submitted by Kristen Lecksell
Level 2 HTA Practitioner
My cat Kate came to me almost 15 years ago as a very little kitten – not even 3 months old. A friend of a friend had rescued her from a family who had abused her, and this friend couldn’t keep her. This is the picture she sent that melted my heart. I took her, and despite her abuse at such a young age, Kate was a wonderful companion for nearly 15 years. 
About a year prior to her death, I felt that her time with me was coming to a close. That old familiar feeling of having to say goodbye was pressing in on me. Nine years prior, I had to say goodbye to another cat companion Miss Emma, which was the first time I’d ever had to deal with making that dreaded decision. My emotions and energy were all over the place, and I couldn’t find my center. I wanted to be better prepared for Kate. I found a company that would euthanize her at my home, so we wouldn’t have to drive to the vet’s office which she hated. When Kate’s eating became irregular, I made an appointment with a certified HTA Practitioner who had done some work on her in the past. I felt relief that someone else would give Kate her last HTA session.
Unfortunately, my plans didn’t work out. Kate started declining rapidly, and I needed to schedule her euthanasia before her scheduled HTA session. I so wanted her to have a last HTA session with someone centered and calm enough to do a good job, but that universe had other plans.
The evening prior to Kate’s euthanasia, I spent most of my time with her. I put it in my mind that I would give her last HTA session despite my anxieties. We spent her last morning with her laying on my belly, and me giving her a lot of vibrational grooming. This helped me focus my attention on being present in my own body so I could concentrate on being there for her. I told her how much she had meant to me, and spoke about past events in our life together. It was a nice way to calm my anxieties before having to get up and be dressed before I started her HTA session an hour before the vet arrived. When that hour did finally arrive, Kate and I got on the bed, and I grounded myself for a few minutes, and then I began Etheric Heartbeat™. My mind would wander, but I kept bringing it back to the task. Kate received the energy from my hands into her heart, and I imagined it filling up her heart gently. The more I gave to her, the more she gave peace back to me, and the more I could focus on being a clear channel for the energy to flow. About thirty minutes or so into the session, I felt the energy overflowing from her heart, so I brought my hands up and out wide so the energy could not only permeate every cell in her body, but also form a large sphere of loving energy around her. Near the end of the session when I started to bring my hands back to her heart to close the circuit of energy, Kate yawned and stretched out her paw and placed it on my hand.
That was a relaxation response that Carol often spoke about in the Level 2 class! That warmed me to see that. The peace that surrounded us in that hour was such a gift. The universe was conspiring to show me that I could indeed do this work even at a highly stressful time as saying goodbye to a dear companion. What gifts HTA and my Kate gave me that day!