And then the pony answered: “ Tell him thank you for his message. (…) They were not always kind to me and I suffered some bad treatment that automatically made me react. philosopher , Apache, 4 years old, newly adopted, who was recently asked why he tries to bite his new date, concluded: “I know that if I get rid of all the traumatic memories, we will understand each other and we will learn about working together.” »
Halfway between telepathy and spiritism
The quote is not taken from a children’s book or a cartoon. This is one of the dialogues transcribed on its site by Christiane Saarbach (1), animal communicator. He also reported the words of Mika, a small bulldog who apologized for his aggression: “J I really like other dogs. I can’t help it, it’s my nature, I’m scared and I can’t help myself. » Or these words from Stone, a 1-year-old cat, who has an annoying habit of doing things outside of his baccalaureate: “Sorry for the inconvenience, (…) when I pooped on the ground, it’s to show that the energy in the house is not good. »
Christiane Saarbach’s site is not the only one of its kind. The Internet began to overflow with this type of “testimonials”, guaranteeing the conformity of the words of animals. Cats, dogs, rabbits and other horses have finally found a way to chat like magpies with their humans. A vector is needed for them: the translator, a role performed by comanimal specialists.
Koko was a gorilla entrusted to the San Francisco Zoo in 1972 to Penny Patterson, a psychology student who taught him sign language from an early age. © Diamond Films/Everett/Aurimages
In the middle between telepathy and spiritism, the practice, otherwise called intuitive communication, offers this new horizon. Born about twenty years ago in the United States, he promised the unexpected, at a time when the emotional bond with our animals extends and strengthens: to know, finally, what it thinks and feels of his bichon, and, moreover, established an almost spiritual. bond with him.
You don’t have to have a gift for that. With a good introduction to meditation (and about 200 euros for a level 1 course), anyone can start, explain the followers. The “interpreter” may act in the presence of the animal… or not. A photo or a phone call is enough to contact him, no matter where he is on the planet and, even if he is alive or dead.
When I communicate with an animal, I’m in my mind, it’s like an inner journey, it’s like he’s right in front of me. Laila Pel Monte, pioneer of animal communication
Unlike humans, animals have not lost any of their telepathic skills,” insists in his blog Geneviève Peltier, also a practitioner. “They try to be with us, sometimes hurt by our lack of openness that prevents them from expressing themselves and are very happy when they succeed! » In their world, goodness rules. There is no mention of masters or owners, but of “keepers”. The latter also proved a lot of the success of the company.
Science is not so convinced
The matter is interesting, to the point that even public television channels are interested in it. “When I talk to an animal, I find myself with him in my mind, it’s like an inner journey, as if he is right in front of me”, explained Laila Pel Monte, considered one of the pioneers of animal communication in France, in a documentary broadcast on France 5 a few years ago. “I can touch him, I can smell him, I can caress him, I can smell him, I have everything. At that time, I received information, in the form of thoughts, images or feelings. This is his language. »
One article, published in 2010, reported inconclusive results. It is related to a telephone communication between a horse and a human, veteran suffering from post-traumatic disorder, that this contact with the animal could have helped.
In each of her interventions, Laila del Monte seems to hit the bullseye, touching on questions that can be used by those who call her. The documentary is very enthusiastic about this – the fact that he is one of the co-writers may not have anything to do with it. Science, for its part, is less convinced.
If animal communication still does not attract his attention, telepathy, on the other hand, interests him for a long time. From the end of the 19the century, a rare period in which spiritualism entered the universities, some did not reject the possibility of communication through the mind. The famous explorer of the brain, Professor Charcot would be one of them. Philosopher Henri Bergson too. One hundred and fifty years ago, the result was little.
telepathic impossibility of animals
“A meta-analysis (collection of studies – editor’s note) covering twenty years of research on telepathy reported only 7 validated articles on the subject, explained Romy Sauvayre, sociologist of science and faith at Clermont-Auvergne University and CNRS. Everyone believed that the level of significance was very low. » In other words, the coincidences observed are as likely to be due to chance as to a parapsychological mechanism.
Researchers, in general, believe that our brain, although it emits waves, is not “equipped” to be able to encode and decode them without the help of a machine – schematically , the electroencephalogram. Studies continue in this direction, involving helmets with electrodes. Bare heads no longer seem to give a little perspective.
The temptation is strong to conclude, mirror image, the impossibility of telepathic communication with animals. “The rigor of science, however, prevents it from being excluded, deterred Romy Sauvayre. Just because something doesn’t work here doesn’t automatically mean it doesn’t work there. » However, here again, the results are few.
An article, published in 2010 in a recognized journal, reported inconclusive results. It is related to a telephone communication between a horse and a human, veteran suffering from post-traumatic disorder, that this contact with the animal could have helped. “But even classified journals transmit errors, said Romy Sauvayre. Every year, articles are not published due to incorrect results. »
Some works have a good echo. Those of Rupert Sheldrake, especially. In 1999, the British parapsychologist published a study that showed the ability of a dog to predict the imminent return of his mistress, without any external stimulation. This work, however, can never be verified. Conversely, however, other scientists have tried to test the theory, never reaching the same conclusions.
Careful observation of animal behavior
This remains the last option: the one who postulates that animal communication, perhaps, will surf, like clairvoyance and with the help of easily obtained causal links, to our needs to understand what is sometimes beyond us and in search of a new spirituality where the decline of religions has left a void. “The desire for telepathy often goes hand in hand with that for the New Age and the search for healing: Karma, channeling (communication through energy channels – editor’s note), stone medicine…” continued Romy Sauvayre. We find this pattern in animal communication, where many followers also practice “coning repair”, is “a system of energetic care using natural forces, Devas, spirits of nature that unite and flow themselves into the animal and its spirit”, define a site.
The desire for telepathy often accompanies the New Age and the search for healing: Karma, channeling (communication through energy channels – editor’s note), stone medicine…” Romy Sauvayre, sociologist of science and faith (CNRS)
Rationalism, then, tries to crush any hope that humans may have of communicating with other living creatures? Not so sure. Ethologists and biologists are making progress along this path. Far from telepathy or mystified anthropomorphism in their approach, on the contrary: a meticulous observation of animal behavior. In 2014, researchers at the University of Saint Andrews, in Great Britain, created a dictionary of signs that a community of 80 chimpanzees in Uganda used to communicate with each other. Raise your arms, hit the ground, pump your chest… according to the reviewBiology today, where the study was published, at least 66 different signs, which make it possible to express almost 5,000 intentional forms of communication, have been identified.
Other work aims to interpret the song of whales or the “pseudo-social ties” that unite humans and animals, and other things in the fields. Everything is based on a tangible reality that we have not yet finished exploring: animal intelligence, and this ability, unique to each species, to interact with its environment.