The Language of Touch with Linda Tellington-Jones by Paula Peterson

Linda Tellington-Jones has been featured in hundreds of articles and prime-time documentaries around the world, including the TV series "Unsolved Mysteries." Using her breakthrough technique — known as the Tellington Touch — Jones has opened hearts and minds everywhere to the healing power of touch as a way of communicating with animals.

Paula: You've been considered a woman ahead of your time in your extraordinary work with horses and other animals. How did you first get started?

Linda: I was blessed to be born into a family that has a great deal of love and respect for animals. My grandmother was a woman who would never allow even a spider to be killed in the house. She had respect and honor for all living beings. My mother was the same way. When I was nine, a mouse fell into an open molasses jar and I remember my mother pulling it out and carefully washing it off.

When I was about six, my father brought in wild duck eggs that been disturbed when he was mowing hay. He gave them to my mother and she put them under the cat that had kittens. They hatched under her, and when the ducklings grew too big to be with the cat, my mother took over raising them.

My grandfather on my mother's side was a very successful trainer of race horses. He was an American jockey, taken to Russia in 1902 by an Austrian count when he was twenty-one to ride the count's horses. He was the leading trainer in Moscow in 1905 at the Hippodrome, with 87 winners in one season — which is a lot. He attributed his success to two things.

One, he said that he never raced a horse unless it "told" him that it was feeling fit enough to win.

And secondly, he rubbed every horse in his stable with these short little strokes, all over the body for thirty minutes a day. This is how I gained "the touch," and is what inspired my husband and me to write the first book on massages and physical therapy for horses.

Paula: That's fascinating. I understand that your method requires a lot of touching, developing sensitivity with animals, which seems to open up a soul connection with them. Would you describe this as telepathic communication, or does it go much deeper than that?

Linda: I think it goes much deeper than that. We call the Tellington Touch the "language without words," because when you begin working on an animal with these circular touches it deepens the connection and inspires an understanding as well as creating an opening of the heart. This is what I feel is important in working with animals.

Telepathy has actually been proven through experimentation. Rupert Sheldrake writes in his book Dogs Who Know When Their Owners Come Home that if you make a clear picture of what you want it's incredible how animals are able to respond. I've done this for years. Too often the pictures we make are negative, or our expectations are negative — like, "Oh no, he's doing it again." It's important to approach the subject with self-discipline and be aware of the effect that our thoughts are having on our animals.

Paula: How can we learn to communicate with animals better?

Linda: First of all, by listening to the whispers of the animals and paying attention to what they're trying to tell us from their body language, from the way they move their head, from their breath, from the way they move their eyes, and the way they hold their tails. If you look at body posture in animals, you have to pay attention only a little, and you'll see it.

For instance, the way a dog will hold its tail and ears, or move its eyes — all of these are so communicative. Once a person tunes into that, I believe it's possible to learn animal communication. Animals will communicate with us all the time once they discover that we're willing to listen. Put your hands on them and pay attention to where they like or don't like to be touched, and instead of being impatient or ignoring their response, consider what it really means.

As an example, you can ask yourself, "How can I change this contact so that this dog doesn't crinkle the skin or twitch when I touch him along the back?" Or "Why doesn't he like me to touch the muzzle or mouth?" All the responses have a reason. It's important when we acknowledge the responses and ask, "How can I help this animal be okay with this contact and actually like it?"

Paula: Many people have difficulty accepting that animals have emotions just as humans do. In your opinion, why do people have such a hard time recognizing this?

Linda: I feel that people who are around animals a great deal and who listen to their own inner knowing have no doubt that animals feel jealousy, guilt, joy, sadness, depression. . . there is never any question about it. However, the scientific community and the church have taught us the opposite.

I am so grateful that there are now many scientists who have had the courage to come forward and say what they really feel. Rupert Sheldrake is one of them, and he has taken flack from the scientific community for his viewpoints on the emotions of animals. There are wonderful shows on the Discovery Channel about the emotions of animals — like Jane Goodall's work with the chimps. I think in five years the average person is going be shocked to find that animals have the same emotional capacities that we do. It's really going to change a lot of research.

