When you think of animal communication, fictional characters like Dr. Doolittle or cute little Antonio from Disney’s “Encanto” might come to mind. Or maybe you know of professional animal communicators (like me) but think we must have a “special gift.”

Communicating with animals isn’t just make-believe—it’s a real ability. And while it is a gift, it’s not one that only a select few possess. I believe that most, if not all, people have an innate ability to communicate with other-than-human animals.

The way I see it, the main difference between me and people who don’t call themselves animal communicators is that I acknowledged the ability and took some time to develop it.

What Is Animal Communication?

I define animal communication as the exchange of information with animals in the energetic and spiritual realms (as opposed to the physical and tangible realm we’re so used to).

You may have heard it called psychic, intuitive, or telepathic communication. Technically, all of these things are a bit different. But for simplicity's sake, we can group them together as the unspoken and often unseen languages we share with all beings.

This type of communication can be a little more difficult—or just different—to detect than the day-to-day information that comes through our usual five senses because it’s usually more subtle. An example is seeing something in your mind’s eye (or your head) compared to seeing something right in front of you that you can reach out and touch.

So Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It?

Maybe you’re wondering why everyone isn’t communicating with animals if we all can do it. Well, I believe it's because most people don't realize it exists inside them.

It's no wonder: Many of us weren't encouraged to nurture or even acknowledge our intuitive abilities. And some of us were conditioned to believe they’re impossible, silly, crazy, evil, or even dangerous. (Thanks, systemic oppression!)

If any of that sounds like your experience, I want to let you know you’re not alone. I may be a professional animal communicator now, but I spent most of my life denying my intuitive, psychic, and mediumship abilities. If you had told me that this would be part of my life’s work, I would have laughed and rolled my eyes.

It wasn’t until my life as I knew it began to crumble, and I had what some would call a spiritual awakening that I could no longer deny my ability to communicate with animals (and spirits). I eventually realized that this ability was a part of me that had always existed and just needed recognition and nurturing.

For these reasons, I view learning animal communication as less of an educational process and more of an unlearning, uncovering, and reclaiming process. Once you begin, you can develop your abilities and become more skilled at using them.

Developing Your Abilities

I have yet to meet anyone in my classes or workshops who couldn’t communicate with animals. Some might be more naturally skilled at it than others—similar to playing an instrument or a sport, singing, drawing, writing, or a million other things. But just like anything, developing your animal communication abilities can take time and practice.

Part of developing these abilities is being open to the unique ways they show up for you and within you. There’s no need to compare yourself to others because how you receive and send intuitive information might differ from how they do—and it can even change over time.

Just as there’s no one right way for your abilities to show up, there’s also no one right way to start developing your abilities. I recommend starting simple and remembering animals can be our best teachers if we’re willing to learn from them.

Finding Support and Guidance

When I first began developing my animal communication skills, I had trouble finding a mentor I related to and others who were going through similar things. Even though the animals taught me so much, I still craved the support of other people. When I eventually found that in the form of classes, groups, and mentorship, it felt like a balm to my soul.

If you’d like some support and guidance in developing your abilities, I invite you to join the waitlist for my next animal communication class. If one-on-one learning is more of your thing, I invite you to explore my private mentorship options.

Whatever path you choose, remember this: You already have everything you need to connect and communicate with animals. (And you might even be doing it already!)