The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46; 10 ESV)
To me this is a metaphor for the human experience of awakening. When I reorient my life
towards this knowing, I understand that I am love, that we are all the energy of love. The
Kingdom of heaven is within and all around us. The heart of the energy of love is primarily
associated with the subtle and social energies of healing relationships.
Many years ago, I asked a mentor of mine what his understanding of the energy of love is. He
said, “Remember a time when you, as a mother, were holding your newborn child in your arms
and you had love in your heart, and you kissed that child, and you told that child that you loved
him or her. And that child received that transmission of love. As a psychotherapist and spiritual
director, you have the same ability to transmit this energy to your patients in the healing
encounter.”
There are many different types of healing relationships and the energy of love. There can be
partners in marriage, parents and their children, people and their pets. There can be healing
relationships between individuals and between groups of people. There is something magical
when a transmission of energy takes place in all these healing relationships.
I remember when a friend of mine experienced an extraordinary healing relationship with her
dog, Bodhi. I arrived at her home one day and I found Erin lying on the floor with Bodhi. Bodhi
was motionless with an aggressive tumor. The vet had said there was nothing more that he
could do. Erin could hardly eat or sleep. Bodhi had been her constant companion and love for
so many years. Erin was determined not to give up. She had read many articles and heard
numerous stories about the healing energy that connected all living things. Could her love heal
Bodhi?
With Bodhi’s head in her lap, she closed her eyes, focusing all her attention on him. She
pictured Bodhi to be completely healthy with boundless energy. She imagined a white light
coming from her and flowing through her hands to his body. She sent a forceful outpouring of
love and remembered all the wonderful experiences they had together. She felt the warmth
spreading from her hands and gently stroked his body. Hours passed and her back ached, but
Erin didn't move. And then she saw it. Bodhi moved and there was a hint of his former
brightness in his eyes.
Over the next few days, the changes were subtle. Bodhi took some water and ate a little food.
Erin slept beside him and continued pouring her love into him, her hand always on him. Slowly,
miraculousy, Bodhi began to mend. Within a month he was slowly walking around the house.
The vet was baffled. He did a scan on Bodhi, and the tumor was gone. He could offer no
scientific explanation. Erin knew it was the power of love, a bond so profound between her and
her dog that it transcended the boundaries of illness. Sometimes, the most potent healing
force resides within the heart.
Christine Hibbard is an Interfaith Minister and a Clinical Psychotherapist in Boulder