How Is Animal Reiki Different Than Human Reiki

For many years, I've followed the of import and inspirational piece of work of Kathleen Prasad, a meditation instructor, author, and Fauna Reiki expert. After reading some of her contempo material, I decided it was loftier time to interview her and to spread the word about her work to a wide audience. I asked if she could answer a few questions about what she does, and gladly, she said "Yes." Our interview went as follows.

Kathleen and Dolly.

Source: Kathleen Prasad

Please explain to readers what Reiki is all about and why you decided to provide it for nonhumans?

Reiki is a Japanese spiritual practice based in meditation that besides has therapeutic applications. Reiki meditation exercise for the practitioner helps him/her to permit go of anger, worry, fright, and stress to uncover his/her best inner qualities of peace, gratitude, and compassion. The goal of Reiki self-practise is living a happier, healthier life. Daily Reiki practice also increases the practitioner's power to back up others with peace and compassion, even in the cases of serious wellness issues or hard situations. Sharing Reiki with others involves touch therapy in the example of humans, and sharing meditation in the case of animals. The goal of offering Reiki to others is to promote relaxation and stress-relief, which in turn promotes self-healing of body, mind, and spirit.

I kickoff learned Reiki in my late 20s, as a self-healing practice to help with the anxiety and panic attacks I had suffered with since I was a young child. Reiki, both my own self-exercise and the treatments I received from a Reiki practitioner, gave me not bad relief and peace. Eventually, afterward several years of dedicated practice, I was completely healed of anxiety. This was such a souvenir to my life, every bit I had resigned myself that I would always struggle with information technology, on some level, for my whole life.

When I would practice Reiki on myself, my dog and equus caballus were drawn like magnets to me. My canis familiaris would lie awkwardly across my anxiety to be close, a behavior he had never shown before. My horse would come close and lean into me, often falling into a deep slumber. This was a behavior I had never experienced with him earlier.

It seemed that Reiki gave to them, equally it did to me, a similar sense of wellbeing and peace. This was exciting considering animals seemed to be able to benefit from the peaceful space of Reiki even when I wasn't purposely "giving" them Reiki or even touching them. Just existence in their presence while doing my self-practice created a strong and reproducible peaceful response from animals.

When I was first learning Reiki, I was also volunteering as a dog walker at a local shelter in San Francisco. I was very lucky that even though the staff didn't understand what Reiki was, they felt it "couldn't hurt," and so gave me permission to share Reiki with the dogs after walking them.

I was initially drawn to volunteer in shelters because, due to my own anxiety issues, I related to the stress and fear rescued animals experienced in the shelter environs. I knew that shelter dogs felt and so happy getting out of the kennels and walking. In improver, just equally Reiki helped me to permit go of my anxiety, I saw time and time once more, stressed-out shelter dogs relax and become to sleep during the Reiki sessions.

Fifty-fifty in a loud and chaotic kennel environs, sharing Reiki created peace and relaxation, often for the unabridged kennel, not merely the dog I was sitting with. It filled me with so much gratitude to be able to help animals with Reiki in the same way as I was able to help myself.

Even though at the fourth dimension, "Animal Reiki" wasn't its own specialty, I felt committed to sharing Reiki with as many animals, of as many species as possible, because I believed so much, considering of my own personal experience, in the power of Reiki'due south peace to heal.

How long have you lot been doing Reiki for animals and why is it effective?

I've been doing Reiki since 1998, so about 21 years. One of the wonderful aspects of the gentle, meditative approach of Reiki is that it can be shared with any animal, no matter their level of trust for humans. Reiki tin can help even the most traumatized animals relax and feel a strong sense of wellbeing. This is important in creating non only healing of trunk, mind, and spirit but also Reiki creates the outset pace in healing the animal/human relationship.

Kathleen practicing Reiki with a shelter dog.

Source: Kathleen Prasad

Is Reiki more effective for certain animals and why so?

