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Shelter Reiki Reflections of 2009

December 29, 2009

Dear SARA Members and Friends,

Thank you for a wonderful year of 2009, offering Reiki to shelter and sanctuary animals around the world! This has been a year of growth, change, new projects, new animal organization members, and the sharing of many wonderful shelter and sanctuary Reiki stories! Some dear friends gave me the wonderful book, Animal Blessings, by June Cotner, for Christmas. I’d like to share with all of you a quote from this book that I feel echoes the heart experiences we often encounter in our Reiki offerings for homeless animals:

I Will Always Remember

I will always remember the olive-eyed tabby who taught me that not all relationships are meant to last a lifetime. Sometimes just an hour is enough to touch your heart. –Barbara L. Diamond

May the memories of the Reiki relationships that you create with the many amazing animals you meet uphold your heart and spirit as you forge ahead in this courageous work. And a Happy New Year to everyone!

With Animal Reiki Blessings,

Kathleen Prasad
SARA President

Reiki For Cats

December 10, 2009

By Kathleen Prasad
Feline Wellness Magazine, December 2009

If you are looking for a gentle and noninvasive technique for supporting feline wellness, look no further than Reiki. Reiki can create relaxation and peace in even the most stressed-out cases-thus it is ideal for cats living in loving homes, as well as shelter and rescued cats. Reiki can help to speed healing after surgery or illness, reduce side-effects of medicine and other treatments, relieve pain, improve behavior problems, heal anxiety-related problems and, when physical healing isn’t possible, ease the transition to death.

The system of Reiki is Japanese in origin. “Rei” means “spirit,” and “Ki” means “energy,” so the word “Reiki” literally translates to “spiritual energy.” Reiki is also a spiritual practice, albeit one without dogma and beliefs, so it is compatible with any religious philosophy. Your intention and commitment to the “doing” of Reiki (meditation and opening to the flow of energy) is important to your own development and healing, as well as your ability to connect with animals successfully. On a personal level, practicing Reiki can deepen your intuition and cause tremendous internal healing on all levels.

Since the way and flow of Reiki is toward perfect energetic balance, it always finds the origin of the problem (since all health problems are “dis-ease” or imbalance) and supports energetic harmony (rebalancing and clearing the energy “flow”). Its harmonic nature also makes Reiki completely safe and ideal for use with other modalities, both conventional and holistic.

Cats are especially sensitive to Reiki energy and will benefit greatly from the approach of treating from a distance, meditatively and respectfully “offering” rather than physically and actively “giving” Reiki with physical contact (as is often done in human Reiki treatments). Incorporating this philosophy with all cats, even those comfortable and familiar with humans, results in a greater openness from the animals and thus greater successes in their treatments. Recently, I experienced this firsthand when working with some feral kittens.

I placed the chair about 10 feet from their cage. Inside, the two feral kittens, one gray and one black, stared at me, terrified. The black one stood in front of the gray, clearly protecting her little brother. They had been rescued the previous day from a hillside just off the freeway. My friend Janet, who feeds several feral colonies throughout San Francisco and also frequently rescues and gives aid to these kitties, had taken the two kittens into her home until the SPCA could evaluate their adoption potential. Thus far, Janet had been scratched and bitten, and had to wear gloves when reaching into the cage to feed or clean.

The other members of her cat family were also very interested in the new arrivals, sitting near the window where the cage was located. One of these cats, Honeydew, had been previously rescued and adopted by Janet from the same colony. Still quite feral, she had hidden herself in another room when I arrived.

Before I began the Reiki treatment, I set my intention to offer them some healing, but let go of my expectations about what might happen, understanding that they need only take what they were comfortable with-which may be nothing at all. I visualized myself several feet away from them and not breaching this space. In addition, I avoided eye contact so as not to push any kind of physical connection with them. I closed my eyes, rested my hands on my lap and began to offer Reiki.

As I began the treatment, which involves simply connecting with the energy and then “holding a healing space” for the cats, I focused on a feeling of peace and tranquility inside myself. It was obvious that the cats were tremendously fearful and stressed, and I knew Reiki would help them relax. I also visualized Janet and what a safe, good person she was. They were in a good place where they would have food and shelter.

Although I didn’t open my eyes for nearly a half an hour, I felt the energy flow strongly through me as sensations of heat and buzzing through my hands, arms and body. The best description of what it feels like to offer Reiki is what it feels like to be in a deep and peaceful meditation. I knew, because of the strong flow and relaxation I felt, that the kittens were accepting the treatment.

