Reiki Who?

A few years ago, I was telling my ex vet (one of the reasons, he became my ex vet) that I was taking Zeus to Reiki every week, and he asked me: “Reiki Who?” I can’t get over that one!

As always, I only talk about my experience! When Zeus got older, and started to have arthritis in his joints, I tried to help with anything which could come into my mind. It was so painful just to see him walk. Hey, it was my boy, Zeus, the one who could run away from me with the Thanksgiving turkey, the one who could not resist a chipmunk or who loved to retrieve, but always needed two bumpers at the same time to retrieve. He was not going for only one! He had standards!

Besides the medications for his joints and some anti-inflammatory pain meds, what else could I do to help him? We did acupuncture, and he was totally relaxed after the sessions. So relaxed that he did not even want to climb back to my truck despite of its ramp, and I had to carry his 100lbs. to the truck!

I found a swimming pool for dogs with jets in Virginia and decided to give it a try. It was so sad for me to suddenly realize that Zeus, who loved so much the water, did not enjoy these swimming and retrieving sessions. He was just too tired for them.

At the same place, there was an advertisement for Reiki sessions, and I decided to give it a try!

WHAT IS REIKI?

Reiki is a Japanese healing art for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. The meaning of Reiki in Japanese is “Universal Life Force”, and was synthetized in the late 1800’s by Mikao Usui.

In Reiki, the practitioner is seeking to transmit Universal Life Energy to the patient. The goal is to create relaxation, to help speed healing, reduce pain. It is administered by “laying on hands”. In the Reiki philosophy, the “life force energy” flows through us and is the reason we are alive. If one’s “Life force Energy” is low, we are more susceptible to get sick, and if it’s high we should be more able to be happy and healthy. Reiki can also be practiced “long distance” as a form or prayer.

REIKI and animals: When they are ill: Reiki helps the healing process.

– When they are young or old: You can use Reiki on an animal of any age or situation.

– When they have been through a trauma: Animals can use loving energy after they’ve experienced any type of abuse, loss, or move, or if they seem to exhibit depression or other behavioral disorder.

For the last three years of his life, he had a Reiki session with Ingrid on Thursdays at 10:00 am. I swear he knew when it was Thursday! Every time, he was waiting for me by the door. We both loved those Thursdays!

Of course, Zeus being Zeus, he was playing me so well. To go to the Reiki room, we had to go through a pet store with all the possible yummy treats near his nose. So of course, he was stopping every two feet and looking at me like “hey, you want me to walk more? I need a cookie!” We played the game, each time. I was always taking a cookie with me and was putting it in front of him to make him walk to the Reiki room, and most of the time it worked.

Once there, he was going straight to the sheep rug, crashed on it, and allowed Ingrid to do the magic with her hands. He was enjoying those 45 minutes, every minute of them, enjoying the touch, my presence, and the peaceful ambiance of the room.

What was amazing was to see Zeus after the Reiki session. He was coming as an old guy, and leaving as a mature but quite alert pup! He would have probably needed Reiki every day, and sometimes I do regret not to have thought at that time of studying Reiki to give it to him on a daily basis.

Even now, more than four years after his passing, I can still picture him by the front door waiting for me on “Ingrid’s Day”.

Two years after Zeus died, our Golden retriever was diagnosed with Lymphocytic Leukemia. Pouch was the first dog who allowed us to have a long, very long goodbye. We fought that disease. He got chemotherapy, and I remember how the first time I had to give him these little red pills, I started crying like a baby, because I knew that they will change my boy forever as well as weaken his immune system.

I also decided to try Reiki for him. He would need as much comfort as he could get. Reiki gives energy to those lacking it, and here we went again on a Thursday and it was at “Zeus time” which was kind of eerie.

The difference between Zeus and Pouch is that Zeus loved to be in my truck when Pouch was a bit claustrophobic and never enjoyed car rides. After the first session, Ingrid suggested “long distance Reiki”. I was not familiar with it at all, and yes, for me, it sounded a bit sketchy, but hey, anything which could help my boy was worth a try.

This is another day that I will never forget. It was a Monday, and Pouch was supposed to have his first “Long distance Reiki” in the afternoon. I was in my office at my computer, and he was lying in a bed near me. Suddenly I heard him having a huge sigh which make me turn around to look at him, and he was still in the “sigh process” while at the same time stretching his legs. And the phone rang. It was Ingrid who told me she just finished the Reiki session with Pouch and that he needed a lot of energy in his back. After that day, I never had a second thought about it. Pouch got Reiki until he died a year later.

You know, with furry kids, when they are sick or getting older with pains, you can’t explain anything to them, so I am always on the lookout for anything which could make them as comfortable as possible, and Reiki has been a huge part of their wellbeing.

Now, when I look at my pack, I know that in some years, I am going to have 6 senior dogs with pains and aches. I can barely think about it without tearing up, and I need to be ready for them. So, not long ago, I started to learn how to practice Reiki and I am going to go all the way, and one day, when my pack is old and gray, I will be there with Reiki and unconditional love for my furever furry kids.