“What does it mean to heal?”
This question is so important for Animal Reiki Practitioners to ask themselves. And your answer will make all the difference in your ability to connect gently, respectfully and effectively with all animals, no matter their species, history or healing challenge.
Healing as Wholeness
In modern society, healing is often thought of as a “cure” to this or that problem. Mental and physical efforts target symptoms and/or origins of specific ailments. Diagnosis is needed for this type of remedy to be applied. Some systems of Animal Reiki emphasize that the practitioner must gather the medical history of the animal and focus on these specific medical issues to determine what type of Reiki to apply. It’s perfectly natural for us to think in these terms, as this is a normal way of being with each other, human to human. Unfortunately though, animals don’t respond well to this approach. To make sure we are respecting and honoring animal comfort and preference, in the Let Animals Lead® method of training, we do something very different: we let go of what is “wrong” and instead go back to the origins of the word healing as “to make whole.”
When we see healing as finding our wholeness in this very moment, whatever it looks like, it becomes a very different pursuit. Rather than focusing our efforts on counteracting a specific problem, as we might do when trying to “cure” something, the pursuit of wholeness is about remembering our beautiful inner light in this moment. This light is always perfect and nothing, not illness, not injury, not disease, not pain, not suffering: nothing can diminish our inner light. Remembering our wholeness, even amidst disease, pain and/or suffering, is always possible. Holding this space for animals creates amazing transformations!
Becoming Our Best Self in the World
By cultivating the light of our Best Self, we can embody happiness, peace, loving-kindness, and compassion in the world. In shining our own light more brightly, we can be a mirror to others, helping them remember their own infinite healing potential when they face difficulties. This can help animals experience a deep level of relaxation and stress-relief, which leads to rebalancing and re-harmonizing of body, mind and spirit. Our daily mindfulness and meditation practice is the key to the Let Animals Lead® method.
Letting Go of What is Wrong
The Let Animals Lead® method is very unique as a system of Animal Reiki. There is absolutely no need for physical touch or even any kind of mental focus on our hands. There is no need to know the anatomy or disease processes of the animal or the specific diagnosis they have. In fact, focusing on our hands, on touch, on the anatomy and on what is wrong is a hindrance in connecting with animals. This understanding made all the difference in my practice but is something I only learned after many years of doing the opposite and only with much patient teaching from many, many animals.
[bctt tweet=”If I wanted animals to be able to connect in the healing Reiki space, I had to let go of what was wrong with them and see more deeply.” username=”ARS_animalreiki”]
In the past, before I discovered this approach, animals would sometimes walk away from me, give me a stare of disapproval, or show discomfort with the session. Sometimes this was due to me initiating physical contact with them, but other times it was due to something as slight as a mental thought about their problem or issue. At first I thought this was them saying, “No,” to Reiki, but in time I learned they were simply expressing discomfort with my presence and internal agenda of needing to fix them. Over time I slowly realized that if I didn’t want animals to be put off by “me” and if I wanted them to be able to connect in the healing Reiki space, I had to let go (physically and mentally) of what was wrong with them and see more deeply. I had to learn a different definition of what it means to heal, and luckily the animals were happy to teach me. In time, as I began to awaken to the many spiritual lessons from animals, this also evolved into a new way of letting animals lead each session. Now know with confidence that if I follow the Let Animals Lead® method, I will always receive only positive responses from animals!
Being a Rock of Stability for Others
If we want to create the ideal conditions of trust so animals can fully connect with us in the Reiki space, it begins with us. Our approach should always be the same: healing is the embodiment of peace and compassion while we hold space with animals. Healing is remembering that All is Well in this moment. With daily practice, we can learn to focus on the animal’s perfection and Best Self in every moment and this will help them find peace and compassion even in the most difficult situations. With practice, we can be a rock of stability to animals and the people who love them.