The BrightHaven Philosophy

Healing…is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature. — W.H. Auden

Loving and caring for elderly and animals in need of specialised care is the foundation and purpose of BrightHaven.  We have traveled a magnificent journey living with our animals, and they have taught us much about love and the circle of life and death—the animal perspective of life, and beyond.  As these extraordinary animals have allowed us into their world, we believe we have learned to think and communicate at their level. Read Sarah’s Story BrightHaven’s mission is one of healing—for body, mind and spirit. For some that healing will bring about new life, and for some, that healing will be necessary to prepare for death and the journey beyond. One of the core philosophies at BrightHaven is the belief that animals are sentient beings—capable of conscious awareness, feeling, and suffering—and as such deserve an environment and conditions which allow them to achieve a state of well-being throughout their entire lives.  They are spiritual beings living an animal existence during their time with us and have so much to offer while they are here. We need only remain open to their wisdom to receive their teachings. Over a span of two decades, BrightHaven has evolved to become a unique holistic retirement retreat and hospice center for over 500 senior, chronically ill or disabled animals. For some, the healing experience we offered brought about improved health and a new found love of life. For others, healing was a necessary preparation to complete the circle of life, death and make the journey beyond. Once an animal is “adopted” by BrightHaven, they live out their lives in a beautiful well-balanced community of animal and human beings, as part of a loving family, and all are completely free to roam indoors or outside in the enclosed gardens. We take special care to create a peaceful and spiritual environment grounded in the oriental art of Feng Shui. From the placement of candles, fountains, and wind chimes, to the crystals and other carefully situated ornamental art, care is taken to create peace, harmony, and balance—all essential for healing, both physical and spiritual. A critical aspect of the BrightHaven philosophy involves the methods we use to treat the animals in our care.  As mentioned earlier, we employ a truly natural approach to our overall animal care, although we do not hesitate to turn to the power of conventional care when deemed appropriate.  BrightHaven is lucky to have the expertise of supervising veterinarian Dr. Christine Barrett to help and guide us, and in turn, each animal has their own classical veterinary homeopath. Holistic veterinary medicine is the “umbrella of treatment” under which we operate. It encompasses the examination and diagnosis, and considers all aspects of the animal’s life. It employs all the practitioner’s talents. Our approach is grounded in classical veterinary homeopathy with a combination of conventional veterinary medicine, the feeding of a natural raw meat-based diet, including the use of nutraceuticals, subcutaneous fluid therapy if needed, animal Reiki, and other alternative modalities of healing as indicated. These might include herbal medicine, flower essence therapy, TTouch, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, animal communication, Bowen therapy, craniosacral therapy, and dental cleaning without anesthesia.

The purpose of life is to live it; to taste experience to the utmost; to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Some may wonder why we have chosen a principal path of holistic medicine as the basis of our treatment protocols. Beyond the fact that we have achieved miraculous results that were previously unseen using conventional medicine alone, the simplest way to answer this question is to explain the principles of holistic care versus allopathic or conventional care. Generally speaking, conventional veterinary medicine looks at specific symptoms and addresses these as they arise, suppressing them through the use of artificially manufactured pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, holistic medicine takes into consideration all aspects of the animal’s life and treats the entire body, or being. Holistic medicine does not suppress symptoms but instead addresses them as a part of the overall picture, encompassing body, mind and spirit. It does not create the toxic side effects commonly seen with the use of drugs. This does not mean that conventional veterinary medicine has been completely abandoned.  On the contrary, conventional medicine plays an important role in our treatment protocols as part of an overall holistic methodology.  If an acute or surgical situation arises, conventional medicine is where we turn. If animals come to BrightHaven with prescription medications we do not stop their treatment.  Instead, our veterinarians will prescribe homeopathically, often with a slow weaning from drugs as part of a gradual return to wellness. Rehydration of the body via subcutaneous fluid therapy is also conventional in nature and used daily for many of the BrightHaven animals. BrightHaven was first introduced to the world of classical veterinary homeopathy in the early 90′s, by Dr Christina Chambreau, to whom we will ever be grateful. These days we are lucky to have the services of many volunteer veterinary homeopaths and so each BrightHaven animal is lucky to have his or her own veterinarian in charge of their “case”. Homeopathy is highly effective in both acute and chronic cases and relatively inexpensive. Remedies are regulated by the FDA and its principles systematically proven and then validated by studies meeting modern standards.

