What are your thoughts on Reiki for animals??

[Flobo]

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As you know, as well as my dog walking/boarding, I am also a Reiki practitioner, working mainly with animals. There is a real nice variety of people on this forum so I was wondering what people know about Reiki, if any of you have ever experienced it, what you feel/think about it? Would you consider it as a complementary therapy for yourself or your dog? Any thoughts really...
This is just out of interest/curiosity for me, all honest answers, good, bad or indifferent will be gratefully received!

 

[JoanneF]

I will be interested in this because there are several people whom I know personally (as opposed to online, like here) who are very into it for both people and animals, and I respect them a lot (for other reasons). I admit I know very little about it - but my gut reaction is that something practised remotely stretches my belief a bit too far. I'm not a particular fan of alternative therapies generally, more of the view that all remedies were originally natural, then they introduced science and the ones that worked became medicine and the others became pot pourri.

However - I like to think of myself as open to new evidence so please, convince me if you can - not as a challenge but as a genuine invitation to open my mind.

 

[Caro Perry]

I have friends who are practitioners and have tried it on me.

I remain to be convinced I'm afraid.

 

[JudyN]

An aromatherapist gave me free Reiki when she was training, but I didn't feel anything.

I am a very left-brain logical person, possibly part Vulcan, and in all honesty think it's a load of... But I also know plenty of intelligent people whose views I respect, who are convinced that reiki, homeopathy, and all sorts of other things that don't make scientific sense and don't show results in good-quality studies, work, and it would be arrogant of me to assume that I'm right and they are wrong.

But Flobo, if you could have a go at fixing Jasper's corn, feel free to try!

 

[Biker John]

I'm the same as JudyN, to logical to accept it. But that said if my dog was ill and the vets could not help, but some one said they could use an alternative treatment I would try them.

 

[Flobo]

I do find it is a tough one because when someone says to me 'what is reiki?' and I reply by saying 'I basically channel the energy that is all around us through my hands with the intent to promote healing and yes I know this generally rights me off as a mad woman in a moment but it can be amazingly beneficial...' Or words to that effect, people are cynical, understandably! And the distant sessions, I can't actually explain how that works other than liking it to bluetooth or sending a photo to the other side of the world from one device to another, ( that to me is real witchcraft!)you can't see it but it is happening none the less.
The lovely thing about working with animals is that when you offer them reiki, it's just simple, it is what it is and there is no need for words or explanations...
My husband and best mate are both total cynics but will still ask for it when they need it, why? 'because it works but we still don't believe in it really, you and your hippy s##t!' is what they say, now that makes sense eh!!

I have one lovely example to share with my last dog that stayed with me, he'd badly cut his pad up in the woods, so we got home, I bathed and dressed his foot and got a vet nurse appointment as soon as poss, we had an hour to kill so I sat and reikied (think I just made that word up)his foot. I went in with him to see the nurse and continued the reiki with him whilst comforting him, the nurse cut off my dressing, cleaned it and redressed it all with him being as cool as cucumber. The nurse, knowing this dog very well as he is very accident prone, said she couldn't believe how calm and still he was as usually he jumps all over the place and gets really distressed whenever they try and do anything with him...the owner messaged me a week later to say that his pad had healed really well, considering it was a nasty cut, and much quicker than they were expecting. ( I had continued to send reiki all week to him). So is that coincidence or did the reiki help? Who knows...

An aromatherapist gave me free Reiki when she was training, but I didn't feel anything.

I am a very left-brain logical person, possibly part Vulcan, and in all honesty think it's a load of... But I also know plenty of intelligent people whose views I respect, who are convinced that reiki, homeopathy, and all sorts of other things that don't make scientific sense and don't show results in good-quality studies, work, and it would be arrogant of me to assume that I'm right and they are wrong.

But Flobo, if you could have a go at fixing Jasper's corn, feel free to try!

Always up for a challenge! Can't promise fixing but who knows, he may just love the experience anyway!
If you post a pic of his foot with corn( I like to be able to visualize where I'm sending it) I'll do him 4 consecutive distant sessions, 4 days in a row, evenings are best for me, in exchange all I ask is that you observe him during it and give me some feed back, how's that sound?

 

[JudyN]

Always up for a challenge! Can't promise fixing but who knows, he may just love the experience anyway!
If you post a pic of his foot with corn( I like to be able to visualize where I'm sending it) I'll do him 4 consecutive distant sessions, 4 days in a row, evenings are best for me, in exchange all I ask is that you observe him during it and give me some feed back, how's that sound?

Wow, thank you Flobo, that would be fantastic! Which I shouldn't even say really as officially I think it has less chance of working than if I danced naked in the moonlight... But I promise to suspend belief and think positive thoughts.

Will the picture below do, or is it better with more of him in the shot? (The corn has a bit of duct tape stuck over it at the moment.)

