Looking back, when my son would get especially dysregulated or out of control, I'd swoop him up, as gently as possible and carry him into his bedroom, legs kicking, arms flailing, loudly screaming. Just before shutting the door, our dog Curlies would obediently sneak into the chaos of triage. I'd set my son gently on the floor and encourage him to join me in our safe corner. This area was stocked with an oversized teddy bear, lots of big pillows and stuffed animals which were all placed beneath a round homemade "tent" (a large white sheet hanging from a hula hoop near the ceiling).

As I sat in the corner and waited for Xzavier to come over if he was ready, Curiles would circle around to my righthand side then plop down very close, resting his paws and chin on my thigh. My legs were stretched straight out. We had trained him to do this to provide pressure on Xzaiver's legs. After watching a video about an autistic boy who had a very skilled service dog, we decided to employ our Doodle personally for our SPD kid. 

In the end, our dog comforted me more than our son. I'd pet the super soft spot behind his ears and he'd look up at me with sympathetic eyes, eyebrows jumping as he looked from me to my son.

You may not have a Doodle to softly press on a much needed pressure point to calm and relax your body and mind. However, you do have the Holy Spirit, which God gave to each believer to comfort and encourage on the inside. May you lean into him now, like an oversized teddy bear, and find strength and solace for your soul as you work through the difficult while constantly expecting the miracle. 

"But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you." John 14:26