I have shared Reiki successfully with domesticated animals like dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and horses. I've also had the privilege of seeing Reiki's peace encompass rescued exotic and wild animals similar tigers, monkeys, bears, elephants, leopards, alligators, and more. I've even seen wild fauna like deer, squirrels, and hummingbirds terminate for a moment in time to relax nearby to me during a Reiki meditation.

The near important ingredient in an effective Reiki session is that the animal feels safe to connect with the practitioner. For this reason, Reiki is well-nigh effective for animals when not approached in the same manner as we approach Reiki for humans.

For example, if we want to share Reiki with humans, the person would lie downwards on a massage table, and the practitioner would do a series of low-cal hand positions on the head and torso of the person. The client volition sometimes take a headache or other effect and ask the practitioner to place their easily on the painful area. In other words, the client relaxes and the practitioners will "do" a session using physical touch. This arroyo for humans works well and is extremely relaxing and peaceful. I've had many a headache or other ache or pain relieved by a Reiki session.

For animals, the Reiki approach is most the opposite every bit information technology is with humans. It could be because animals seem more than sensitive to our land of mind and emotions and are not dependent on touch on to feel connected.

When I first learned Reiki, I tried doing Reiki with animals in the aforementioned way equally I had learned for humans, and many animals got nervous or would walk away when I would endeavor to touch a "problem" area, or when I would focus my mind on a behavioral outcome that needed healing. At first, I idea that possibly they just needed "less" Reiki, simply I soon began to experiment with my physical posture and distance from animals, every bit well as my thoughts during sessions. It took me many years and many thousands of brute sessions to hone the approach that I teach now to my students.

When approaching animals, information technology is best to focus inward on the Reiki meditation and allow become of "doing" or "fixing." If the animal has concrete or emotional bug, the practitioner should not ruminate on these, but instead should look more deeply into the eye and spirit of the animal—that part of the beast that is ever perfect and has infinite healing potential. In other words, we must keep our minds open and positive, and we must non force physical contact with the beast.

Animals respond to Reiki more similar human children practice—in that they motion around, connect oft from a altitude, and prefer a more flexible and open arroyo. I have developed a specific method of sharing Reiki with animals that is called the Allow Animals Pb™ approach, honoring animals' sensitivities, wisdom, and preferences. I have taught this method to thousands of animal lovers around the globe!

Is Reiki more than effective for certain weather and why so?

I have seen Reiki bring peace and comfort to animals who are in physical hurting, lessen and relieve emotional stress, and fifty-fifty bring peace to the dying process.

Reiki brings healing in the form of peace and remainder—in other words, it is not a "cure" for this or that trouble, but don't our bodies, minds and spirits heal at their best when nosotros aren't stressed and uncomfortable?

Reiki practitioners exercise non diagnose issues, and in fact, do not need to know what the trouble is because our approach and purpose are ever the same. This is considering healing is about "condign whole," and this is something that nosotros all can do—even in the presence of disease. It is this wholeness and harmony of the unabridged being that Reiki uncovers, and that makes our self-healing abilities smoothen. In this way, it also makes any and every status more manageable.

Animals are also affected by their people'south health bug, and in fact, sometimes an beast's consequence is really their person's effect. By sharing Reiki with animals' people, nosotros tin help create a healing possibility between the person and their animal, deepen their bond and nurture their middle-to-eye connexion. When we are present with our animals, with an open up middle and heed, this is the platonic space for us to nurture healthy relationships, to learn from 1 another and to back up each other to live a happier and healthier life. In shelter settings, sharing Reiki with shelter staff can back up healing from compassion fatigue, which is very mutual in animate being rescuers.

Are in that location scientific studies that assess its effectiveness for individuals of different species and for different conditions?

Physiologically, Reiki has been shown to exist constructive in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Ii scientific studies were too conducted with rats and produced clear, objective testify of a benefit of Reiki for stress reduction, however, I personally find these studies unethical (inducing stress to testify you can reduce stress).

