” he was wild, and terrified when we adopted him. Eclipse is a very intense horse – what he feels he feels very intensly.
I began sitting next to him – on the ground – as he ate his grain and then his hay. He had to look at me as he ate. His head was lowered, a position to overcome tension an begin trusting. I tasted his food and munched along with him. Eclipse began tolerating my touch as he ate, so I began body and tail work.
I began making comforting Ttouch circles randomly from his neck, along his side and working my way back to his hindquarters. When I reached his tail I gently held his tail so it made an upward arch & then I rotated the tail both directions.
As Eclipse began trusting me more and more, I was able to begin massaging his gums and lips and nostrils.
Today Eclipse is 6 years old and I’ve just begun riding him (the Lippizan stallions don’t begin their work till age 5 or 6:)
Bottom line – despite Eclipse’s initial fear, and despite the fact that his personality is one of intensity (when he pickes his foot up for you he literally throws it up into your hand & you better be ready to catch it *grin*)
Eclipse is probably the most solid trail horse in the barn. When startled or worried, he will stand stock still, look, think and then when he’s decided it is safe, he will move on.
He is also the most intensely loyal and appreciattive horse in the barn. He loves “head hugs” and when I bring the halter to him he shoves his nose down into the halter.
I believe that patient persistant and consistant Ttouch – doing mouth work (limbic system) and tail work has made the differnce in Eclipse.
And as I ride him, I keep a smile on my face (smiles help the human limbic system to generate confidence – which the horse will feel) and I breathe deeply and regularly – I “smile with my eyes” – which keeps my mind from being “busy” or “worrying about what the horse may see or do”
It would be difficult to ride a horse wiht a body wrap on – I think the good old fashioned Ttouch is the best bet!
Donna Lindahl
much more frightening is especially hassle-free to pain the. His strength was fully realized however as he proceeded to swat vampires out of the air with wet, bloody slaps. So I said, “I don’t think so Master because I am not working and I get an allowance of fifteen dollars, once a week on Fridays.
So this brings us back to the shoe lace I am tripping on for the second time. The notes fade as poverty and famine, which were reality in Nineteenth Century England take their toll. Those of you that have read the bio in the program understand that Master Con has through numerous years of training and discipline been able to perfect this perilous technique.
On the other hand, the negative oil sealing will result in harm to NSK bearings. His strength was fully realized however as he proceeded to swat vampires out of the air with wet, bloody slaps. “Wanna impress me punch some buckshot from a sawed off shotgun.
Hello! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa?
My blog addresses a lot of the same topics as yours and I think we could greatly
benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel
free to send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from
you! Excellent blog by the way!