Paula: I've seen animals mourn over their loved ones.

Linda: There is no question that they do. They get absolutely depressed. We see it all the time. We see it a lot with dogs when one of their owners dies and the other has to go into a retirement home where animals aren't allowed. The dog is given away and mourns just as a human would. My experience has been that when you acknowledge their pain and let them know that you understand their sadness and sorrow, they have a much better chance of coming through that. That's where the Touch can help them; to bring them back into their bodies and remind them that they are going to be okay.

Paula: Could it be that when people are not sensitive to the emotional needs of animals, they may be cut off from their own emotional needs and a deeper part of their human nature?

Linda: Yes, I do think that insensitivity to animals begins with not having a connection with one's own emotions. There are so few people who are willing to own their emotions, let alone acknowledge the emotions of an animal.

Paula: Sometimes people have to kill pests, or kill animals for other reasons. If we've killed animals, do you think it may create a barrier to communication with them?

Linda: I think that there is a lot of forgiveness in the animal world. It depends on how and why you kill an animal. Do you kill a pest with glee? Or do you have compassion? They have a right to be here, too.

I can't kill even a cockroach. But I can understand why someone else could. I attempt not to be judgmental about it, and to realize that we're all at different levels of consciousness.

I eat meat, and I don't think that animals treat me any differently because of that. Whenever I eat meat, however, I acknowledge the animal that died to provide it. I don't know how important it is to the animal for me to do this, but it's important to me.

Paula: Even though much of your work seems to be focused on horses, do your techniques work just as effectively on other animals?

Linda: I grew up with horses, in rural Canada. I had to ride to school for the first six years. So I had a lot of background with horses. But of course I was interested in all other animals.

There was a great deal of change in my own personal and spiritual growth, thanks to all the work I did at Epsilon, reading the Course in Miracles, and channeling — a great deal of information came to me from channeling.

I realized I needed to be working with all animals, and I began in the early '80s working with dogs, cats, snakes. . . any animal that was brought to me.

Paula: I like the way you've used animal names to describe the different touches that you apply to animals for different conditions. Do you ever feel as though the spirits or souls of animals have actually taught these techniques to you?

Linda: Absolutely. I feel that it's a council of animals that guides me. I have this wonderful feeling that there is this big circle of animals in the spirit world made up of all possible animals — from the smallest little critter to elephants. They sit in this circle sending love to all the people who care about them. I just love that, because it means a great deal to many people to think in those terms.

And yes, I do feel that many of the touches I use have been given to me by the spirits of the animals. In some cases, the touches are named after animals I've worked on. The touch called the Clouded Leopard is named after the work I did on a young leopard that had been rejected by her mother. She had a neurotic, sucking reflex. I worked on her with certain types of touches that we later named after her.

It's interesting that Jean Huston said that when I added the animal names to my work it reached a whole other level. These animal names seem to connect us in a different way to other dimensions.

Paula: You mentioned that your work included snakes. Do you have an experience you can share with us?

Linda: During my presentation at the annual San Diego Zoo Keepers Conference in 1987, in Temecula, California, I worked on an eleven-foot python named Joyce who had recurring pneumonia. Of course they treated her medically, but the treatment hadn't completely solved the problem. Since she didn't like being touched with circular touches, I did little "lifts" all along her side, which became the Python Lift. In about five minutes, she really relaxed. The remarkable thing was that when I finished, she slowly reared up, put the side of her head gently against my ear, and just stayed there for a moment. Then she slowly came down across my lap and lay there. It was all captured on film.

The next day, the person who had edited the film came to me and said that he had been terrified of snakes. Yet when he saw the python rear up and put her head gently against my ear, it was obvious to him that she was saying, "Thank you." In that moment, he lost all his fear of snakes and started to cry. It was very touching.

Paula: That's a beautiful story.

