“Would
you like to meet Sophia?”
I
opened my eyes and looked around the waiting room. I must have dozed off while I
waited for my friend to finish her doctor’s appointment, because an older woman
was suddenly standing directly in front of me, nodding and smiling. She had on pink
scrubs and was holding the leash of one of the biggest Standard Poodles I had
ever seen. I sat up straighter in the hard plastic chair and blinked a couple
of times. I hadn’t slept well last night—okay, at all—and, I admit, the chance
to catch a quick nap was a welcome respite. I had been very stressed and worried
about my friend these past few weeks, and I almost resented this interruption.
However, once I shrugged off my sleepy confusion and oriented myself in the
room, my irritation melted away. I suddenly noticed the gentle, warm pressure
of the dog’s chest and right shoulder leaning into my right shin. Sophia’s
long, delicate chin rested on my knees and she looked up at me with soulful
brown eyes.
The woman gave
her dog a loving scratch behind the ears. Sophia pressed her right shoulder even
closer against my leg and let out a soft sigh. “Go ahead and pet her if you
like. Sophia is a therapy dog. She will stay with you as long as you like, or
until you get up if you have to go.”
“No, I’m good.” I
noticed that I was smiling as I leaned over to rub the dog’s shoulders, patting
and stroking her the way I gently scratch my horse’s withers. The large waiting
room had suddenly shrunk to the three or four feet of space that Sophia, her
handler and I were occupying. The
tightness and tension in my shoulders bled away as I also released a slow,
steady exhale. I could tell right away—from these physiological changes going
on in my body and the sense of deep relaxation that I was feeling—that I had
drifted into a light form of hypnosis. What was happening? How did this dog and
her handler know how much I needed this encounter at that moment?
Animals’
intuition never fails to impress and astound me. Throughout my life, my cats always
seem to know when I am sick. They stay close to me and curl up beside me on the
sofa or in bed, feline versions of Florence Nightingale that are determined to
keep a close eye on me until I recover. My horses—first, Geeves and now Galahad—always
become very protective and even careful
around me when I don’t feel well or if my confidence wavers during a ride. Similarly,
when my mom and I met Monty Roberts at an Equine Affaire event many years ago, Mr.
Roberts explained that his Mustang, Shy Boy, always sought out people in the audience
who seemed to need a little special attention. Well, that little Mustang came
right over to my mother and me. I definitely wanted and hoped he would come
over to us; but my mom was especially excited and emotional about this
encounter.
Today, I just
had a sense that the dog was singling me out for this attention, because she
was suddenly there in front of me,
looking at me, nuzzling me. Since I had been sleeping when this pair entered
the waiting room, I don’t know how many people they had already visited before
they got to my corner against the wall. But once Sophia came over to me, she
stayed in the same position pressed against my legs for at least 20 minutes. There
were a few other patients sitting nearby, but I was the person the dog and her
handler hung out with for so long. Even when other patients and their children
came over to meet her, Sophia stayed close to me. I wasn’t even officially a
patient today, but I definitely needed and appreciated the kind of gentle comfort
that she was able to provide for me this morning.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
