PSI Chronicles - The Case of the Wounded Kitten by Sally
Rhine Feather, Ph.D.
(continued from page 11)
leave me to my work. I told her how distracting it
was and that my success depended on her calming down.
She understood and managed to control her spikes of
emotions for the most part after that.
I then
continued with my thumbs along the kitten's spine and
seemed in a way to be connecting its spirit with mine. I
could 'feel' its life force still cohesive and present,
but dissipating, and I was trying to bring it back
together. I could sense that the trauma of whatever it
had experienced was a hurdle that its spirit had to face
and overcome in order to return fully. I knew from
previous realizations that the tendency of any 'spirit'
or life essence is to flee from physical trauma, a state
of shock in lesser trauma or injury events, death in
greater ones. And so I 'lent my own spiritual strength'
to its little waning spirit and was helping it through.
With Karen's emotions under tighter control my
focus was re-established. After a minute or two more,
the kitten began breathing again. I could feel it's
strength returning as its little spirit coalesced
stronger. Then after about five minutes of constant
working in this manner, as a steady breath rhythm
returned, I felt this surge. Both the kitten and I
trembled at the same time. Suddenly the kitten's legs
moved and pushed back as if something was striking it in
the head. I could feel that it was reliving the trauma
event. Karen jumped and her concern spiked again as the
kitten once again went limp and stopped breathing. I
redoubled my efforts and said Karen’s name in that calm
but stern voice. As I continued working on the kitten I
calmly asked her to shift her focus from worry to a
state of hopefulness, not out of any sense of
desperation, but rather out of a sense of belief or
faith. To my surprise she found that quite easy to
achieve.
The kitten then began breathing again, more
steady now. It still was not conscious, but it was clear
that its strength was returning. Then after another five
to ten minutes the second surge hit. It backed up again
as if struck again, but this time continued to breath.
It then relaxed and began breathing even more steadily.
All the while I was caressing its head and spine.
Finally after another ten to fifteen minutes the little
kitten was supporting itself on all fours; it opened its
eyes as though coming out of a deep sleep and let out a
fragile little 'meow'. It wobbled a bit, but remained
conscious. At this point I stopped my work, petted the
little fellow as I normally would and handed him over to
his adopted mommy who was now beaming with joy. As I
watched that joy being expressed I couldn't help but
feel a sense of gratitude and satisfaction and, of
course, joy myself.
Several months after that
event I moved out and into my own apartment. The little
kitten grew up but was always a little clumsy after
that. Probably some slight sort of brain damage or
something from the ordeal. But he was very loving and
affectionate and Karen swore after that day that he
somehow picked up some of my own personality traits. I
was never really sure what traits she was talking about,
but every time I would visit after that the cat would
come sit on my lap and purr as I petted him."
Reports like Anthony’s go to the heart of what we
study at the Rhine Center. They suggest a psychic power
or energy within us that may bring remarkable healing if
properly directed. And while case reports like this are
not science, they give valuable clues as to how healing
may occur and provide inspiration for serious study. The
Rhine Center welcomes reports of healings or other
unexplained psi experiences, and these can be sent to
Sally@rhine.org.
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The Healing Power of
Dolphins.
by Jennifer Moore
At the Rhine
Research Center we are interested in all facets of psi,
and we hear many stories about extraordinary animal
cases, but rarely do we have the chance to work with
animals in a research situation. Nevertheless, our
interest remains, and we are open to stories and
experiences that you would like to share with us.
Many animal species seem to naturally use telepathy,
as they do not rely on auditory communication as much as
human beings. Dolphins, arguably one of the most
magnificent creatures on the planet, are one of the few
animals with scientifically documented cases of
telepathy.
Bobbie Sandoz-Merrill summarizes some of
the prominent research in her book, In the Presence
of High Beings: What Dolphins Want you to Know. She
notes that most research is conducted on captive
dolphins, “handicapped by the stresses of capture and
confinement, as well as their lack of opportunity to
have learned from their mothers and communities” (69).
However, the research results are still extraordinary.
For example, in the 1960’s, “French researcher Dr. Javis
Bastian found that two dolphins, Doris and Buzz, were
able to conduct abstract communication through a
soundproofed wall separating them in order to devise a
plan that would enable them to succeed in completing a
task” (69-70). Further research along these lines has
been accomplished amidst much controversy as to what,
exactly, the findings tell, but it seems irrefutable
that dolphins do, indeed, communicate in a
sophisticated, mental way, ostensibly without the use of
other cues (see Kenneth W. LeVasseur’s
paper for a detailed account and more examples).
One thing that may thwart research with highly
intelligent animal species is our need for the
duplication of results. Dolphins, for example, rarely
want to duplicate a behavior if they have demonstrated
it sufficiently. Sandoz-Merrill notes, “they seem to get
bored and feel controlled by being asked to repeat
responses over and over and often resist conforming to
this human need for repetition, sometimes even when it
means going without food rewards” (72). With this in
mind, the University of Hawaii’s Dolphin Institute
followed up on an earlier study (by Karen Pryor in the
1960’s) and encouraged dolphins to produce original
behaviors. They taught their dolphins a sign that means
“create your own behavior” as well as one that means “do
it in tandem.” They found that when these two signs are
given in unison, “two dolphins are consistently able to
simultaneously perform the same original behavior,
although the researchers don’t yet know how they do it”
(73). Sandoz-Merrill further notes that, “People who
have interacted with dolphins outside the limited
parameters of research protocols attribute this ability
to a combination of telepathic skills coupled with a
high level of dolphin intelligence that our researchers
have only begun to uncover” (73).
Sandoz-Merrill’s comment here leads us into the more
interesting conversation about dolphins: the stories
from “people who have interacted with dolphins outside
the limited parameters of research protocols.” People
who regularly interact with dolphins have numerous
stories of extraordinary behaviors, friendliness,
playfulness, healings, and the like. Sheoli Makara, who
in 1996 founded
Awakening in Paradise, a retreat center on the big
island of Hawaii, takes small groups out to respectfully
interact with wild dolphins (if the wild dolphins choose
to interact). In a recent phone interview, I had the
chance to talk with Makara about her personal
understanding of dolphins after years of interactions.
She refers to dolphins as “earth angels,” for they are
here to help us, she says. Stories abound, she reminds
us, of dolphins saving swimmers from drowning, from
sharks, or from some other danger. In fact, she
mentioned a story of a surfer in Hawaii, not too long
ago, who was getting attacked by a shark – a group of
dolphins came and fought the shark off, saving the
surfer’s life. They help animals, too, she said, and
local Hawaiian dogs seem to understand dolphins’
friendliness and often will go out and swim with the
dolphins. In fact, she mentioned a specific story about
a dog taking one of his companions out to swim with them
for healing. continues on page
13
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