For human being patients with chronic health conditions, Reiki has been found to be more than effective than placebo for reducing pain and anxiety, depression, and for improving self-esteem and quality of life. Reiki should be regarded as a complement (non an alternative) to conventional medicine and other therapies. (See "Reiki Is Better Than Placebo and Has Broad Potential as a Complementary Health Therapy" for more details about thirteen peer-reviewed scientific studies of Reiki from 1998-2016.)

Are you lot hopeful that more than people will look to Reiki for "problem" animals?

I try to help my students come across deeper than the "problems" with animals. Every bit humans, information technology is our nature, I suppose, to e'er focus on what is wrong. We are fixers, aren't nosotros? Merely in the spiritual sense, there is nothing to set up and aught to exercise—rather we should focus more on "being" with each other in a space of peace and acceptance.

Also, I teach nigh seeing your animal with your "Reiki optics"—in other words, with your middle. When we see with our hearts, we terminate focusing on what is "wrong" and see that in this moment, all is well. We can observe peace in this moment if nosotros look securely enough. When we can encounter that "all is well" in this moment, our animals can sense this peace and notice great comfort and support in it as they walk the path of healing. This is also something that I experienced when going through breast cancer, with the aid of my animals and Reiki. In social club to find true healing, we must acquire to find our inner peace, fifty-fifty in the most difficult times.

Is in that location anything else you'd like to tell readers?

My nonprofit has just celebrated its 10-year ceremony! Ten years agone, inspired by the positive responses to Reiki that I'd seen from so many rescued animals, I co-founded (with my friend Leah D'Ambrosio) a 501(c)3 nonprofit, The Shelter Fauna Reiki Association (SARA). Our goal is to create a peaceful, healing environment within shelters and other animal intendance settings. We work closely with staff and volunteers of shelter/rescues, veterinarians, and service organizations to help create a positive healing infinite for all.

In the beginning, nosotros had just 20 members, 5 shelters, and my goal was to bring Animal Reiki meditation to shelters around the world to help animals detect peace and to back up their caregivers. Today, we are a global customs of more than 250 members and 75 shelters/sanctuaries/rescues who all do the meditative practice of Let Animals Lead™ Animal Reiki!

Animal intendance professionals and animal organizations around the world respect SARA members' high ethics and professionalism. Our members all utilise the ethical and effective Let Animals Lead™ arroyo. My Animal Reiki curriculum is the first in the world that teaches meditation as the foundation for healing connections with animals. This meditative method is platonic for rescued animals who accept suffered from stress, abuse or trauma because it never pushes or forces anything on an animal.

SARA is proud to be not but a community service organization simply also a philanthropic 1. In the past ten years, our teachers and practitioners have donated over $200,000 to shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries. In addition to monetary donations, SARA members have donated thousands of volunteer hours.

SARA has a new book coming out very soon, called Vets on Animal Reiki: The Power of Beast Reiki Healing in Veterinarian Do. In the volume, I interview four well-respected and experienced vets as well as the founder and lead veterinary at TOLFA (Tree of Life for Animals), an animal sanctuary in India that has implemented the Allow Animals Lead™ method in caring for their animals, about their experiences with Animal Reiki. This is the outset book of its kind, and I'm and then proud to be a function of this project!

Equally we head into our adjacent 10 years, SARA's goal is to work tirelessly to make animate being meditation for peace and healing as common every bit human being-centered healing practices such as yoga and mindfulness meditation are today. Cheers, Marc, for allowing me to raise sensation virtually the wonderful benefits of Animal Reiki!

Thank y'all Kathleen for a fascinating interview. I've learned a lot more nigh the exercise and importance of Reiki for animals, and I'k sure other readers likewise will find your answers to be very informative. I look forward both to the fourth dimension when Reiki will exist used more and more to connect deeply with many different animals in a broad multifariousness of contexts and additional scientific studies of its effectiveness. There's still much to larn.

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201902/reiki-animals-the-power-peace-heal

Posted by: crismanlair1941.blogspot.com

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