I can see a mechanism whereby someone present with the animal can help healing - we can all pick up calming (or the opposite) vibes from others, and I'm sure we've all met people who seem to have a magic touch with our dogs. I don't know how these 'vibes' are transmitted, but if the animal can pick up on them and relaxes, that can really affect the autonomic nerve system, the immune system, and so on and so forth.

Oh, I should add - the corn is on the bottom pad of the right of the photo. Ignore the crack on the pad behind it - it wasn't causing a problem and has since healed.

 

[Mad Murphy]

Im very interested to hear if it works for Jasper.

I could understand a calming effect if the person was present similar to the effect that just being in a church has for many people but I cant understand how it would work from a distance?

 

[JudyN]

I also wonder, if it can work, it is likely to work so well on what is essentially a mechanical injury with no disease/inflammation - it's more like having a bit of glass embedded in the sole of a shoe which is impossible to dig out. But hey, that means that if it doesn't work, it's not necessarily because distance Reiki never works.

Timewise, does sometime in between 7.15 and 9.30 work for you? Then he'll have settled down after tea and hopefully not insisting it's time for bed.

 

[Flobo]

@JudyN That pic is perfect, could see the corn and I know what the rest of Jasper looks like. I'll start 7.45 then if that's good and i'll start tonight for the next 4 nights. You may notice twitching, sighing or stomach gurgling during session, all normal just means the energy is flowing and chakras,(getting technical now!)are unblocking and balancing....or you may notice nothing, either way be good to know.
And yes it definitely helps dancing naked in the garden in the moonlight if poss... But that's just me!!

 

[JudyN]

It'll get the neighbours talking if nothing else!

 

[Flobo]

forgot to say, session may last anywhere from around 15 mins to half hour or more, depending on Jasper..

 

[JudyN]

forgot to say, session may last anywhere from around 15 mins to half hour or more, depending on Jasper..

Do you get feedback from him? Or do you want me to let you know if he wanders off halfway through or starts turning his head through 360 degrees and vomiting or anything? (Sorry, OH says I'm sounding sceptical, but the thought just amused me.)

 

[Flobo]

[ QUOTE="JudyN, post: 1190425, member: 90634"]Do you get feedback from him? Or do you want me to let you know if he wanders off halfway through or starts turning his head through 360 degrees and vomiting or anything? (Sorry, OH says I'm sounding sceptical, but the thought just amused me.)[/QUOTE]
Brilliant that made me laugh! Yes any feed back from your observations would be great and if he does go exorcist on you, run!!!

 

[JudyN]

He can run faster though

It's interesting - I won't post my results here until Jasper has had all four sessions, but I'm letting her know any developments

 

[JudyN]

After four days of Reiki, I can report on my observations...

Overall, I don't think lurchers are good candidated for Reiki research, because their normal evening is spent snoozing and relaxing. Each evening, for the allotted half-hour, he would - well - snooze and relax. Occasionally his breath would deepen and then his limbs would twitch, occasionally he would have a good stretch and let out a sigh. And this evening his digestion relaxed too... But I think that's something to do with helping us clear up for leftovers from my birthday festivities!

Flobo felt he was absorbing the energy in the neck/throat area, and he has been hawking a bit recently, as if he's got something caught in his throat (only very occasionally, not enough IMO to warrant a vet visit). Once or twice, him stretching and sighing seemed to line up with when Flobo finished sending the Reiki.

I'm not a convert though, simply because I believe that Reiki at a distance is impossible. But it's been interesting none the less!

(And Flobo, I apologise again for forgetting about this evening's session - but OH was in here and didn't notice anything different to usual.. apart from the stinky farts.)

 

[Flobo]

That's cool, I appreciate your interest and being willing to be open to it nonetheless, and for your time and observations. ( and a big thanks to Jasper for his participation of course )
Just out of interest have the sessions had any effect on his corn? I'm not really expecting so but I have to ask being a curious sort!

 

[JudyN]

No, sadly not. Mind you, when I checked it yesterday he'd just come in from outside and had muddy feet so it was difficult to tell. I'll have a better look today and tell you if there's any change.

Though even if Reiki does work, I'm not sure it could be expected to work on something which is basically a bit of hard skin in his pad where there is no 'disease' process - it's like trying to get a splinter out through relaxation.

 

[Mad Murphy]

A question @JudyN ... Did the idea that Flobo was out there concentrating all her thoughts and wishes for Jaspers well being have any effect on you as humans? Did it make you feel (for want of a better word) loved?

 

[JudyN]

A question @JudyN ... Did the idea that Flobo was out there concentrating all her thoughts and wishes for Jaspers well being have any effect on you as humans? Did it make you feel (for want of a better word) loved?

I can't say it did, though it was interesting to watch him and pay attention to his breath rate, twitches, and stretches (and farts). In a way I was being careful not to try to enter into the experience, because if I was also focusing relaxation, love, etc. on him, this could also have an effect (not least because I was in the same room as him).