Strengthening self-trust is essential for navigating life’s journey of healing, yet it often feels difficult to do. We can face internal and external barriers that challenge our confidence and connection to our inner wisdom.
“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki offers a clear path for overcoming these obstacles, allowing us to strengthen self-trust through meditation, compassion, and guidance from animals.
Let’s explore this journey together in this blog, starting with the barriers to self-trust, and progressing through guidance provided by LAL®'s six pillars, the Reiki precepts, lessons from our companion animal teachers, and the profound wisdom gifted to us by the spirit animal, wolf.
Barriers to Strengthening Self-Trust
Before we can build trust within ourselves, it's important to contemplate what undermines it. Things that can keep us from trusting ourselves include:
Self-Doubt: This is our inner critic that constantly questions our decisions and abilities. Have you ever doubted your ability to make the best decision for your animal when they are facing a difficult diagnosis? Have you ever decided not to offer Reiki to an animal who is very sick or in a dire situation because you doubted your ability to make a difference? Maybe you remember a faulty decision from your past that you haven’t forgiven yourself for. Self-doubt comes in many forms and can show up in unexpected moments.
Fear of Failure: This is when we worry about making mistakes or facing judgment from others. Have you ever had difficulty finding clarity about your animal's situation because you worried that you might make a mistake and others would judge you? Maybe there are people in your life who have judged you in the past for your life choices and their hurtful comments still ring in your ears. Over time, if we aren’t mindful, we can start to believe those negative voices!
Cultural Norms: This is when we fail to challenge the way “it’s always been done” to animals, instead of trusting our inner guidance and compassion for them. How often have you stopped yourself from speaking out for animals because you worried that others wouldn't approve or understand your perspective? I think this fear of challenging norms is one reason why many abusive cultural and economic traditions can continue on, even though we might know inside that they aren’t right. Silence in the face of animal cruelty eats away at our confidence in ourselves because we stifle ourselves from acting with our honest feelings.
Perfectionism: This is when we believe that self-trust requires flawless decision-making. So many of my students are perfectionists, so I bet this one resonates with many of you. It can cause us to freeze up, unable to move forward, listen to the voice within or make any decisions at all! We might delude ourselves into thinking if we don’t make any decisions at all, we won’t ever make a mistake! The truth is that the best way to learn and do better (and be able to listen to our inner wisdom) is sometimes through mistakes.
Past Experiences: Many of us can have negative past experiences or unresolved trauma from childhood that can erode our self-confidence. Are you letting your past control your present? How many of you sometimes feel like a small child again, helpless and voiceless, when faced with a healing crisis? Despite all your wisdom and experience, sometimes it can feel like all of our power disappears in a difficult moment! In truth, when we live our life based on past traumas, we give them power that they wouldn’t otherwise have. And living in the past takes us out of this present moment, where our true power lies.
Experiencing one (or many) of these things can make self-trust feel out of reach. But all is not lost! Let's explore how by embracing the Let Animals Lead® method we can gently and compassionately heal and move beyond our self-imposed limitations.
Self-Trust Through the Six Pillars of the Let Animals Lead® Method
The six pillars of the Let Animals Lead® method provide a strong foundation for cultivating self-trust:
Try strengthening self-trust with meditation.
Meditation quiets our mental chatter of doubt and fear, allowing us to connect with our inner wisdom. Through the energetic shift we experience in meditative practice, we can learn to trust our intuition and find more clarity in our path forward, even in difficult situations.
Because this negative mental chatter can at times feel loud and constant, a daily meditation practice is really important to help us retrain our brain! We can actually cultivate new patterns of thinking, strengthening our connection to self through meditation. In a way, meditation clears out all the “stuff” that isn’t our true self and reconnects us with the best parts of who we are, at the deepest level.
What’s also wonderful is that our animals will sense and feel the stability and grounding we’re shifting into when we meditate, and they’ll often join us in the peaceful space we create. This is also healing for them, so it’s good to remember that as we heal our own self-trust issues, this healing space will make it easier for animals to trust us also.
Cultivate a compassionate state of mind.
Self-trust flourishes best with a compassionate mindset. Just as we offer unconditional compassion to animals during our Animal Reiki sessions, we can learn to extend that same kindness to ourselves, letting go of harsh self-criticism. Of course, for most of us, being compassionate to animals is much easier than being compassionate to ourselves.
This is why sometimes the best way to begin practicing self-compassion is to see the light within our animals first. If we can begin to see their perfection even as they might be facing a difficult health situation, this can help us judge ourselves less harshly and remember our own light too.
Practice listening with the Heart.
The Buddha said, “To meditate is to listen with a receptive heart.” Heart-centered listening is also central to our Animal Reiki practice. By quieting our minds, we are able to listen deeply to animals’ needs and feelings, building a trusting bond. By practicing this with animals, we are learning how to tune into our own needs and feelings too. Thus, in time, by listening to and honoring animals, we’ll begin to also recognize our own inner voice and slowly practice trusting it.
Hold Space for Animals.