At the end of the treatment, when I began to feel the energy dissipate and my mind return from the deep meditation I had entered, I opened my eyes. The two kittens had moved to the front of the cage, closest to me, and fallen fast asleep. In addition, Janet’s timid cat Honeydew came out of her place of hiding and was curiously watching me from just a few feet away. As I met eyes with her, she held my gaze quizzically for a long moment, then looked at the kittens, and then back to me. Then she disappeared as silently as she had come. It was as if she was telling me, “I felt the energy, too. Thank you for helping them.” Janet had been quietly watching Honeydew’s visit from the next room. She smiled wide-eyed at me, amazed at her cat’s uncharacteristic behavior, as well as the kittens’ relaxed demeanors.

In just one treatment, the kittens showed good improvement. As early as the next day, Janet was able to reach into the cage and hold and pet the gray kitten. The black, although still fearful, refrained from attacking her hands.

Soon, with continued Reiki, combined with patient work and lots of love from cat socializers, the kittens learned to trust people. Within a few months, “Cody” and “Millie” were adopted into good homes.

As this story illustrates, Reiki is safe, gentle and noninvasive. For those of you unfamiliar with energetic therapies, let your cats be your guides: Our feline friends are so much more aware of this subtle energetic communication. See what they think of Reiki, and you never know-you just might find yourself trying a treatment, too!

Reiki at AID: Button

December 1, 2009

Button I met Button a few days after she arrived at Animals in Distress. Button is a Jack Russell Terrier who at the age of 8 weeks suffered a broken back when she was dropped. Knowing Button as I do now, I’m sure she surprised the person holding her by wriggling, thereby causing her own injury.

Button was taken to the family’s vet who diagnosed her broken back and recommended that Button be put down. The family was in the middle of their own personal difficulties, but was not ready to give up on Button. They contacted AID.

AID often works with special needs animals, many considered “hopeless”. Button certainly fit that description! She was relinquished to AID and crated temporarily in the cat wing under the watchful eye of Spook, another of AID’s “hopeless” residents. Spook, too, has a broken back and has no use of his hindquarters.

I first saw Button during my usual weekly visit. She was huddled in the back of her crate. After a few minutes, she was able to get up and hobble to her food dish. Her rear legs held her upright, but were otherwise nearly useless. I offered her Reiki for a few minutes then continued to see my other “regulars”.

Button was seen by a veterinary neurologist and got some good news. The doctor said she would likely recover at least limited use of her legs! She was to have cage rest for two months to be sure she didn’t re-injure herself. Aside from that, we were advised to hope for the best.

Button became one of my regulars. I saw her every week for the next several months. At first, I held her throughout our sessions. She readily accepted Reiki and always seemed happy to see me.

She steadily improved to where she was allowed to walk on lead for brief periods. She was unsteady, as you’d expect, but became more active and more agile each week. She progressed from being held to spending our sessions on lead in the courtyard investigating the grass, leaves, sticks, insects and whatever else she could find within the limited area she was allowed to roam.

By the time her cage rest prescription was finished, Button was more than ready to be turned loose! For several weeks she’d been making it very clear that she was ready to boogie and we were putting a major damper on her enthusiasm! I told her to be patient, that I knew she was ready, but she had to humor the humans who were concerned about her.

The neurologist saw Button again and verified her considerable progress, but advised further caution just to be sure. Button begged to differ and looked for every opportunity to show us she was just fine, thank you very much! As you can see from the video below, she had gone from the sad little puppy I’d first met to the happy, energetic little ball of fire that typifies her breed. She had places to go, people to see and things to do!

I continued to see Button for several weeks after she had clearly recovered from her injury. She was much less interested in Reiki, being busy catching up on the time she’d lost, so I told Lori, the kennel manager, that it was time for me to focus on other animals in greater need. As much as I loved seeing Button, she no longer needed me.

I’m happy to report that Button was eventually adopted by an AID volunteer who was chosen from several applications. I’ll always remember Button, the “miracle” puppy, with appreciation and a smile!

By SARA Director John Sawyer

Reiki for Tigers and an Ocelot

November 23, 2009

I received the most wonderful story from a Reiki colleague Martha Wewer, who volunteers regularly at Carolina Tiger Rescue in North Carolina. I am so pleased to present this story to all of you. It is an amazing lesson in animal awareness of the energy, and the connections and trust that can be created, even with wild animals. A big key to Martha’s success here, is her respectful approach, which all animals appreciate. Working with these incredible animals, Martha is also learning the important lesson in letting go of our expectations and learning to trust in the energy. Enjoy reading this heartwarming story!

