Testimonials
Neuromuscular Retraining
Pam’s work has helped my horse tremendously! Since she began her “magic” a few months ago, my horse has a whole new attitude when it’s time to ride. He has learned a completely new way to use his body and is now able to perform many lateral and bending maneuvers he was previously unable to do. Pam has helped him learn to travel in a totally new way, and has helped him become more sound in the process. He is no longer back sore or girthy and enjoys his workouts more. It feels like I’m riding a different horse!
Amanda, Bartlett, IL
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Having started riding in middle age, I am a cautious rider. When I bought a 10-year-old Appaloosa gelding, my confidence level wasn’t boosted by the fact that he had a constant tripping problem. The vet felt it could have been the result of a long-ago injury, but everything looked OK, so he couldn’t determine a cause for the tripping. Then along came Pam. After watching him walk and noting the site of the old injury, she thought that Jesse had probably taught himself to distribute his weight unevenly to avoid pain when the injury was new and had continued to move this way even when the injury was healed. In just two sessions, Jesse was a new horse. He rarely trips now, and as a result both my riding ability and my confidence have soared.
Karen, Bartlett, IL
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My two young Siberian Huskies often play pretty rough with each other, tearing around the yard, slamming into trees and tackling each other by the back legs. After a particularly aggressive day of play, I called Pam for a session because I was worried my dogs might tighten up or favor a side they may have stressed during their play. I also wanted to be sure that my dogs maintained, and even improved, their ease of movement.
Pam was gentle and patient with each of them even though they fidgeted a lot at the beginning of their sessions. It was impressive to see how Pam earned their trust by sensitively touching and urging their bodies to further loosen and let go of any unseen stiffness. After Pam left, my dogs were so calm, and when they eventually resumed their play, they moved with far more agility and ease.
Janet, Highwood, IL
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My appendix gelding, Banks, and I love to trail ride. As a 13-year-old former school horse, he has his share of aches and pains, including navicular and arthritis. When I notice he is sensitive to the brush, or wary of the girth, I contact Pam Sourelis for a session. As Banks licks and chews, Pam helps him rediscover his balance and works to release any tension he is holding in his muscles. The results are immediate and dramatic. If it were not for Pam’s work, Banks’ quality of life would be very much diminished.
Dian, Barrington Hills, IL
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I own a TB jumper, and I constantly worry about injuries and muscle soreness. Pam’s sessions have helped to keep my horse in top condition and have dramatically increased his flexibility and his ability to use his shoulder and hind. In addition, my horse was kicked in the knee one day and came up very, very lame. In desperation, I asked Pam to do a distance healing on him that night. The next day, he was better; the swelling was gone and there was no sign of lameness. It was miraculous. I am grateful to Pam for the work she does on my horse and for the peace of mind she gives me as a horse owner.
Liz, Libertyville, IL
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I first contacted Pam about my mare, Holly in March 2007 after months of reading her article in From The Horses Mouth. I contacted her mostly for the animal communication work she does, but found the wonders of her work with neuro-muscular retraining and Reiki!!! I was new to horses and was at my wits end as to what to do with my mare. Holly’s disposition was not the greatest, but from time to time, she showed me a glimpse of a different horse I knew was there. She had great ground manners but under saddle was a completely different situation. At the walk, we did okay, but as soon as I asked for a trot, she bucked.
So, I took the plunge and contacted Pam. I was nervous mostly because animal communication, Reiki and neuro-muscular retraining we all so very foreign to me but also because this would all be done across distance. I was skeptical myself, but figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. But still, I told absolutely no one what I was doing…not even my husband. I knew if I had, I’d be talked out of doing it, and I just needed to try.
Pam’s first session with Holly was on March 8, 2007. Pam was immediately drawn to Holly’s left side and heard “a rib is out.” Pam worked with Holly’s body for quite awhile with both the neuro-muscular retraining and Reiki. Holly spoke kindly of me (I’d always felt she just tolerated me) and said things that were accurate in terms of my feelings of insecurity, etc. After the first session, I could see a difference in Holly. Part of me thought it was because I wanted to see a change, but my husband, who didn’t know about the session, was noticing subtle changes in Holly’s disposition and she was more willing to do things we asked of her.
Pam worked with Holly once a week for three consecutive weeks. After each session and during the weeks that followed, my husband would call me at work (Pam worked with Holly during the day while I was at work) and say, “you’ll never guess what Holly did.” He is a non-horsey husband, so for him to notice the changes in her attitude was huge; it wasn’t just me! The day of Holly’s third session, he called me to tell me how she had come over to him and how sweet she was, etc. I knew that was my opportunity to tell him about Pam’s work with her. That evening, still a little nervous, I showed him the notes of each session and explained what Pam had been doing with Holly. He didn’t understand it at all, but couldn’t argue with the results. I had a completely different horse!