Holding space for animals during Reiki sessions teaches us to create a nonjudgmental space for animals. If we don’t, they’ll become uncomfortable with connecting with us. The more we practice what it feels like to let go of judgment for animals, the easier it will be for us to do this for ourselves. As we quiet our minds and let go into the healing space for animals, it will also become easier to explore our own thoughts and emotions without fear. This in turn will, in time and with practice, foster greater self-trust.
Acknowledge animals as teachers and healers.
One of the biggest teachings in the LAL method is seeing animals as our teachers and healers in their own right. Our Animal Reiki meditations inspire us to see animals through a new lens of wisdom and competence. We also begin to see the connection of all beings: our innate Oneness. We are all part of this amazing web of energetic light and love that makes up the universe. As we learn to trust animals in deeper and new ways, we’ll begin to see that we too, are animals, just human ones. And just as our animals model self-trust through their presence and the way they walk the journey of healing, we can be inspired to trust ourselves in the same way.
Let go of the outcome.
Self-trust grows when we release the need for control and perfection. By letting go of healing outcomes in our Animal Reiki practice, we are learning to free ourselves to focus on the process and trust that we are enough in each moment. We learn this first in the concept of an Animal Reiki session, and yet, this wisdom can stay with us and resonate into our own lives as a new level of self-trust.
Self-Trust and the Reiki Precepts
The Reiki precepts are guides for living and offer timeless wisdom for strengthening self-trust. Here are some affirmations to use, based on the precepts, to encourage and strengthen self-trust. Think about how these affirmations help create positive thoughts and energy around areas in your life where you may experience self-doubt.
For Today Only, Do Not Anger: I release anger towards myself for past mistakes. I embrace self-forgiveness and understanding.
For Today Only, Do Not Worry: I trust that I can handle whatever comes my way. I let go of dwelling on what might go wrong. I embrace the present moment and trust in its wisdom.
Be Humble: I recognize that self-trust doesn’t require perfection, only a willingness to learn and grow. I honor my imperfections and trust that I am enough.
Be Honest: Honesty with myself builds trust. I acknowledge my feelings, strengths, and limitations without judgment. I am honest with my feelings, and I trust them to guide me.
Be Compassionate to Yourself and Others: I extend compassion to myself as I navigate life’s uncertainties, just as I would to a beloved animal. I trust that by being kind to myself, I strengthen my ability to trust, both myself and others.
Lessons from Our Companion Animals
Companion animals are profound teachers of self-trust. Their behavior often mirrors our energy, revealing when we are calm and confident versus when we are uncertain. Here are a few ways they guide us:
The Power of Presence: Animals live fully in the moment, showing us the power of trusting the present instead of worrying about the past or future. Horses are some of the most wonderful teachers of presence for me personally. When I am with them, I let go of everything except the present moment, and it always feels like a “reset” for the rest of my day!
The Awe of Authenticity: They express themselves freely and without apology, reminding us to embrace and trust our true selves. Perhaps some of my best teachers in authenticity have been my feline friends. Cats express themselves freely and invite us to take them (or leave them LOL) as they are. This can feel challenging sometimes if they don’t respond to situations the way we expect, but on the other hand, to experience friendship and trust with a cat is an incredible honor. To me, cats show us how to be courageous and live in our truth, and not worry about what others think!
Respecting Resilience: Animals adapt gracefully to change, teaching us to trust our ability to recover and thrive. Some of the best teachers of this in my own life have been rescued animals. To be able to see them let go of past trauma and begin again, trusting humans, experiencing happiness and thriving, is truly inspiring! A favorite example of this for me is when, years ago, my sister’s rescue Guinea Pig, Godiva, made an incredible transformation through the power of love and compassion! She went from extremely withdrawn and fearful of humans to the most affectionate and social piggie you’ve ever met!
By meditating with and spending time with our companion animals, we can learn to embody the qualities they radiate in our own lives.
Lessons from Spirit Animal Wolf
Letting go of our self-limiting beliefs around trust requires living with courage, self-compassion and a listening heart. When we can show up authentically as we are, trusting that we are enough, our energy feels safe and inviting to animals.
Integrating self-trust into our daily Anima Reiki practice strengthens our ability to create trust with animals. Let’s take a moment to reflect on this with our animal teacher, the wolf. Wolves are known for their powerful and wise instincts, that they rely on for survival. Even when facing uncertainty or a changing environment, they adapt with confidence. Have you ever heard a wolf howl? It’s a symbol of the way they show up in this world: proudly and unapologetically themselves!
Wolf’s affirmation for us: I trust my instincts and honor my true self.
As we reflect on wolf’s wisdom, what lessons about trusting yourself have shown up in your life lately? How do you tune into your inner wisdom and show up confidently to live your truth?
Trust as a Lifelong Journey
Strengthening self-trust is a lifelong practice and way of being in the world, much like the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki. By taking an honest look at the barriers to self-trust we have created, embracing the six pillars, embodying the Reiki precepts, and learning from our animal companions and spirit guides like the wolf, we can deepen our ability to tune into our inner knowing. The more we learn to recognize that quiet wisdom inside of us, the easier it is to listen to it, and that is the foundation of self-trust.
My wish for you, as you walk the path of Animal Reiki, is that you are inspired to trust yourself more fully each day.
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