About Animal Reiki
What is Animal Reiki?
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a Japanese modality that helps create a relaxed state in an animal’s body. This helps to decrease overall stress and bring balance back so that their body can once again self-regulate and heal. There are different ways to practice animal Reiki. I chose to learn animal Reiki from Kathleen Prasad, who created the Let Animals Lead® method. I was drawn to this method of animal Reiki because it has a focus on the animal’s choice to receive Reiki and their choice to be touched or not. By using the Let Animals Lead® method, I am allowing the animal to be in control of their session by offering a self-healing meditative energy. The animals are in control of when and how they receive the energy. During an in-person session, I never initiate touch with the animals. It is the choice of the animal if they want to be close to me, or if they want to receive Reiki from across the room or even while they are in a different room. This is important with distance Reiki too, if your animal wants to leave the room during the session, they should be allowed to come and go as they please. The Reiki energy will still reach them and get to where it needs to go to benefit the needs of each individual animal. Most animals enjoy relaxing or taking a nap while experiencing the calming and peaceful energy. Your animal may feel like resting for a while after Reiki, so it is advised to begin the session after any big walks, or major exercise for the day. Animal Reiki works great in conjunction with training, and medical interventions but should not replace any treatments prescribed by your veterinarian. Please speak with your veterinarian if you are usure if Reiki is right for your animal.
How does Animal Reiki work?
To understand how Animal Reiki works, it is important to touch on the autonomic nervous system, which is composed of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is a stress response known as fight or flight response. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the rest and digest response, acts to bring an animal’s body into a state of balance. When this system is activated, the fight or flight response dissipates, and the animal’s body returns to a more relaxed state. Reiki activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which allows the body to self-regulate and self-heal. Because of this, it is not necessary to know exactly what needs attention with your animal, which is important because a lot of times we don’t know the origin of an animal’s past experiences that are creating areas of concern today. The Reiki energy goes directly to where it needs to go in the body to promote balance and self-healing. When an animal’s body is in a balanced state it is much easier for them to recover from stress, illness, trauma, surgery, immune system dysfunction and chronic illness.
Can all animal species benefit from Animal Reiki?
Yes, every animal species can benefit from Reiki. Even if your animal’s body is in a perfect state of regulation, Reiki will help maintain that level of function. Reiki can also help maintain emotional and physical balance for animals experiencing pain, anxiety, stress, and chronic health conditions or emotional trauma. Reiki can be helpful to animals going through treatments, before and after surgery or procedures and injuries.
I have offered Reiki to animals for their simple enjoyment of the energy. I have also worked with animals before and after surgery, I have offered Reiki to animals as they are ending their time on this earth and moving toward the rainbow bridge. I have also held energy for animals who have had a rough past and who subsequently became labeled as 'aggressive'. I don't know the outcome of all of the 'aggressive' animals I offered Reiki to, but one in particular was rescued by a loving family. His family combined training and Reiki, which helped him transform into a loving member of his forever family. I have also offered Reiki to animals who have been very skittish due to their past environments as stray animals. I have helped them come out of their shells and learn to enjoy their new safe homes. At this time, I am only offering audio recorded distant animal Reiki sessions.