Reiki – Healing for Horses

If you are new to the healing powers of Reiki you might be thinking, as I did when I first heard about it, “What is this all about, you can’t really heal anything with energy!”  Well, as I soon discovered, the only limitations that Reiki has are the ones I imposed on it.  And as I began to actually experience and use this amazing healing tool, a whole new world opened up to me and my life was forever changed.

My Reiki journey began nearly a decade ago, when I took a week long aromatherapy for horses course in Dorset, England.  On the course I was surrounded by some interesting characters.  There were herbalists, energy healers and even animal communicators in the bunch.  Being a police officer at the time and coming from what I would describe as a pretty “normal” upbringing, you can imagine that this was not the type of group with which I was accustomed.  Nonetheless, I tried to keep an open mind. 

I had my first Reiki session later in the week and was amazed.  I could literally feel the energy flow through my body as it began clearing away the symptoms of a cold I, only moments ago, could feel coming on.  Needless to say that experience got my attention and I began learning Reiki, eventually becoming a Reiki Master, the highest level of study, myself.  I don’t tell you this to impress but instead to impress upon you the impact this energy healing has had on my life.

If this is brand new to you, it might be helpful to give you a little background on Reiki.  First off, Reiki is a Japanese phrase, “Rei” meaning ‘universal’ and “Ki” meaning ‘life force’.  This “Universal Life Force” was rediscovered in the early 20th century by Dr. Mikao Usui, who then began teaching it to those interested.  Since then it has spread to 100’s of thousands of people in many different countries and it is quickly gaining credibility being used regularly in clinics and hospitals all over the world.  It is a non-invasive energy healing technique that is capable of working on all levels of “dis-ease” in the body, the mind and even the spirit.  It has been shown to alleviate pain and reduce stress in a matter of minutes and can even be a powerful tool for both personal and spiritual development.

Among many things Reiki can:

• Alleviate stress, fears, worry and frustrations
• Assist in cleansing the body of different types of toxins
• Help people break unwanted habits or conditions like smoking, overeating or alcoholism
• Be administered to someone from any distance, whether in the same room or across the globe
• Work on anything from animals to house plants and even your computer!

Now, many years later, as an Equine Behavioral Specialist, Natural Horsemanship Clinician and Animal Communicator, not only do I teach Reiki, I use it almost every day in any number of circumstances. 

Animals are great clients for energy work because they don’t have any preconceived notions or skepticism that often gets in the way of human receptivity.  An animal is simply present to the experience.  If it likes it, it likes it and if it doesn’t it leaves:  Simple as that.  I have found that most horses love Reiki.  They will quite often relax into the healing session, lower their heads, keeping a leg cocked in a relaxed position and even close their eyes as they enjoy the sensation.  Many times you can even hear their stomachs gurgle as the healing energy flows through them, clearing energy blocks as it goes.  And when they have had enough, they will often let you know by “waking up” and sometimes even walking away.

It needs to be noted that Reiki is not intended to be a substitute for Western medicine and a vet should always be notified in cases of illness and concern.  But it is a powerful tool and can assist on many levels of healing.  I have seen it change the lives of people and animals alike.  It has had such a powerful impact so many times that it is impossible to just write it off as coincidence or imagination.  And most importantly, the more you use it, the more your relationship with the world around you changes.  It will strengthen your relationships with people, with nature and, most of all, yourself.  At least that is what it has done for me.