With Animal Reiki Blessings,

Kathleen Prasad, SARA President

You Do Reiki on WHAT?!?
By Martha K. Wewer

I started volunteering at Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, NC because my husband, Tim, took a position as an intern animal keeper at the facility. This wonderful non-profit sanctuary is dedicated to saving big and small cats while educating the public of the natural history and plight of these amazing animals. During his orientation the animal curator, Kathryn, had mentioned to my husband that there was a volunteer who did Reiki on the some of the cats. Tim was thrilled and told Kathryn, “my wife does Reiki and loves animals! Maybe she could help!” Of course I was beyond thrilled, I mean, who wouldn’t be? I would be spending time with tigers! Then nervousness, anxiousness and doubt set in. How would I approach this situation? (Carolina Tiger Rescue has a strict “hands-off” policy with the animals; even the ones who have been reared at the facility are not to be touched out of respect for the animal and the safety of the volunteer). What if I wasn’t good enough? What if I didn’t help the animals enough? What if it had been too long? What if I was too emotionally drained to be of any use?

About a year and a half ago, a personal tragedy in mine and my husband’s lives caused me to be angry, sad, anxious, and depressed. I lost faith in myself and the universe around me. I had even walked away from Reiki. Every new opportunity in my life now was colored by my intense grief. But I was so excited to spend even a minute at the Rescue that I swallowed my fears and trusted in myself and the Reiki.

Tim decided that the two animals who would benefit most from twice weekly Reiki sessions were Nitro Tiger and Reagandale Ocelot. Nitro Tiger (and his enclosure mate, Apache Tiger) came to the Rescue in April of this year from a junkyard in Kansas. Upon arriving at the Rescue, it became obvious to the keepers that Nitro was blind. Despite his rough start in life and his disability, he would “chuffle” (a tigers way of saying “hello” – sort of a low, quick purring noise) at the keepers. Nitro seemed to know he was safe but he was still fearful and anxious at times, particularly when the pickup trucks used to deliver the food would drive past his enclosure. He would begin to pace frantically and turn in circles, clearly in distress. The goal was to provide healing to Nitro in hopes that he would become more and more comfortable in his surroundings.

My second “client” was Reagandale Ocelot, who was born at the Rescue. She suffered an injury as a kitten that damaged her left front leg, causing her to limp and stumble while running, climbing and jumping – all things that ocelots do a lot of. The goal with Reagandale was to provide some relief to her arthritic leg and increase her quality of life.

I had read through The Animal Reiki Handbook and practiced on myself, Tim and our dogs but let me tell you, when the day came to head out to the Rescue, I was still nervous. As we approached Reagandale’s enclosure, I took a deep breath, placed my towel on the ground in front of her, sat down, and asked her permission to begin. I recited the 5 Reiki principles, placed my hands palms up on my knees and began the session. In a matter of a minute or so, my hands got so warm! I was tempted to open my eyes and see how Reagandale was reacting but I resisted. One of the most wonderful things about Reagandale is she purrs…loudly…and intensely. I could practically track her by the noise she was making and boy, she was active! She would sit in front of me at the fence, run up her ramp to her perch, climb onto her den box…

After 15 minutes or so, I didn’t hear her purring anymore so I opened my eyes. She had retreated to the back of the enclosure so I took that as a sign from her that she was done with her Reiki treatment. I thanked her and got up. Tim had been observing us and he was amazed. He had never seen Reagandale so active! In subsequent sessions, keepers and staff would observe my Reiki treatments with Reagandale and they would say the same thing, she was definitely livelier and more energetic then they had ever seen her.

Regandale Relaxing — Reagandale Relaxing

We headed over to Nitro’s enclosure. I sat cross-legged on my towel in front of the enclosure and asked his permission begin. I could hear Nitro pacing back and forth in front of me. Like with Reagandale, I could track him with my ears. I was concentrating on his fear and anxiety and hoping that by sending him waves of love, he would settle down. I heard Nitro continue to pace and then he stopped. Nothing. No noise. I opened one eye and there he was, all 400 pounds, right in front of me, pawing at the ground. There was no aggression, just curiousness…I knew he couldn’t see me but he knew I was there (for the record, tigers don’t rely heavily on their sense of smell and I had been instructed not to wear anything scented so he wasn’t just smelling me). We continued that way for the rest of the session – Nitro would move in and out of my direct line of “sight,” stopping to paw at me occasionally. Finally, after about 20 minutes, he moved to the back of the enclosure and lay down. I took that as a sign that he was done and thanked him and got up. Tim looked at me in wonder and said he had never seen Nitro paw at the fence like that. I left the Rescue that day, just ecstatic.

