How Your Healing Changes the Way You Walk Through the Challenges of Life: Pet Cancer Care and Beyond
- Erin Bannink, DVM, DACVIM
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
A Real-Life Example of What Becomes Possible When We Support the Whole Family Through the Pet Cancer Care Journey
If you love an animal deeply — whether as a pet parent or a veterinary professional — you have felt this truth:
Healing is never just physical.
It moves through the heart, the mind, the energy body, and the spirit.
And when illness enters the picture, especially cancer, the human–animal bond becomes both a source of strength and an immense emotional weight.
Many of the people I work with come to me not because they are “spiritual seekers,” but because they are doing everything they can for a beloved companion — and quietly falling apart inside while doing so.
What follows is a real letter from a pet parent who walked this path.
Shared with permission. Nothing has been changed.
A Pet Parent’s Words: Walking the Cancer Journey With Support Beneath the Surface
I was just an ordinary pet parent with extraordinary love for my furry family member. While I knew we would be getting expert oncology care, I did not know how much more you had to offer those of us navigating this difficult experience.
In the trenches of a cancer diagnosis, and at a time when I had completely lost my way and could have easily been swept away by despair, you offered a glimmer of hope with a healing session that would help the both of us. It was my greatest desire that the little time I knew we had left be filled with comfort, love and joy, despite the undeniable challenges we faced, and there was nothing I was not willing to try.
My skepticism diminished as I experienced firsthand the wave of calm and deep relaxation from that healing session – relaxation that we both had been so desperately craving but hadn’t been able to access. I remain grateful even today that you were able to provide this for us, and I did not anticipate how impactful this would be.
It served as a reset for me, allowing me to navigate the rest of our journey from a more grounded and centered space. While I couldn’t change our circumstances, I was able to change how we walked through them together. I was able to carry the heavy weight of the prognosis and make difficult decisions rooted in deep love instead of desperation and anxiety. This is my greatest hope for all pets and their parents, and why I share these words. I know how difficult this season is, and I know what an honor it is to love them through it.
My only regret is that I did not embrace these offerings sooner. Caught up in the overwhelm of a terminal diagnosis and navigating all that comes along with that – the stress and worry, the symptom scanning, creating joy each day, managing herbs/supplements/other treatments, anticipatory grief to name a few - while focused solely on my most precious friend, I didn’t think I had the space to do one more thing, and I really didn’t know how much it would actually help --- so I waited.
While there is nothing easy about the journey through cancer as a pet parent, I realize now that the practical and tangible takeaways from the classes and healings would have immediately helped us to navigate it with more ease – which ultimately would have also directly helped my pet, something the clouds of grief hadn’t allowed me to initially see.
I continue to lean on the community and tools I have gained from these offerings as I navigate the polarities of hope and grief. I am forever profoundly grateful to have had these resources to find grace on the hardest days of our cancer journey and to find my way back in life after loss – something I wasn’t sure was possible. Thank you for offering us exceptional care that goes far beyond what is standard - I cannot recommend these classes and healings enough- especially to those loving their pet through this difficult journey.
Why This Kind of Healing Matters for Pet Parents and Veterinarians
This letter captures something I see again and again.
Even when the medical care is excellent, the human carrying the journey is often unsupported at the deepest level.
Pet parents and veterinarians alike are:
Holding anticipatory grief while staying functional
Making complex decisions under emotional strain
Carrying love, responsibility, and loss simultaneously
Pushing their own needs aside because “the patient comes first”
The deeper healing modalities I offer are never meant to replace medical care. They exist to support the being who is doing the caring — because when the human is more grounded, clear, and supported, everything about the journey shifts.
Healing Beneath the Surface: Why Energy Matters
When people hear “healing,” they often think of calming the mind or regulating emotions.
While those are important and often beneficial "side effects" people experience, the metaphysical work I offer goes beneath the level of thoughts and emotions into the energetic and spiritual architecture that shapes how we experience life itself.
