THERAPY FOR PETS

Mind, Body and Spiritual health applies to our pets too. Continue reading to learn how you can help your pet find their own inner peace. 

Our Pets Are Family, Consider Their Mental Health Too

They can dig up you lawn, eat your flowers, tear apart your new leather shoes, scratch a beloved piece of furniture, drop your precious china on the floor, and generally make messes and more work for you, but you love them anyway. Who is this creature? It’s none other than the family pet. Whether they have fur or feathers, scales or spikes, for many of us, our pets become part of our family. We tolerate their occasional disasters or early morning wake up calls because we receive a rare and precious gift back, the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.

Okay so it may be hard to tell if your pet fish or exotic lizard really loves you, but they do trust you to take care of them and they depend on you. An Ipsos Reid poll shows that 83% of Canadians consider their pet to be a family member with 4 in 10 believing that pets can be a good substitute for human companionship.  So your pet is seen as a member of your family. You make sure it has all its basic needs met, now what?

What about your pets Spiritual well being? Don’t worry, I am not going to say that should meditate with your cat or try to find your dogs inner puppy!  For some people who want to try and do that, I say more power to you! What I want to offer you is something to try, that is a little more tangible and easier to do.  I find that it is especially helpful for pets that can be held and touched comfortably. I have only used this technique on furry friends, but if you want to try it on your lizard or fish or other type of pet, please use appropriate cautions, and a gentle touch as always.

I have found that a combination of Reiki and EFT has been beneficial for my pet. My pet is a super hyper, very talkative (when I say “talking” what I mean is meowing…a LOT!), 6 year old Tuxedo cat named Treun.  I don’t think she has really ever stopped talking since the day she was born except when she sleeps! I have used Reiki, which is a form of Japanese energy healing, on my cat for years with great success to the tune, that she is calmer and seems happier afterwards. With any animal, knowing their temperament is important before you start any sort of energy work or healing modality. I know that my cat will let me do pretty much anything I want to her, but please dear reader, if you have a volatile pet, or are trying to help someone else’s pet, please proceed with caution or call upon an experienced professional such as myself.

EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique is a form of acupressure, which is used to help with many emotional and physical issues. On pets, it can be used to help them to become calmer in general, and help them with anxiety, which is common in pets and often exhibited as separation anxiety when the owner leaves the home.  It can also be used to ease physical pains such as arthritis in elderly pets. When working with animals, generally it is better to gently massage the required points instead of tapping as that could lead to irritation and/or pain.

A recent example of how EFT and Reiki benefited my cat was that one particular day my cat Treun would not stop talking (again read this as meowing incessantly to the point where I could feel a migraine forming in my brain!), and followed me for every step I took, so much that I was tripping over her. I scooped her up and performed gentle EFT and then Reiki on her. She instantly became limp and relaxed and began to purr. After I was finished, and we could both think straight, she was much calmer for the rest of the day. The entire session with her lasted about 30 minutes as I incorporated both healing modalities on her, but because animals don’t like to stay in one spot it could take longer depending on your pet and how restless they are.  Most animals will respond positively to both Reiki and EFT as they can sense that you are not there to harm them, and only want the best for them.