Over the course of the past 3 months, I have been volunteering with Nitro and Reagandale twice a week. I would love to say that Nitro is no longer fearful of the trucks or that he has stopped pacing but that is not the case. There are days when Nitro wants nothing to do with me and the sessions are short. Other days, he will lie down in front of me during the session and it will last 25-30 minutes. I can report that an unexpected benefit of my sessions with Nitro is that shy and protective Apache, Nitro’s enclosure mate, has become more and more present in our sessions. He had been rarely seen outside of his den box with the exception of meal time, but during my sessions with Nitro he will often lie down several feet from us and watch me. Only 2 weeks ago, I sat down to begin work with Nitro and Apache stood up in his den box, looked directly at me and walked straight to where I sat, put his face right in front of mine, and began to “chuffle.” It was the most unbelievable experience to have a 400 pound tiger walk directly at you, staring you in the eyes.

My experiences have been the same with Reagandale as with Nitro. Some days my hands are so warm from the energy she is taking and other days, while she’s friendly and purring, she doesn’t seem to need the energy as much. My ego wants to “cure” them, to “fix” them both and I get frustrated that there is not some more obvious break though that I can point to and say, “I did that!” However, I’m trusting in myself again and trusting in the Reiki. I know both animals are taking from our sessions what they need, when they need it and using in whatever way they need to. While I struggle with my desire to make everything “perfect” for these cats, I remain unbelievably grateful to have the opportunity to try.

Another Lesson in “Trust” from Reiki

November 10, 2009

I recently had the opportunity to give a SARA presentation to a local humane society animal shelter. We tried for several weeks to coordinate my schedule with the schedules of the Executive Director and her right hand person. I met both of them a couple of months prior to our meeting and I also attended their volunteer orientation. We were happy to finally set a date to discuss Reiki and the SARA program.

The presentation lasted about an hour and they both were very excited about Reiki and the benefits it could bring to the animals and the shelter. Since neither of them had experienced Reiki for themselves I offered to give them each a mini Reiki session. It lasted about 10 minutes each and both commented on how relaxed and peaceful they felt. I could feel the positive flow of our meeting.

Prior to the meeting we talked about offering Reiki to some of the dogs. They decided it would be best to bring one of the dogs into the very big conference/training room that we were in. The wanted to try it with the dog out of his element. The assistant went to get the “dog that had some issues” and the ED was called out by one of the staff momentarily.

This is when my mind started on a wild race with all of the “what ifs”- the control- the preconceived ideas of what it should look like-I thought we would be in the kennel with the dog- I feel pressure to perform-and on and on. WHOA–slow down cowgirl as I pull myself back in. It is amazing to me, given the opportunity how many scenarios my mind can create in a matter of seconds! As I sat in this big conference room alone, I gave myself Reiki, I sent Reiki into the room-which already felt wonderful from the Reiki I gave the humans just minutes ago.

The assistant brought in a male Pit Bull mix breed that destroys everything and anything he finds. He is anxious, a bit nervous and not quite ready for adoption. The ED is sitting at the table across from me and the assistant is on the floor at one end of the room. I have already explained to them the way we offer Reiki with SARA. The dog is free to roam in the room and I allow him to come in and out of the Reiki space I am creating and take the amount of Reiki he needs.

I make my self comfortable in the chair as I close my eyes and began to offer him Reiki. I can feel immediately the Reiki flowing from my hands and know he is accepting it. However, he is pacing around the room, sniffing every chair (about 20 of them), every corner and nook. He is breathing heavy. He comes over to me for about 30 seconds and places his head on my lap and paces off. Eventually, he makes his way over to the assistant and plops beside her.

Again, my mind wants to go on it’s tangent of how this should look and what he should be doing. What are the humans thinking? Do they think I am crazy sitting here with my eyes closed and my open hands resting on my lap, appearing to be doing nothing. I come back to focus on the Reiki, by silently saying the dog’s name or chanting a Reiki symbol. I trust the Reiki is happening (I can feel it, so I know that it is) and allow it. He continues to lay, roll and play beside the assistant. There is a sense of peacefulness in the room.

Just as the animals take the Reiki in the ebb and flow, so does my mind. In the 15 minutes I was with the dog I would “worry” and then come back and allow. In the end I received much validation from the humans on the incredible difference they saw in the dog. As they put it, “they never saw him so relaxed and at peace”. They thought it was amazing. I too found it to be amazing, because I was concerned of how he appeared to be anxious. I had never seen the dog before to know his typical behavior that was now apparently transformed.

