Healing Our Animal Family: Part I

Energetic Support For Illness and Injury

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“Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul.” - Pythagoras

Our Cherished Family

The bond we have with our animals is beyond words in many ways. I’ve spoken to many a friend, family and client who remark at how difficult it is to see their pets sick or in pain - and even more difficult to lose them. They are deeply cherished and valued members of our family. Sometimes they are our only family. And sometimes they are our service or support animal who we depend on for our livelihood and wellbeing. And in turn, they depend on us. The bond is deep. And if you’re anything like me, you want to give your animals the very very best care!

Hero & Me

A couple weeks ago my best-friend-soulmate husky Hero was injured. It was a very scary incident for me and despite being in shock I got her to the 24hr ER Vet and within 36 hours we drove to LA to get her into surgery. It was not a life-threatening injury, thank goodness! But for me, who’s first experience with death was at five years old when my cat died after being hit by a car, any sort of accident or illness triggers that threat of loss for me.

I can have a tendency to hover and worry, so I was of course all in to ensure Hero got all she needed during her surgery and recovery. On top of her veterinary care and medication, I incorporated holistic modalities and vibrational remedies like energy work, crystals, sound healing, flower and gem essences, animal communication and more that not only sped up her recovery, but kept her calm and in good spirits. And as her human, I found that being so committed and focused on her recovery was healing for me as well. She and I took the same essences, enjoyed sound healing together, and I also made sure to Self-Reiki before her sessions.

There is profound deepening of the bond to our animals when: 1) we are caring for them during injury or illness; and 2) when we experience healing together. I hope these simple tools and modalities inspire you and assist you in nurturing your beloved animal family as they all provide wonderful complementary support when done alongside professional veterinary treatment.

Animal Reiki

Reiki (the Japanese form of energy healing) is a gentle and non-invasive way to support the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Reiki is the universal life force (Ki, Chi, Prana, etc.) that is already flowing through every living thing. While I work with human and animal clients, I am finding more and more how much I love working with the animals.

Reiki can calm anxious animals prior to vet visits or travel, speed up recovery from illness and injury, address trauma and behavioral issues, ease the stress of rehoming rescues or moving to a new home, bring peace and resolution during hospice or end-of-life care, and overall bring greater harmony to all of your lives. I’ve even seen a few miracles that I hope to write about in the future! Reiki can be done hands-on or with “floating hands” where the hands hover just above the body or even from several feet away. It can also be done remotely using a photo of the animal.

Both pre- and post- surgery I gave Hero hands-on Reiki. In the first few days following her surgery I gave her two sessions a day about 15-20 minutes each. Once in the morning, and once in the afternoon or evening. I always allowed her to lead the session and show me where she wanted my hands. This can be done just by observing the animal’s movements and adjusting accordingly.

While personal agency is a very important human quality - it is equally important for animals to have personal agency. Most of societal programming places humans above animals in the hierarchy of Life. The assumption is that “man” has dominion over animals and they are here to serve us. Not so. This is a belief I hope the mainstream shifts away from.

A very happy Hero after a couple days of Reiki sessions

Animals, just like us, have emotions, desires and needs. They understand everything we say and even read our thoughts (telepathy). Ultimately, they are here to teach us. They deserve equal respect and honor. Letting Hero lead her Reiki session gives her that agency and respect. Likewise, whenever I do a session with an animal client either remote or in-person, I always start by introducing myself to the animal [either telepathically or verbally] and asking if they’d like to receive Reiki. And it’s rare to meet and animal who says no! Animals love Reiki. You’d be amazed at what that simple shift in mindset and behavior can do to deepen and harmonize the relationship with our animal families and all of Life.