This matters deeply for pet parents and veterinarians because:
You are often navigating uncertainty without clear answers
You are required to make high-stakes decisions while emotionally invested
You may feel disconnected from your own center, purpose, or peace
True healing doesn’t ask you to cope better. It invites you to reconnect more deeply to yourself, to meaning, and to the unseen forces that support life.
If you would like this kind of support...the same kind my client in the letter I shared above experienced...below is information on where to start and how these modalities may help you.
How Metaphysical Healings Support the Journey
Life Activation
Life Activation is the first session I recommend for most people. It is an ancient Mystery School lineage modality that works beneath thoughts and emotions, supporting clarity, resilience, and alignment at the level of your energetic blueprint.
As the letter illustrates, this often creates:
A sense of “reset” during emotional overwhelm
Decision-making rooted in clarity instead of panic
Greater inner calm during difficult decisions
Improved clarity and confidence in next steps
Feeling more present instead of emotionally scattered
A sense of alignment when life feels chaotic or unfair
Many people describe it as “coming back online” — not by force, but by remembrance and reconnection with yourself.
Ensofic Ray ReikiTM
Ensofic Ray ReikiTM works with high-frequency spiritual Light to bring deep balance and coherence to the system, especially helpful for:
Chronic emotional fatigue
Burnout and compassion overload
Feeling spiritually disconnected after prolonged stress
It supports calm without numbing and presence without forcing positivity.
Spark of Life Distance Healing
Spark of Life is a distance healing modality that supports the vital life force itself.
For many pet parents, this healing is profoundly helpful during:
Acute stress around diagnosis or decline
Periods of emotional shock
Grief — especially when words no longer help
It does not try to “fix” grief. It supports the body and soul so grief can move without overwhelming you.
This is often one of the most comforting sessions for those navigating loss — human or animal.
When You’re Ready for More Than Healing: Taking Back Inner Authority
For some, receiving healing sessions is enough support in the moment.
For others — especially caregivers, veterinarians, and deeply reflective humans — there comes a quieter realization:
"I don’t want to lose myself again the next time life asks everything of me."
This is where the Empower Thyself weekend training and initiation becomes relevant.
It is not therapy.
It is not another "self-help" program.
It is a Mystery School path of initiation for those ready to:
Understand how life, energy, and creation actually work
Reclaim inner authority instead of living in reaction
Navigate stress, grief, and responsibility with greater balance
Step into a more conscious relationship with purpose, service, and choice
For veterinarians, this training often brings:
Relief from vicarious trauma and burnout
A new framework for meaning beyond outcomes
Tools for staying centered in emotionally charged environments
For pet parents, it offers:
Perspective beyond fear and loss
A deeper understanding of soul-level relationships
The strength to move forward without shutting down
Many who walk this path say it doesn’t take away life's challenges or make life '"easier". It makes them stronger, steadier, and more present for whatever life brings.
What This Path Is — and What It Is Not
This path IS for people who:
Are ready to expand how they understand life, death, and healing
Want inner peace that comes from alignment, not avoidance
Feel called to something deeper, even if they can’t name it yet
This path is NOT:
Quick fixes or emotional bypassing
Nervous-system techniques presented as spiritual solutions
Dogma or “just think positive” philosophies
This work invites you to shift your relationship with life itself —and from that place, healing unfolds naturally.
As the letter so beautifully shows, this work does not remove grief or the challenges life asks us to face and grow through. It helps you walk with it, without being consumed by it.
For Those Loving an Animal Through Illness — and Those Who Care for Them
If you are a pet parent loving deeply through uncertainty…If you are a veterinarian carrying more than most will ever see…If you are a human who has wondered how to keep going without losing yourself…
You are not alone.
And you are not meant to do this unsupported.
Healing is not always about changing the outcome.
It is about changing how we walk the path.
Together, with clarity, love, and grace.
Walking This Path Together: You are Invited
The path I offer is one of remembrance, alignment, and inner mastery —so you can walk the journey of life, love, service, and change with greater peace, clarity, and strength.
Through Divine PowerHouse, I offer integrative healing and spiritual support designed to care for the human side of the journey— the part that often goes unseen but deeply shapes how we move through illness, change, and life after.
