Animals as mirrors – a fascinating collaboration
It’s fascinating to discover how animals act as mirrors for human beings, and above all to look at all the things animals reflect back on us, which is what this article is all about. Why does a horse follow one leadership workshop participant all over the place while another participant can do (or not do) what he/she wants and the horse doesn’t budge an inch or suddenly behaves aggressively or gets scared?
Or there’s the donkey seeking caring contact and despite its distinct sense of self-will decides to do whatever is demanded of it. Faced with a different person, then it’s suddenly game over. Instead of moving forwards, the donkey moves leisurely backwards. If we take a look at sheep, whose lambs are always protected by the herd, why is one person seen as protective and another as dangerous? Why can one person pick up a lamb surrounded by benevolent baas while another triggers loud bleating and causes the herd to break up in panic? Dogs give us similar signals. If a dog is being led, it walks obediently to heel for one person but instantly starts dragging on the lead and ignores all the appeals of another walker.
What are these animals reacting to?
They’re reacting to the condition hidden deep inside us; to illnesses that are in us but that we are not yet aware of; to subconscious hurts that are usually far in the past; and to fear, dread and insecurities.
Why do they react in this way?
Because animals have a very strong survival instinct. In the animal world, weaknesses that endanger the survival of the whole group are immediately recognised and isolated. This is essential to survival in the natural environment. We can learn and benefit from this essential survival tactic.
If we want to use animals as a mirror, we must first recognise that they see our fear and dread, our unresolved ‘psychic’ wounds and our latent illnesses as endangering their safety. If we transfer this danger that animals perceive to our human and bodily system, we suddenly gain a completely new insight into our personality.
Non-verbal communication with animals
If we see an animal’s reaction to us not as rejection but as a sign that something is wrong with us if it suddenly recoils as we approach it, we gain the opportunity to look into the mirror of our own consciousness. We can look directly into our subconscious. It is impossible to express in words how exciting it is to go into animals’ thoughts and feelings.
‘Going into’ here means non-verbal communication, picking up on an animal’s signals and taking them in. The animal immediately recognises the change in communication and is determined to show it. Having reached this point, you now need to open up all the senses and learn. This way, we learn about ourselves. We learn about the part of us that lives in the shadow of our consciousness in our everyday lives.
Recognising and dissolving our own boundaries
Managers participate in this by sensing how much their own (unconscious) behaviour is creating boundaries in their leadership work and frustrating their activities. They primarily realise where they’re shooting themselves in the foot and cutting off a great deal of life energy. This applies to everyone, managers and non-managers alike.
If you’re interested in going into this communication world in more detail as well as in understanding – and thus being able to steer – your own subconscious then please get in touch with us. Click on the link for more information about the next Leadership Workshop with Animals.
Feedback zum Führungsworkshop mit Tieren:
„Die Tiere waren unglaublich hilfreich, weil sie auf mich direkt reagierten. Ich hatte an zwei Tagen zwei verschiedene Sachen, die sich gelöst haben. Einmal mein Ursprungserleben, was sich durch die Wiederholung bestimmter Bewegungen aufgelöst hat. (…) Das zweite Bedeutsame im Workshop war die Begegnung mit den Tieren. In Kontakt mit meinem Gegenüber (…) baute sich in mir etwas auf, (…). Ein Pferd spürte das, kam zu mir und massierte und stupste meinen Rücken. (…) Es ist ganz viel auf der Körperebene bei mir passiert und alles zusammen hat mir enorm viel gezeigt.“ Anne Hagedorn, Geschäftsführerin Druck und Werbung GmbH
Hier gibt es die vollständige Rezension.