Rhonda is a Level 4 Healing Touch for Animals® Practitioner in Tennessee. She works with Devon Rex and Somali cats, breeding them and showing them around the country.
Q: How did you get involved with Healing Touch for Animals?
A: I am a registered nurse in the operating room and first learned about energy medicine through exposure to Jean Watson’s Caritas at work. I quickly realized that many things I innately did (holding a patient’s hand as they go to sleep for surgery, laying hands on a wound while whispering a prayer, even feeling the energy in my heart chakra that I envisioned radiating out of me, all without having a name for these things) were something I could learn more about. I then joined the American Holistic Nurses Association and started exploring many alternative medicine avenues. I decided to take the Level 1 Healing Touch Program (HTP) class. While in class, I discovered that Healing Touch for Animals® existed and my heart jumped for joy. Animals are the true passion in my life, and I knew I needed to find a class to take. HTA was hosting Level 1 in Knoxville and that started my journey into HTA. I recently completed Level 4 in Colorado and I am eager for more.
Q: How are you using HTA in your personal or professional life?
A: Nursing is my career, but my animals are my joy. My free time is centered around my cats. I breed, show, and run agility with my Devon Rex and Somali cats. This hobby has taken me all over the country and last year I even showed in Finland. I use HTA techniques for my cats as well as my competitors’ cats. A memorable moment was while I was in Finland. An exhibitor from France was showing an Abyssinian who had a scare. She was unsure whether she would be able to show him the rest of the weekend. She overheard me discussing HTA with a neighboring exhibitor and asked if I thought it could help her boy. I was honored that she asked and began with the Bridging™ technique. Within a couple of minutes, I could feel his fear leaving. To the astonishment of his owner, he laid his head in my open hands. After working with him, his owner told me that she also felt calm. I find moments like this so very affirming.
Q: What have you done to grow your HTA practice?
A: It can get a bad rap, but social media truly has the power to spread goodness as well. Sharing my energy journey online has allowed me to spread awareness as well as educate my fellow animal-loving friends on the wonders of energy work. I find the animals in need somehow find their way to me. I just moved from North Carolina to Tennessee so I have not officially opened my practice, but I did announce on social media that I registered Fernweh Holistic Healing for People and Pets as an LLC as a step in faith. I immediately had friends local to the area suggesting ways for me to get involved in the animal energy community here. There are cat-only vets and groomers, and I look forward to exploring the possibilities of partnering with them in the future.
Q: What is unique about your practice?
A: I think my clientele is a little different than most, as my focus on cats in competition (conformation and agility) is likely not the norm. I love the bond it creates between the cats and their people. Cats are super intuitive and amazingly receptive to energy work. As a preservation breeder who strives to be as ethical as I can, I appreciate even more when my extended Fernweh family (they are so much more than clients) sees the difference in how my babies are raised.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of HTA for you?
A: Discovering HTA has been such an affirming process. When I was a young child, I communicated with animals in a similar way. I simply had no idea that what I was doing was “energy work.” Learning to embrace this work and hone these skills benefits my personal furry family as well as the greater showing and breeding community I am part of. I am fortunate that my hobby brings me all over the world and I love sharing HTA everywhere I go.
Are you an active HTA Practitioner with a story to tell? We’d love to feature you in an upcoming newsletter! Send us an email at promotions@healingtouchforanimals.com.