We plan to introduce Reiki in the shelter in the near future, as they have made many changes and want to slowly introduce another change. My lesson from the dog is to just “TRUST”the Reiki. I am grateful for all the animals that continue to guide me and help me to just allow rather than do!

Reiki At AID: Allie

November 1, 2009

Allie

I volunteer weekly at Animals In Distress in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, offering Reiki to the animals and teaching Reiki to the staff and volunteers who wish to become Reiki practitioners. I have been involved with AID since late 2004 when my wife and I adopted from them a beautiful Great Pyrenees. At the time I was quite impressed with the facility and the philosophy with which it is run.

Some time after we brought Sugar Bear home, I spoke with the director and offered to bring Reiki to the shelter. She agreed and I have been doing so on a weekly basis since then.

Typically, I have worked regularly with two or three animals chosen by the shelter staff. Some have been long term cases and others have only had a session or two. AID houses both dogs and cats as well as the occasional goat, duck or other critter that has found its way there. At the moment, there are two guinea pigs residing in the cat wing!

My current focus is a beautiful little Pomeranian named Allie. Allie is approximately 1 to 2 years of age. She has some neurological issues due apparently to brain trauma. No one really knows what happened to her, but the neurologist who examined her said that it could have been encephalitis or some similar swelling of the brain that has caused her to lose her sight and her hearing as well as a good deal of motor control.

Allie has a difficult time walking and eating and needs help with both. It is difficult to tell how she is dealing with her loss of vision and hearing impairment because her reactions to things are not typical and may very well be random movements not connected with visual or auditory stimuli at all.

When I first began working with Allie a few months ago, I followed the protocol that we use as SARA practitioners: allowing Allie to roam freely in the room while offering Reiki and letting her make physical contact if she chose to. She would generally walk around a bit, then eventually lay down with her head up.

She would begin to nod off to sleep, rolling very slowly toward one side or the other. She would get perhaps one-third of the way down, then jerk back upright as though startled by something. This would repeat over and over with her getting further toward the floor each time, but each time coming back up with a start.

It was apparent to me that she wanted to relax and go to sleep, but she seemed to be afraid to go to sleep. The more I worked with her, the more I got the strong feeling she needed to sleep as much as she could, but for whatever reason, was unable to get into a good sound sleep.

At about the fourth or fifth session, Allie actually lay all the way down and slept for perhaps 30 seconds before starting awake again. The next session, she slept for a few minutes. It seemed we were making progress!

The next session, she would not even lay down. After 15 minutes or so, she was still standing and seemed agitated. I had the impulse to pick her up in my arms despite knowing that she had historically struggled and protested when picked up and held, especially since her trip to the neurologist.

Much to my surprise, within a minute or two, Allie fell asleep in my arms! She slept that way for about 30 minutes until I had to get back to work.

Since then, the kennel staff has reported that Allie is much more willing to be held and now falls asleep almost immediately whenever someone picks her up. Our weekly sessions now consist of me holding her in my arms for an hour while she sleeps and draws Reiki energy. By the time we’re done each week, she is positively glowing with energy and the staff person who takes her from me always remarks on how warm she feels.

This is a wonderful example of an animal communicating her needs and the way she wishes to receive Reiki. The neurologist has said that he believes Allie’s condition will not worsen, but will likely stay as it is for the balance of her life. Reiki may very well have something to say about that! So far, there have not been any major neurological changes, but her acceptance of being held and of Reiki is a positive change.

By SARA Director John Sawyer

Welcome to the Shelter Animal Reiki Association Community Blog

October 5, 2009

About the Shelter Animal Reiki Association

Reiki is a holistic Japanese energy healing modality that promotes stress reduction and relaxation. SARA was founded in May 2008 to support the growing number of Reiki practitioners who wish to establish programs in their local shelters. SARA’s goals are to: Teach and foster an understanding of energy healing; provide a standardized approach to implementing professional animal Reiki programs for shelters, sanctuaries and other facilities that assist animals in need; document the effects of animal Reiki on individual animals and the possible effects on shelter and rescue statistics as a whole; serve as a worldwide information and referral resource for Reiki practitioners, shelters, sanctuaries and other facilities that assist animals in need that wish to incorporate an animal Reiki program; and educate the public, shelters, sanctuaries and other facilities that assist animals in need on the benefits animal Reiki can provide to animals in need and their human caretakers.

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