You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety. ~Abraham Maslow

Over the course of many years, other alternative treatment modalities have been used with great success at BrightHaven. As practitioners have volunteered their services, the modalities have become a daily part of the BrightHaven experience.  One of these is animal Reiki, a non-invasive energy healing system that has produced powerful healing results for the animals in our care.  It is ideal for use with animals because its effectiveness is not dependent upon physical contact— the animal controls the treatment, accepting Reiki in ways most comfortable, either hands-on or from a distance, or a combination of the two. Also used with regularity, Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM) focuses on getting the nervous system awakened and working again. Although viewed by many as controversial, the use of a natural diet has been the main-stay of feeding at BrightHaven for many years with absolutely astonishing results.  When we started feeding a natural raw meat-based diet to our animals about 15 years ago, we were amazed at the vast improvement in health and energy.  Suddenly, cats in their 20s began to jump to counter tops, their coats turned into soft velvet, and their eyes began to sparkle with life.  Raw meat provides moisture, electrolytes, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, all of which are destroyed during the commercial cooking process.  A majority of companion pet guardians and many conventional veterinarians have been convinced that in order to maintain the good health of their pet, they must feed a commercially prepared “complete and balanced” diet.  We do not believe this to be true and so the BrightHaven plate offers a gourmet feast of high quality meat (usually turkey, lamb or chicken) coupled with vegetables and excellent supplementation to ensure that all essential needs are met.  Every feline and canine resident at BrightHaven, regardless of age or physical condition, is fed this diet and even the oldest animals show remarkable improvement when switched from conventionally processed pet food to our natural raw diet. Immune strengthening and neutraceutical products comprise another important part of the overall nutritional program at BrightHaven.  These are natural products that are used on a daily basis to help strengthen the entire system and vital organs.  The precise mix is determined specifically for each animal based on their current health. One cannot talk about the BrightHaven philosophy without including a discussion on choosing a natural transition versus euthanasia.  We believe in allowing animals in our care to die a natural death in peace and with dignity.  This being said, we understand that not everyone shares this belief. People come from various backgrounds with varying traditions and so each must follow his or her own path of understanding. For some, the decision is simple, based on a “knowing” acquired through one’s lifetime.  For others, the decision can be the most difficult they will make during the course of their animal’s life.  Each and every one of us must follow our own path, being true to our own philosophy. The animals at BrightHaven have taught us so much and one of the critical things we have learned is that, if given the choice, they all prefer to die naturally in peace and with dignity, surrounded by those who love them.  In other words, they do not wish to be euthanized at all.  For them, death is a natural part of their journey and simply signifies time to move on to another place.  Death is as natural as birth.  Animals have told us that they do not fear death itself and are more attached to experiencing a death shared in love whether it be natural or assisted. We have come to realize that the fear surrounding death was mostly our own, and through this realization we have grown to understand that while euthanasia does have a place in modern veterinary medicine, it is not a path that we at BrightHaven have chosen to follow. We also understand that each and every person who has shared life with an animal has been faced with such a decision.  At one time or another we all have been consumed with uncertainty over wanting to do the right thing for our beloved companions.  Animals know we are trying to do our best for them.

Your thinking is simply a reflection…of your heart. ~Doug Firebough

When allowed to do so, animals prepare carefully for their death.  It is an event they recognize, and they know how to cope with this final journey.  Generally, the time is approached without fear or obvious pain.  Through our experiences with many such transitions and journeys, we have learned that, unlike humans who suffer from fear and recall, animals live entirely in the moment and die in the moment as well.  We endeavor to approach each day with love, not fearing what is ahead, and appreciate each day as if it were the first of a new life.  Fear can only begin to subside when guilt and worry do too, and the attitude with which we live each day is extremely important to the animals in our care.  They know and understand our thoughts so we take special care to keep love in our hearts at all times. Over time, we’ve developed easier communication with them at many levels and believe we can now better recognize their needs and wishes during this period approaching transition. We accept that as sentient beings they must be allowed to choose their time to leave: they know we are there in support. Daily life at BrightHaven can be a refreshing change for visitors, as the subject of death is approached from a spiritual perspective; panic does not exist here.  Due to the age and health of the animals, there is often someone approaching the end of life, and this is first recognized and accepted by all as supportive treatment is planned.  Each and every one of these special beings is allowed to stay in the comfort of his or her own bed, or to roam where they choose in the house.  A human will remain close by day and night to offer a drink or snack, a clean bed, or even just some loving company as the animal plans his or her journey to their next life.  All in all these last days are treated as a celebration of life itself, and without fear. And so, my friends, the BrightHaven philosophy is quite simple and is all about achieving a balance of healing for body, mind and spirit. It embraces living in the moment in love and joy and the understanding that healing, which is primarily influenced by love and compassion, can take place in an instant at the cellular level. These are miracles of healing with which we are proud to have become somewhat familiar.

The basic BrightHaven recipe for balance of body, mind and spirit is:

• Love
• Diagnostics
• Diet
• Classical veterinary homeopathy
• Immune support
• Animal Reiki
• and lots more love!

Smiling is infectious; you can catch it, like the flu. When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin. When he smiled, I realized I had passed it on to him. I thought about the grin and then realized its worth. A single little smile like mine could travel round the earth. So if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected. Let’s start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!