Being Sanctuary
Animals have remarkably similar needs to our own. They also wish to live in dignity and freedom, to live healthy, loving lives that respect their values and cultures. Few, however, receive these simple needs.
Countless cats, cows, chickens, turtles, guinea pigs, and other animals die from abuse and homelessness. Millions more endure the ache of loneliness.
By opening our hearts and sharing our homes and communities with animals, we can make all places sanctuary.
Sanctuary is an ancient concept shared by many cultures. It embodies an essential reverence for life and the right of every individual to have peace and safety.
Sanctuary is a “retreat from the ordinary world in which to experience the profound conscious changes that are occurring” (Brant Cortright, psychotherapist).
In the midst of great change and stress, the call for sanctuary is even greater. We all require ways of coping that not only protect, but nurture compassion, well-being, and spirit.
The course is built around the 10 Principles of Being Sanctuary, which are drawn from the fields of trauma recovery, conflict resolution, and the new field of trans-species psychology.
Historically, ethology (also called animal behavior) has been used to study nonhuman animals with psychology being reserved for humans.
However, the discovery of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in free-living Elephants has brought all vertebrates including some invertebrates under a single conceptual umbrella, trans-species psychology—scientific recognition that all animal including humans can be described using a common model of brain, mind, emotions, and consciousness.