Reiki makes a difference.
My dog Berkeley was born with a few dental issues. Four of his upper teeth were cutting into his lower jaw, causing inflammation that would eventually lead to an infection in his lower jaw. After careful research, I scheduled his surgery on a Friday of last February.
The surgery went well, but after three days Berkeley started bleeding. I will spare you the details, but I have never seen such a small animal lose so much blood, and lose it so fast. It was horrible. Was it from the surgery? Did he eat a chicken bone?
After a trip to the vet, I found out it was a reaction to his pain medication. I was very relieved to find it wasn’t something worse, but Berkeley was still far from well. He was given medication for his colon and had to eat boiled chicken and rice until his digestion returned to normal. That meant he had to poop, which might take as long as three days.
Berkeley was feeling pretty bad. When we got home from the animal hospital, he got out of the car and just rolled over on the garage floor because he was so tired. It was scary and heart-breaking.
As soon as I carried Berkeley inside, I started giving him Reiki with both hands. It was cold and rainy outside, and my hands were warm with energy. Berkeley turned over on his back and snuggled in for all he could get.
I have never seen any person or animal take in so much Reiki as my nineteen-pound dog did over those three days. For about a year before the surgery, Berkeley and I had been meditating and sharing Reiki every morning. We were doing a beautiful Reiki meditation I learned in Kathleen Prasad’s Animal Reiki courses, that does not require touch. Now, though, he wanted Reiki with my hands on him.
My boyfriend Geoffrey is also a Reiki Practitioner, and we both gave Berkeley Reiki throughout the evenings, often all three of us sharing Reiki at the same time. Berkeley comes to work with me, so he also had Reiki between clients during the day.
When giving Reiki to animals, the animals let you how much they want, and I watched carefully for any signs of Reiki over-saturation. Berkeley always turned over asked for more. There were even times when he was so uncomfortable he did not want to be petted, but he always wanted my hands on him for Reiki.
Doing continual healing work with Berkeley was a profound experience. Many times during those three days there was no “me” giving Reiki, there was no “Berkeley” receiving Reiki, there was just this beautiful, peaceful, loving connection. There was just this space where we were all connected, and everything was ok, really ok. It’s impossible to describe fully.
What could have been an emotionally stressful time became a great gift with Reiki. If you are the least bit interested in learning to share Reiki with your animal, you can start by checking out Kathleen Prasad’s book “Reiki For Dogs.” Even if you have never done energy work before, do one of her “Try This” exercises and see what happens. You may be amazed.
I would like to thank The Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital, Dr. Isaacson, Reiki Teacher Kathleen Prasad, Sharon, Maurine, Neal, Terese, Bruce, Mojo, my Mom and Geoffrey Matsumoto for all your support during Berkeley’s recovery.
Jeri Lawson is available for Healing Touch, Reiki, and Clarity Breathwork sessions Monday through Friday, 10 am to 8 pm, in the Temescal Area of Oakland, California
Grounding helps the body feel safe.
I often schedule a healing for myself when I feel sluggish or ungrounded. Most of my clients also come for a session when they feel out of balance or stressed.
Sacred Space is healing.
A core belief is a decision that you have made about yourself, or your life, on a subconscious level that becomes dominant and repetitive.
Kathleen’s classes are unique in her emphasis on traditional Japanese Reiki techniques integrated into Animal Reiki practice. Kathleen is passionate about Reiki, connecting with animals, and she is a gifted teacher. I found her constantly evolving journey with her Reiki practice very validating and life-affirming.
The Reiki Workshop was held at 