Below
are some case histories taken from the TTEAM Connections newsletter January-March 2004
written by Practitioners in other countries, and others who have used TTouch to help
Reptiles and Wildlife.
Chipmunk
By Leah Camou TTACT participant
Simon, the Miracle Chipmunk. On April 29, I received a
chipmunk for rehabilitation. By his weight, I figured he was about 4-5 weeks old, too
young for him to be out on his own. A cat had caught him, not once but twice. Surprisingly
there were no puncture wounds so I didn't have to worry about infection. However, he
wasn't able to move his back end, but he got around very well dragging his back legs and
tail behind him. It was obvious he had spinal cord trauma. I took him to the vet the next
day, and she diagnosed a severed spinal cord and asked if I would like to have him put to
sleep. I declined that option. I took him home and started doing the TTouch, using a
Q-tip. I worked his whole back, legs, tail and abdomen to keep his bladder and bowels
functioning. My intent was for him to walk again and to be released. Every day, 2-3 times
a day, I TTouched him. His appetite was great, all his organs were functioning and within
two days he was moving his right back leg. Two days later, I was able to elicit muscle
twitching in both hips. Several days later, he was moving his left back leg. Several more
days and he had full use of both back legs and tail and was a speed demon. He was getting
wilder every day and by May 12 I was unable to hold him. I was going to keep him another
week to give him time to get stronger. However, on May 13, I put him in a cage and left
him out overnight to acclimate to the weather. The next morning he was gone. Somehow he
had managed to slip through the cage bars. "Hey, I told you I was ready to go. I'll
be fine." I have no doubt that there's a happy little chipmunk running around my
house.
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Snake
By Petra Beverung, TTEAM
Practitioner in Germany
I would like to share with you my favorite TTouch story: My
husband has several snakes in our apartment. Over the winter we keep them in a very cool
room. After the last winter one of the Aeskulapnatter (Elaphe longissima) had a problem:
She could not stretch her body in a straight position anymore. Behind her head, the rest
of the body stayed curved. She was able to move forward and also was able to eat, but she
had problems with shedding her skin. The old skin got stuck in the curves.
My husband treated her with homeopathic and waited several
weeks without success. He thought that the snake would be too shy to be touched. She never
liked to be caught, and bit sometimes. But since she had the problem with the shedding of
her skin I was finally allowed to touch "Jadus." (Her name because she is as
green as jade) In the evening, I took her out and sat with her on the sofa. She was a
little shy, but she stayed still and she allowed me to do many small Raccoon TTouches on
her body. I got a very good feeling in my heart, and I could feel where I was supposed to
TTouch. That night, I slept better than ever in my life. I felt the good feeling still
during my sleep. The next day I TTouched Jadus only briefly in his terrarium. She was
lying calmly. One day later, I took her out again and touched her for a longer period of
time.
The next day my husband called me at work: "Jadus is
straight again! And she is fast now, she is 'racing' through her terrarium." Jadus is
healthy again and she can shed her skin and she is not shy at all anymore. She now thinks
humans are interesting.
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Turtle
By Janice Fowles TTouch
Practitioner-1 Ottawa, Ontario
It is surprising sometimes how we are introduced to animals
that seem to choose the time and place. I was visiting a friend who has a wonderful
outdoor pond full of fish, and a side area for turtles that her autistic son adopts -
normally those in need of special care and friendship (another of the animal world
wonders). Now, to continue my story ...
Myrtle was the largest of their painted turtles, and
attracted a hawk with her beautiful colors. The hawk swooped down and grabbed Myrtle in
her talons. Myrtle was strong (and obviously not ready to become dinner). By account, she
seemingly struggled and bit the hawk, who immediately released her. She fell from a height
equal to two two-story houses. At a glance there was something different - she had lost
her left back leg, and was in trauma from the fall (and the experience). I just happened
to visit on that afternoon.
My first step was to check on her breathing and to stop the
bleeding where there was only a stump. Her breathing was ragged and was speeding and
slowing, which, according to her owner was not normal for her. She showed no interest in
eating or drinking, and was not reacting to a stranger working with her. I began with the
Lying Leopard on her shell as I did not want to overwhelm her by touching all her shell. I
left her for about five minutes to see what her reaction would be. She did not show any
outward reaction so I moved onto the turtle TTouch all over her shell, explaining to the
owner(s), how it may calm Myrtle and stabilize her breathing and temperature. (I also gave
her Rescue Remedy.)
The bleeding on her leg had slowed significantly. (I had a
Calendula homeopathic tincture and used it on her wound while working the TTouches). Her
breathing became regular and we left her alone for about 1/2 an hour.
She accepted small Raccoon touches on her other three legs,
neck and tail. I soon was able to do VERY small python lifts on her three legs, and moved
to where her lower leg had been severed. It was hot to the touch, and I was particularly
careful to be gentle with her so the bleeding did not start again. For me, this was the
first time I had worked on a phantom limb especially one so recent. It was phenomenal that
once I began doing Noah's March at the end of the leg lifts - on all her legs - that she
began to walk. And walk she did. It was almost as though she had been walking without the
lower leg for ever! Her head and tail were out of her shell and she was interested in
eating once again.
