Connecting with Animals through Reiki

Channeling the force of Reiki means connecting to the universe in the most fundamental of ways. It reminds me that we are all energetic in nature, and in this way all connected. Perhaps this is why Reiki deepens humankind’s relationship to animals. It is this connection which so fascinates me in my animal Reiki practice. Of course the healing Reiki brings about is wonderful to see, but the deepening of the human/animal relationship that Reiki brings with it is absolutely amazing. It is out of this deepened relationship that I have learned many lessons. In this article I will reflect on just a few of these lessons.

As Reiki practitioners, we want to bring healing to the beings we treat. And in the most basic way, we hope that this healing will be on an outward, physical plane so that we can see it with our eyes and feel joy in our hearts in the improvement. Of course, an outward physical healing is not always the destiny of the animal or person we treat. There may be a bigger picture of healing that is difficult for us to see and understand.

I have learned over the years to trust Reiki. Reiki always gives each being what he needs most for healing. Sometimes, miraculous physical healing can take place. And if physical healing cannot take place, mental and spiritual healing will occur so that the transition process can happen as gently and easily as possible.

When working with some animals, what you see physically is often not what is really going on. Especially in animals whose species have evolved to survive by never showing weakness, such as rodents and birds. So how can we help these animals if they don’t tell us what’s wrong? Luckily, with Reiki the practitioner doesn’t need to know what the problem is to bring healing. Yet, wonderfully, with Reiki, many times the animals will share their feelings with us as practitioners because they sense, trust and appreciate the healing we are offering. It is at times like these I feel such honor to be a part of the healing process and to be so trusted by the animal.

Sometimes bringing Reiki to an animal will help save his life in one way or another. One such example was a small rabbit I treated at the local animal shelter. I had gone there that day to treat the sick dogs in the kennels, as I do regularly. But as I passed the rabbit cages on my way to the kennels, something made me stop and look at the bunnies. My intuition compelled me to treat one in particular, a small black and white rabbit who was laying quietly in the front of the cage. The sign on his door indicated that he had been found in a field nearby the freeway, and had been brought in just that morning.

I began sending the treatment from outside the cage, asking permission as I always do, and immediately felt a strong flow of energy to the rabbit. I began having several large yawns, which often happens to me when the flow is particularly powerful. Then, I began to have the most uncomfortable feeling of tightness in my chest. I suddenly felt as though I couldn’t breathe. This terrible physical sensation was followed by a

feeling of anxiety that started in my head and drained all the way out my feet. I immediately recognized that this rabbit was in respiratory distress, even though he was not showing any outward signs of it. I thanked the rabbit for sharing with me these feelings and let her know I would get her help.

I ran into the office and alerted the staff, who immediately called the local vet, and made an appointment for her as soon as they could. One of the staff took the rabbit out of the cage and held her, trying to comfort her. It was at that point that they noticed mucus coming out of both nostrils and the listless nature of her behavior. Indeed, apparently someone had tried to feed her carrots earlier that day and she had showed absolutely no interest.

As I left that day, I hoped for the best for the bunny, sending Reiki to her situation for the highest good. As is often the case when I leave the shelter, I thanked Reiki for helping me find the animal who needed it the most!

Another lesson I have learned through my treatments of animals, is that sometimes healing an animal does not prevent his death, and this is perhaps the hardest lesson of all. Yet even in those times, Reiki brings a level of comfort and relaxation to the animal.

On yet another trip to the shelter, I found myself confronted with the sickest group of dogs in the kennel that I had seen in my two and a half years of volunteering there! One whole line of kennels housed dogs that either had a terrible kennel cough, diarrhea, depression and withdrawal, or a combination of all these things. It proved difficult to narrow down which dog I would treat. I asked Reiki to help me find the animals who needed it most, and was drawn to begin the treatment on a Rottweiler who had been having bloody diarrhea.

As I began the treatment from outside the kennel, the dog circled around and around, finally settling down into a curled up position from which he maintained eye contact with me. He was unable to stay in this position

for long, however, and continued to get up periodically and circle in his kennel. About 20 minutes into the treatment, he began to have dry heaves, which wracked his poor body painfully. I began to have a burning

sensation in my hands and a terrible taste in my mouth. My whole body began to feel toxic and nauseaus. I suddenly realized that the dog didn’t just have the virus going around in the kennel, but something much worse, perhaps cancer.

I thanked the dog for sharing with me his feelings, and sent Reiki to his situation for the highest good, imagining a Reiki bubble of peace and harmony around him as I finished the treatment. It was at this point that he was finally able to settle down, sighing deeply and finally falling asleep.

On my way out, I saw the shelter’s director, and decided to stop and talk to her about the Rottweiler. I told her my feelings about the treatment, and she was quite taken aback. I began to get a sinking feeling in my stomach as she relayed that she had just gotten off the phone with the vet about the test results that had been done earlier in the week. Apparently, the dog had inoperable cancer in the pancreas and digestive tract and was scheduled to be euthanized later that day.

It was, of course, terrible news to me that this dog was so very sick. But I realized that there was once again a reason I had gone that particular day, at that particular time, and was drawn to treating that particular dog. I know that Reiki helps to ease the transition from this life, and I knew that this dog had received the healing he needed to move on in the most peaceful way possible. In fact, he was sleeping peacefully at that very moment.

It is truly amazing, the power of Reiki! No matter how serious the condition, Reiki can treat it. No matter the species of being, Reiki can connect and heal. Any person who is willing, can become a practitioner. Once you open yourself to the power of Reiki, somehow the beings who need healing find you. And somehow, in the energetic connection of the two beings during a Reiki treatment, intuition, insight and communication is enhanced and deepened.

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if everyone on this planet decided to become a Reiki practitioner and then began treating the animals in his/her life. When people began to realize the emotional depth of the non-human creatures around them, imagine how things would change. And perhaps this is Reiki’s biggest challenge: to heal the very planetary connection of all species.

Kathleen Prasad