Does animal Reiki or pet Reiki work? Many of my students and clients ask me if Reiki, which is also known as energy healing, would work on their animals or pets. My answer is always yes and I will add, in many cases more quickly than it does on humans and usually takes less time. I'll get more into that later. It is first important to know what Reiki is and how it works.
What is Reiki?
Your body has specific energy points or vortexes called chakras. These chakras are important because they deliver life force energy throughout the body of humans, animals, and other living things alike and help them to self-repair. When these chakras are blocked, it can cause pain, disease, anxiety, and depression among many other maladies. When they are open, the energy of the body flows easily and you can self-heal and this is what Reiki does.
Reiki is a rediscovered form of very ancient energy healing of Eastern medical origin. We now know through modern science and quantum physics, that all things are made of energy, including our pets and animals. Simply put, Reiki works with this energy creating balance physically, mentally, and emotionally. As a natural result of this balance, the subject is left feeling relaxed, peaceful, and free of pain or other imbalances.
Reiki and your Pets and Animals
Your pets and animals are usually much more open than we are unless they've been traumatized in some way. They don't have minds that are predominantly focused on the past or future like we are. They are in the present moment most of the time and are only concerned with their immediate survival. This enables them to be more receptive and open to the Reiki energy. Also, they have no preconceived notions about Reiki energy so they are not at all likely to try to block Reiki energy. Some animals can be a little apprehensive when they feel Reiki for the first time. This is because they don't know what these new sensations they feel are or where they are coming from. Reiki is completely new to them and unlike anything they have felt before so they might be a bit skittish at first but usually will settle down when they realize there is nothing to fear and that it is pleasurable and calming. If you have had a Reiki yourself, you'll know what I'm talking about. Other animals will right away sense the high quality, clamming nature of Reiki energy and will be quite receptive from the start. This varies from animal to animal and their specific personalities and experiences. My dog and cat were both very receptive to the Reiki energy, though both were a little apprehensive the first time but then really loved receiving it. So much so that they would seek it out when I was performing Reiki on my clients. It is important to note that Reiki has also been endorsed by the American Kennel Club ( Check out Reiki healing at akc.org), Chewy (be.chewy.com, 5 questions about animal Reiki answered) and in the National Library of Medicine, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871310/
What do Pets and Animals feel when receiving Reiki?
Animals feel pretty much the same energy as humans do when it comes to Reiki. Reiki is a very gentle energy. They will usually feel a comforting warmth with some pleasant but slight, tingling sensations throughout their bodies. They will also begin to feel more relaxed and calm as the Reiki session continues. If the animal or pet has an extremely anxious nature or is highly traumatized, it may take a few sessions for them to get to a deeply relaxed and calm place. Be patient, animals like humans respond to therapies in their own time. Given the time that they need, Reiki will be very healing for them as it is to all things, and they will feel calmer and relaxed not only when getting Reiki but in general as well.
How can Reiki help my Animals or Pets?
It is important to know that Reiki is healing to all living things and can do no harm. It heals mentally, physically, and emotionally for your animals as well as it does for humans, and sometimes better because of the reasons I've already listed. Here are just a few of the ways Reiki can help your pets…
· If your pet or animal has been injured or had surgery, Reiki will reduce the pain and the healing time.
· If your pet or animal has anxiety or has been traumatized, Reiki will, with time and patience aid in easing their fears and anxieties.
· If your pet or animal is sick, Reiki can reduce discomfort, and healing time and boost the immune system.
· If your pet or animal is terminally ill, Reiki can reduce their discomfort and pain.
· Regular Reiki treatments will help your animal or pet to maintain health and balance.
Can I Learn to do Reiki on my Pets or Animals?
Everyone has the ability to perform Reiki with proper in-person training and certification. Please see my blog on why you shouldn't take Reiki training online. There are some very important reasons why your training should be done in person. Once you are trained in Reiki, you can administer it to any living thing for its healing. You will require no specialized training to work on animals. I only would recommend that you familiarize yourself with the chakra system of the animals you'll be working on. You can find a chakra chart for every animal online for free. The rest will come with practice and experience and what you learned about Reiki in your training. If you're an animal lover like I am, this can be a very rewarding experience. I highly recommend it if you're so inclined!
With Love and Light,
Katherine McBride, C.P.C.
Reiki Master / Teacher
Karuna Reiki® Master / Teacher
Certified Life Coach
Cell: 714.321.8259
Email: reikiearthmother@gmail.com
Website: reikiearthmother.com