At each step of the way, both my friend, and her son were
interested in trying the touches on their other turtles, then continued with Myrtle. The
realization that she had recovered was a rare find a month or so later - turtle eggs!
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Possum Babies
By Sarah Fisher
I was on a training course for horses near San Francisco
with Robyn. It was incredibly hot and we were in the middle of a drought. At the end of
the day I was walking back to the house when I spotted something struggling in the
swimming pool. A baby possum was clinging desperately to the pool cleaner as it swirled
around the edges of the pool.
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Fortunately the possum was in easy reach and I
fished it out. Another participant was on hand as well and we wrapped him up in the towel
to dry his bedraggled body. He was very weak, freezing cold, limp and in shock. We used
tiny TTouches around his ears and began doing Ear Work - stroking his tiny, finger nail
shaped ears from the base right to the tip. I knew the effects of Ear Work on horses but
was still stunned at the response from the possum. He
came back to life in a matter of seconds, warmed up and became interested in what we were
doing. A cotton bud was fetched and we began doing tiny TTouches around his mouth with the
dampened tip of the bud. He began moving his mouth and licking at the water. Within half
an hour he was sitting quite happily in |
| a warm bed made from a cardboard box and was
hand feeding and drinking water with relish. Later
that evening another drowning baby was found in the pool and after appropriate TTouch
work, he too was popped into the box with his sibling. They were checked periodically
throughout the evening and early the next morning, and they were both alert but settled in
their temporary home.
Three more babies were found in the yard by other
participants during the day but as they were only in need of food and water they were put
straight into the box without receiving any TTouches. |
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The difference between the TTouch babies and
the other babies was marked. When food was being put into their box the two TTouch Possums
ran over to take the food whilst the lid was still open. Their eyes were bright and their
coats were gleaming from all the self grooming they had been doing. The three unhandled
babies however hid, hissing and displaying defensive behaviour when the lid was raised.
Their stress levels were really high. Their eyes were hard and staring, their mouths were
open and their coats were dull. Although this work is not about forcing the TTouch on
every animal that comes our way, there was concern later that evening that the three
un-TTouched babies were not feeding. We took them out of the box one by one and did a few
minutes of Ear Work and lightest TTouches on their body to see if they would settle.
The result? Five fat, shiny possum babies, feeding well and
ready to be moved on to a temporary home before being released back into the wild. Prior
to doing TTouches on the other three youngsters it had been easy to tell which were the
babies that had been in the pool as the behaviours were so different. After all of them
had been worked on it was impossible to distinguish between the pool possums and the yard
possums. It only took a few minutes to change and possibly even save the lives of these
little animals. This story is not unique. There are countless testimonials from around the
world from people who have literally saved an animals life by using the TTouch techniques.
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A Royal Python
By Claire Coe TTACT participant
France
| If someone had told me I would be working with
snakes a few months ago I would have laughed! Having just finished my second course in the
UK and been back here a few days, I heard a report on the local radio that a member of the
public had found a royal python in one of the Geneva suburbs. It was reported to not be in
very good condition and the firemen had taken it to the local Vivarium. I felt that I
should try to do something for the snake if I could and thus went to see it. In French and English I tried to explain TT and though a bit
skeptical (but interested) the Vivarium let me see the python. Its underside was in good
condition but the middle of the back had many raw pink spots. Anyway after about 30 mins
of various touches it went from being coiled and anxious to calm and straight. I rang the
next morning to see how it was and they were amazed. The snake hadn't eaten since they had
received it (for 6 days) and it fed within an hour of my visit.
I went back a few days later. The python is now starting to
shed and seemed more interested in rubbing against my hand. The first visit it had been
motionless for long periods of time seeming to enjoy the touches. This time the periods
when it was motionless were fewer.
I went to visit the python for the third time, on Saturday,
after having left it for a week. I wasn't sure if I |
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| would be doing any TT work as the
week before it looked like it was starting to shed and the young lad there said it takes
between 1 - 2 weeks and also they don't eat during this time. So I was a bit surprised to
learn that the python had not really done a complete shed but mainly just over the
pink/raw parts of his skin. These areas have now changed from raw pink to a cream colour
and look to have healed. He also said the python hadn't lost his appetite and was so much
better. Normally he brings the snake out to me in a
shallow crate but this time he just brought him out and placed him on a raised counter. I
spent about 30 minutes with the snake. He was SO relaxed that he made no effort to go over
the side and he remained virtually motionless the whole time. I really had the feeling
that the python remembered me and that he was saying in his own way - ttouch - yes please!
When I finished the snake didn't move and when the young lad went to pick him up I heard
him say under his breath 'oh wow' on how relaxed the snake felt.
The first time I heard about Tellington Touch was this year
and I certainly had no knowledge or particular interest in snakes let alone thinking about
touching them and here I am visiting a python - amazing!
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