First out is Reiki. I had never heard of until I was a student at Bancroft and we had a class exploring energy healing techniques. I remember having a very interesting experience while practicing it on one of my teachers – I wasn’t even touching her, but something in her leg that had been bothering her all of a sudden twitched, and my arm did too at the same time.

I always assumed that you had to have a special gift in order to do any kind of energy healing, but anybody can learn how to use Reiki.

Reiki is a Japanese holistic energy healing system that is gentle and noninvasive but still has the power to heal the body, mind and spirit. It is administered by laying on hands or healing from a distance (you don’t have to have physical contact with the person/animal you are treating) and is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy (“ki”) flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s ki is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress.

The name Reiki, pronounced ”Ray-key”, comes from the Japanese words ”rei” meaning spirit, and ”ki” meaning energy. It is usually translated as ”universal life energy.”

When using Reiki to heal, the practitioner simply sets an intention to facilitate the healing process and allows Reiki to flow in whatever amount the client wishes to receive and for whatever he or she needs most. The energy “knows” where to go; you don’t even have to be aware of what the problem is exactly in the person/animal you’re treating. You are just a conduit for the energy.

It is ideal for use with animals because with Reiki, since effectiveness is not dependent upon physical contact, the animal controls the treatment, accepting Reiki in the ways that are most comfortable for them, either hands-on or from a distance, or a combination of both.

Reiki is easy for anyone to learn and use, and can’t do any harm, even when used by the most novice practitioner. It always goes to the deepest source of the problem and always supports a path towards balance and harmony.

To become a practitioner, you go through training sessions with a Reiki Master where you get attuned. There are 3 levels: Level 1 is the basics, Level 2 is advanced (where you also learn certain symbols) and Level 3 is the Master level (you can take a teacher training at this level after which you are able to teach Reiki to others).

Today’s case study comes from Kathleen Prasad, world-renowned animal Reiki teacher, founder and director of Animal Reiki Source, and President of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association. She teaches animal Reiki courses and workshops in the San Francisco area, and also holds teleclasses on a regular basis. Kathleen is truly a leader in her field, and I am greatly honored that she agreed to be part of this series.

While Kathleen was teaching in the San Francisco public schools in the 90s, she designed curriculum and community projects for her students in animal kindness, encouraging volunteer work in animal shelters. In 1998 she learned Reiki and began volunteering Reiki with local shelter animals. Inspired by her volunteer experiences, Kathleen decided to dedicate her teaching career to Animal Reiki full time in 2002.

Since then, she has co-authored the books The Animal Reiki Handbook and Animal Reiki: Using Energy to Heal the Animals in Your Life and written many articles on animals and Reiki for publications such as The Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Animal Fair, The Whole Dog Journal, Dog Fancy, Animal Wellness Magazine, Equine Wellness Magazine and Natural Horse Talk Magazine. In 2007, Kathleen authored The Animal Reiki Practitioner Code of Ethics – the first code of ethics for the profession – which has been published in professional Reiki publications and adopted by practitioners around the world. Her second book, Tails from the Source: The Animal Reiki Source Newsletter Collection, Volume I, was published in March 2008. She has also been featured on several radio shows as well as her local news.

She has provided Reiki training to the staff of organizations such as The East Bay SPCA, The Humane Society of Silicon Valley, BrightHaven Healing Arts Center for Animals, Guide Dogs for the Blind, and The Elephant Sanctuary. She continuously teaches courses and workshops, both in person, in teleclasses and per correspondence, and also offers a distance Reiki internship (conducted via phone and email). For upcoming in-person basic workshops, see the latest Events & Workshops list. Her students come from all walks of life and from all over the world. In October of 2008, Kathleen was invited to teach a seminar on Animal Reiki at the 33rd Annual Conference of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

In May of 2008, Kathleen co-founded the non-profit Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA). SARA aims to boost adoption rates in shelters nationwide by reducing stress and supporting healing in homeless animals. The mission will be achieved via a standardized rollout of animal Reiki programs in shelters worldwide and the creation of an unprecedented global information resource for practitioners and facilities that assist animals in need.

Here is Kathleen’s case study, in her own words:

Don’t miss Kathleen’s other case study – Reiki for a Horse and Cat – and Caroline Thomas’ post about offering Reiki to rescued sheep.

I find Dr. Bach’s theories fascinating, and while it is not animal massage, I think it certainly deserves a place on this blog. We use Rescue Remedy (perhaps the most well known of Dr. Bach’s remedies; a blend of 5 flower essences to help in stressful situations) quite a bit. We give it to our dog whenever she goes to the vet, or gets a bath; we take it ourselves in times of stress or fear (such as before flying or going to the dentist) and I even put it in the water I use for our house plants. They say it helps the plant if it has fallen over or been moved, but since plants tend to not survive for very long under my care, I use it all the time to be on the safe side, and now I have several plants growing like crazy.

Below are short reviews of my two favorite books about the flower therapy system, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy
by Mechthild Scheffer
A wonderful and comprehensive book for anyone interested in the Bach Flower System. While not written with animals in mind, it is a great resource for learning more about each of the 38 flower essences. Mechthild Scheffer is a longtime Bach Flower Therapy practitioner, and her book covers the history, philosophy, and background of the therapy and explains the properties of each flower essence in depth. There is also extensive information on remedy preparation, interview questionnaires, checklists, tables for selecting remedies, and evaluation sheets for therapeutic use, as well as appendixes containing FAQs and a list of resources.

I always like to try alternative remedies on myself first, before using them on animals, and this book is the perfect way to start. It’s fascinating reading, and every time I look something up in this book, I have a hard time putting it down.

Bach Flower Remedies for Animals
By Stefan Ball & Judy Howard
This is by far the best resource I have come across for using the Bach Flower Remedies on animals. Both authors have been working with the flower essences for decades and really know their stuff (Judy Howard is a Trustee and Custodian of the Bach Centre in England). In addition to discussing the 38 essences and how they each relate specifically to animals, this book includes lots of case studies and also talks about reading animal behavior.

The specific examples are divided into “Animals in the Home”, “Horses” and “On the Farm and in the Wild”, and the case studies not only include cats, horses and dogs (although there are many of those), but also tell of the successful treatment of such surprising animals as a buffalo in India, a blind seagull, goldfish, and a premature butterfly.