Linda: I think of her often, that python. When I tell her story at prestigious scientific gatherings, it brings the scientists to another level, since they tend to get into their heads and away from the heart.

Paula: Some people feel that animals were the original teachers of this planet and that we learned how to live here based upon what we learned from them. Do you have any comments on this?

Linda: I quote a lot from Ken Carey's book, the Starseed Transmissions. In it, he makes the statement that since the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, animals and nature now represent our connection the Nagual, or the Divine Spirit. I think it's important to acknowledge this connection.

Animals have such an important role to play because they're like family. Anyone who thinks otherwise has not been close to an animal. There is no difference in losing a close family member than losing a dog, a cat, or even a bird that we've been close to. I'm so grateful that there is more acknowledgment of this today. We have to mourn, grieve, and honor those passages. In the past it's really been a problem for those who lost animals that they had no support and there was no ceremony for handling the grief.

Paula: What was your most challenging experience with an animal?

Linda: It was with a tiger at Out of Africa in Fountain Valley, Arizona. It was an unusual situation, because I was involved in a three-day film shoot for "Unsolved Mysteries." The tiger they wanted me work with was too unmanageable because she was in season. Instead, I noticed a lion behind the scenes — which was unusual, because all of the animals were generally out for public viewing. We soon discovered that this was a tiger that had attacked the woman who had raised him, and had put her in the hospital.

There was real reason for the attack: the tiger had come into sexual maturity, had undergone three major surgeries, and had a vision problem. So he wasn't a happy tiger in spite of the wonderful care he received.

I wanted to work on this tiger, and they said that there was no possible way that I could handle him safely. But they were able to bring him over to the fence. I worked with him through the fence, and showed them how to do the touches.

After about 10 minutes, the tiger suddenly flopped on his side and was totally relaxed. We gave him a break and came back about two hours later. He came trotting right over to the fence and lay down so I could reach him, then we started working on him again.

Later that night, one woman was able to lead him to a new enclosure. Before, two of the strongest men on the property were required to move him. But he was completely quiet, walked around, and finally was put in an enclosure where the public could view him.

I have to tell you that when I finished with that tiger I had one of the most remarkable feelings I've ever had. It was as though divine spirit had come down and touched this tiger and he was once again back in his body and feeling whole.

Paula: Do you have any other interesting stories to tell?

Linda: One of the most fun stories was when I worked on a very rare Chuck-Walla lizard at the zoo in Toledo, Ohio. The lizard had a three-day impaction and couldn't defecate. There isn't much you can do for them except pray, and they usually die from toxicity.

Onlookers stood around to watch while I put my hands under this lizard and gave light, tiny circles all over the abdominal area for several minutes. Suddenly, he just peed all over, and everybody cheered!

Paula: What a relief for that little lizard.

Linda: It was a relief! I have to tell you another story. It's one of the most unusual experiences that I've ever had, and it demonstrates the amazing communication that's possible between humans and animals. This was with a sixth-month-old bear that had been separated from his mother during the Mount St. Helen fire. He had been hit by a car and brought to Fish and Game in Montana.

They had actually picked up about a dozen bears and they were going to have to euthanize them, since they couldn't be released and Fish and Game didn't have any way to keep them.

Someone there knew about my Animal Ambassador program. When they called, we agreed to take the one bear with neurological damage that had been hit by a car. We flew him to Texas A&M, and I went down to work on him.

People who were in our program there had a large kennel where they raised Great Danes. They put the bear into one of the big doghouses. At first, I worked with him for about ten minutes each time, and by then he wasn't afraid of people at all. He would sit in this dog house with his nose and paws close to the edge. I was able to work his little paws. I began by touching them with a short rubber hose that was soft, so my hand wasn't directly on him. Then I worked his little chin and his lips and he really enjoyed it. I did this for about four ten-minute sessions.

After the fourth time, he put his little chin in my hand and let me work his lips and his gums, which we do on animals because it affects the part of the brain that controls the emotions. So if there is any fear or aggression in animals, you can reduce it by working around the lips and gums. He was totally quiet while I did this. Then I sat back a bit on my haunches and gave him room to come out if he wanted. He came out for the first time, very slowly.

