My Dog, My Mirror

Dogs as Partners in Self-Discovery

What Can Dogs Reveal About Us?

This approach did not emerge overnight. It developed gradually, shaped by more than twenty-five years of work as a Gestalt therapist and by a life deeply influenced by the presence of animals.

For twelve years, my dog Jerry shared not only my daily life but my therapy sessions as well. At times, he seemed to sense before anyone else that something important was unfolding. He would stand up, move closer to a client, suddenly withdraw, or react in a way that drew attention to something that had not yet been fully seen or understood.

Throughout those twelve years, and especially after his death, I found myself reflecting on a simple question: what do animals reveal about our inner lives?

Jerry is no longer here, yet what he taught me remains. His presence continues to influence the way I understand relationships, attention, and what it means to be fully present.

This idea did not come to me all at once. It arrived almost quietly, on tiptoe.

It grew out of more than twenty-five years of practice as a Gestalt therapist, and a life deeply shaped by the presence of animals.

For twelve years, my dog Jerry shared my daily life and was often present during my therapy sessions. At times, he seemed to sense before we did that something important was beginning to unfold. He would get up, come closer, react—as though drawing our attention to something we had not yet noticed.

His death opened up a reflection around a question that continues to stay with me: what do animals reveal about our inner lives?

Jerry is no longer here today, but who he was remains within me and continues to shape the way I am in the world.

Our relationship with an animal can become a doorway into presence: presence to ourselves, to others, to the living world, and to what is happening here and now.

Through what we experience with them—our impulses, our worries, our expectations, our difficulty separating or letting go—some of our ways of relating may begin to reveal themselves: trusting, controlling, protecting, anticipating, setting boundaries, becoming attached, allowing autonomy.

It is this unique relationship between human and animal that I now wish to place at the heart of new spaces for working together in small groups.

This is neither animal training nor animal-assisted therapy, but a therapeutic and experiential approach grounded in what our relationship with an animal awakens, reveals and transforms within us.

The pace is deliberately slowed down, allowing space for what might otherwise go unnoticed to emerge. Guided experiences, time for sharing, attention to the body and, at times, writing may all form part of the exploration.

The animal does not necessarily need to be physically present: it is above all our relationship with them that provides the starting point for the work.

These gatherings may open up a space to explore attachment, trust, separation, autonomy, ageing and loss, but also joy and what sharing our lives with an animal can teach us about ourselves.

They are open to anyone who feels a connection with animals and is curious to discover what that relationship might reveal about their own way of being in the world.

No particular experience or skills are required.

New formats in development

I am currently developing new ways of exploring the human–animal relationship, including one-off gatherings, workshops and small groups.

Upcoming dates and practical details will be announced on this page.