On April 16, 2007 – the first time in 7 months – I was able to ride Holly! She was a willing partner; we trotted and worked a bit – all without attitude or bucks. I continue to have Pam work with my horses a couple times a year so that we never get to a place where they are in that kind of pain or discomfort. Now, if I feel they need some work, I do not hesitate to tell my husband that Pam will be working with them, and he doesn’t argue; he knows it keeps them (and me) happy!
I thank you and my horses thank you!!!
Nancy, Mazon, IL
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[Note from Pam: All of the work described below was done from a distance.]
I found my way to Pam out of sheer desperation. My four-year-old Morgan gelding, Ollie, had always been a bit of a mystery to me, and felt beyond my reach. His training had a series of fits and starts for a variety of reasons, and the only time someone had actually mounted him was a disaster, filled with rearing and panic. His new trainer (in whom I had great faith) had just sat me down to tell me that she was concerned Ollie would not turn out to be an appropriate horse for me due to his strong fear reflex, and that I should consider whether I wanted to invest more in his training. Although I was saddened, none of this surprised me, as she wasn’t the first to suggest this thought. But I was not ready to give up on Ollie yet.
My “Google-ing” led me to Pam’s site, and I thought: “Why not?” When Pam indicated in our first conversation that Ollie’s problems sounded physical, I told her I was sure she was wrong – she should see him move out in the field! He looked like every other Morgans I had ever seen, and he was fine, thank you very much. I was sure the problem was in his head.
How wrong I was! Pam worked for a long time with Ollie that first session, using both the neuro-muscular retraining and Reiki. Her summary note indicated that Ollie projected a strong, physical imbalance, and needed substantial work to loosen him up, his back end in particular. When she asked him what was going on, he indicated that he was terribly sorry for everything, but was so very uncomfortable that he simply couldn’t help himself. She told me she was sure he would now feel much better.
What an understatement! When I next saw Ollie, he was excited to tell me (and anyone who would listen) just how much better he felt! A gregarious fellow, he kept flapping his lips (a sure sign that he’s happy) and nuzzling me – over-the-top affection, even for him. He had to stop at every stall to flap his lips to tell all of his friends. He was – I swear – a different shape: his whole back end looked different, like it had sort of shifted, somehow. And for the first time ever, the skin over his back end moved when I brushed him – I never realized how tight of a muscle mass had been back there!
But the real kicker was when I put him back in his stall, and he planted himself as if to say: “Watch this, Mom!” and he lifted a hind leg, looked back and scratched his nose with it, replanted himself and looked at me as if to say: “Did you know you can do that?!” It was like he wanted to show me that he could now move, and just how amazing it was.
Amazing, indeed. Pam did a series of three sessions with Ollie, and he’s had a couple of tune-ups/check-ins since. The results have been simply amazing – just ask his trainer! Training has progressed, and he has made slow, but steady and consistent progress. He simply LOVES his new work. He is happy, eager to please, and just so funny and personable. He has come to trust, and he is grateful. So am I.
This had been a horse that I simply felt was beyond my reach. I just couldn’t “get” him – couldn’t connect. I have always made strong, lasting connections with animals, but — try as I might — I couldn’t reach Ollie, and I simply didn’t know why.
Now I do. Ollie had been behind a veil of discomfort and pain that I didn’t see. Pam lifted that veil, and let a beautiful soul shine through. Thank you so much, Pam.
Judy, Minneapolis, MN
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My horse Chet’s mission in life seems to be to be my teacher. He is extremely sensitive and extremely smart, a classic “Prince and the Pea” if you will…He’s been adjusted, massaged, and manipulated more ways than I care to think about. He is also extremely vocal and intolerant of anything that does not feel “right”. After being forced to submit to adjustments and massages that he clearly did not feel were right on over the years, I had Pam Sourelis perform a neuro- muscular session with him, in person (before she offered it at distance).
The first session he was extremely wary and resistant, suspicious of the work to be done. Pam came back the next day and, having had the chance to think it over, Chet’s attitude was completely overhauled. He stood like a statue, paid attention to everything she was doing, and towards the end of the session performed the most amazing stretch and release through his back that was truly awe- inspiring! Remember that, Pam?!
Pam now does this work from a distance, and once we got through the initial sessions (and this is the great part) he hardly needs work anymore. Just occasional maintenance sessions.
This work is so gentle, so non-invasive. You can see how the body is able to integrate it on its own, without any forced movements of any kind. It’s the only way I’ll have Chet, or any other animal of mine, worked on.
Mia Schillace Nelson, Minneapolis
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Pam Sourelis’ work definitely helped Tina, my German Shepherd, improve her stride as well as her sense of well-being and comfort. As a result of an accident, the radial nerve is Tina’s left front leg was damaged, causing her to drag her toes when she walked. After one session, she was running like she hadn’t run since before the accident. The improvement is still apparent months after her sessions with Pam. I highly recommend Pam’s work.