Fortunately, I didn't wear glasses in those days, because when he slowly came up to my face, he took my eyelashes between his lips and very gently pulled on them. He then moved very slowly to the other eyelid and did the same thing, then sat back and looked at me as if to say, "We can trust each other, can't we?"

That, for me, is communication. He wanted me to know that I could trust him and he trusted me. It was an amazing situation. That little bear quickly learned to communicate, to trust, and to work with me. Fortunately, we have all of this on film, and it gives you tingles when you see it.

Paula: That is a truly touching story.

Linda: Isn't it amazing? What would ever possess him to do what he did? You can't say that bears do this in the wild.

Paula: It's got to be love.

Linda: What else! (laughter) It makes me feel so good every time I think about it.

Paula: It seems that just about anyone can learn your technique. Has your technique been used by veterinarians?

Linda: Yes. We now have over five hundred certified practitioners in twelve countries. A book is now in progress about the use of TTouch in veterinarian medicine. It's being written by two practitioners who are veterinarians. Many vets recommend this work. It's something they can train their clients to do that supports normal veterinary care.

Paula: I was delighted to learn that you also used your methods of healing with handicapped and special-needs children. Can you tell us more about this?

Linda: We use this work as much for people as we do for animals. People who come into our training — or just watch the videos — find that they can use the method on humans. We have a teacher in Canada who was working with special need teenage boys and found that by using the TTouch she no longer needed two strong guys in her classroom to handle these very challenged boys.

Paula: Have you ever used the TTouch with autistic children? They often don't like to be touched.

Linda: I haven't. But we have a number of cases where mothers have used the technique on their own autistic kids just before bedtime, with what we call the Abalone Touch. It's using the whole hand and very softly and slowly pushing the skin in one circle and a quarter and then sliding to another spot. It really helps to relax kids.

We have one story of a mother who did this to her son and he slept until noon the next day, which scared her at first, because he was normally up bright and early — he was so relaxed.

Paula: Is there anything else you would like to share with us before we close?

Linda: I find that there is so much information out there about various ways of training animals — horses and dogs in particular. Many people are treating animals in a dominating way. There are still many trainers who train dogs by punishment — hanging them by a choke chain, putting prong collars on them, using electric shock, or ignoring them, which is cruel. Animal owners who are new to the animal world will take their animals to such a trainer because they don't know what else to do.

So my advice is to put yourself in the animal's place. Find a way to treat animals as you would like to be treated.

Paula: I agree that love and respect goes a long way with an animal. I remember training my horses and my dogs with that philosophy. I never had to give them treats or use punishment in order to train them to perform well or do numerous tricks. They were just happy to do it.

Linda: It's that word "respect" — it's so important. The word respect comes from the word "to inspect" or "to see" — seeing into the soul of the animal.

My work is really about bringing a level of understanding between people and animals and between people and people. Our interest is in acknowledging animals as our teachers in this. When a person uses kindness, understanding, and compassion with animals, along with mindful touching, that same person begins to develop compassion and understanding for humanity as well.

It's fascinating to become aware in a different way. For me, one of my roles on this planet is to raise the awareness of the importance of animals in our lives. By learning more about our animals, we learn more about each other. That's one of the gifts that they bring us. And that's really exciting.

Paula: Thank you, Linda.

Linda Tellington-Jones is the author of a number of books, including two best sellers: An Introduction to the Tellington-Jones Equine Awareness Method and Getting in TTouch: Understand and Influence Your Horse's Behavior. She also has created numerous videos on cats, dogs, and other animals.

For more information about Linda, books, videos, seminars, the TTouch method, and a list of world-wide practitioners, please check out the following web site: LindaTellington-Jones.com. You can also call or write: TTEAM/TTouch in USA — P.O. Box 3793, Santa Fe, NM 87506, 800-854-8326, E-mail Info@TTeam-Ttouch.com.