These offerings are available to support you wherever you are on the path — whether you are seeking calm in the midst of crisis, energetic support through grief, or a deeper sense of clarity and meaning moving forward.
✨ Ultimately, healing is not the end of the journey.
✨ It is the doorway back to who you really are.
If you feel called, you are welcome to explore these offerings or reach out to learn what support may be most helpful for you right now.
Meet Dr. Erin Bannink
Dr. Erin Bannink is a board-certified veterinary oncologist and integrative veterinary medicine practitioner who bridges advanced medical science with authentic Mystery School spiritual training to support healing at every level — body, mind, soul, and spirit.
She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology) and has extensive training in integrative and holistic modalities, including veterinary acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. She lectures to global audiences about integrative veterinary oncology. Through decades of clinical practice, Dr. Bannink has supported countless pet parents navigating cancer diagnoses, complex treatment decisions, anticipatory grief, and life after loss — experiences that deeply shaped her understanding of the human–animal bond and the unmet needs of caregivers and veterinary professionals.
Alongside her medical career, Dr. Bannink is a Spiritual Teacher, Guide, Healer, Kabbalist, and 3rd Step Ritual Master (Magus Hermeticus), trained and initiated in one of the world’s few remaining true ancient Mystery School lineages, the Hermetic lineage of King Salomon, professionally certified through the Modern Mystery School international. Her training includes Life Activation, Full Spirit Activation, Ensofic Ray Reiki, Sacred Geometry, and advanced healing and initiatory practices focused on personal mastery, energetic healing, and spiritual awakening.
Through Divine PowerHouse, Dr. Bannink offers classes, initiations, energy activations and healing modalities designed to support clarity, resilience, and inner authority, including Empower Thyself weekend training and initiation.
Through MettaPets, she provides integrative oncology education and holistic support for pet parents and veterinary professionals, with a special focus on the emotional, energetic, and spiritual dimensions of caregiving, grief, and transformation.
Dr. Bannink’s work is grounded in a deep respect for science, compassion for the realities of illness and loss, and a commitment to offering tools that help people not just cope — but truly thrive — even during life’s most challenging seasons.
Advanced Personal Journey Offerings
If you are interested in an intensive in-person path of personal transformation through my Divine PowerHouse programs, I have three programs to support you through deep transformation depending on what you are ready to pursue. These are unapologetically spiritual and are meant to help you break through limiting beliefs and help you access expanded states of awareness, deepen your understanding of who you are and unlock your potential.
These trainings and healings are not a replacement for medical care or mental/emotional therapy but can powerfully complement those on a healing journey who are ready to become active participants in their own healing, growth and success in business and in life.
FOR LOCAL CLIENTS OR THOSE WILLING TO TRAVEL REGULARLY
Adept Path: 3-Month Personal Empowerment Journey
Life Activation (one-on-one session) - week 1
Full Spirit Activation (one-on-one session) - week 5
Spark of Life Distance Healing (remote healing session) - week 8
Empower Thyself Weekend Training and Initiation - next group program (private program option available)
Personal Alchemy Path: 6-Month Transformational Journey
A 24-week intensive training, healing and initiation journey for those ready to take back control of their life. You will experience two core energy activations, be supported with regular healing sessions, and receive training in the Mystery School lineage of self-mastery on the path of initiation to empower you to navigate life's challenges with greater ease and grace.
The Royal Way: 12-month Transformational Journey
This is recommended for those interested in more intensive support, regular healings, and guidance on the path of initiation and those ready to commit to a daily practice to experience healing, spiritual awakening and personal alchemy. Dr. Bannink takes only 3 clients for this journey per year. This package is perfect for professionals and high achievers who have already done a lot of personal work, have reached a plateau, and are ready to break through to their next level of self-mastery.
4-DAY IN-PERSON INTENSIVE
Energy Clean-up and Life Activation (one-on-one session) - day 1
Sacred Geometry 1 and Astral Travel 1 - day 2
Empower Thyself Weekend Training and Initiation - day 3 and 4
Spark of Life Distance Healing (remote healing session) - week 4
Contact admin@mettapets.info for information and to schedule a Fit Call.
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