expert explains how pet therapy works

Alternative therapy techniques have become very popular in recent years, including aromatherapy and reiki, which promise to help treat stress, anxiety and even strengthen pets’ immune systems.

According to the veterinarian and therapist specializing in reiki in animals, Sabina Scardua, Reiki is a centuries-old Japanese technique, which consists of channeling the universal and spiritual energy of animals.

“Reiki Pet is a concept of a careful approach with connection, in the application of Reiki to animals, taking into account not only the particularity of the animals’ chakras, but also aspects of their energetic vulnerability. [animais] when receiving reiki”, says the specialist to Pet Channel.

The veterinarian makes it clear that the technique should be used as a complementary or integrative therapy, never as a replacement for any allopathic treatment or behavioral therapy. “Reiki goes hand in hand with other treatments”, says Sabina.

“For most cases in animals, it is also not a one-off approach, with a single session. [O reiki] Its effects are maximized when you accompany the animal for a while, with a greater number of sessions, with intervals between sessions varying for each situation or patient”, adds the therapist.

Reiki can be applied in person or remotely Sabina says that, for in-person reiki, the therapist goes to the animal’s home at the scheduled time and, with the owner close to the pet, the session takes place. Reiki flows through the therapist’s hands placed towards the animal.

“The therapist is prepared to understand whether the animal accepts being touched or not, in order to receive reiki”, says the professional. “The Reiki therapist pays close attention to their own energy and uses energetic and behavioral techniques to be friendly to the animal. The Reiki Pet session lasts around 15 to 20 minutes.”

For animals in a hospitalized state, the therapist can go to the clinic or hospital where the animal is. “Some specialized veterinary clinics offer reiki as one of the integrative therapies, where the session is carried out in the clinic itself. To do this, you need to choose a really prepared place, otherwise, the stress of traveling may be greater than the benefit of the session” , points out Sabina.

The main indications of reiki for animals

• During the treatment process of any disease, as it accelerates the healing process and minimizes the side effects of the main medications, such as nausea, decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea; mainly in chemotherapy patients.
• After any surgery, including castration, as well as accelerating the animal’s healing and recovery, it restores the energy supply, which is strongly altered in surgical processes.
• For immunocompromised patients, such as FIV and FelV positive cats, as it modulates and reinforces the immune system.
• For elderly animals, as it helps with physical discomfort and provides emotional security.
• For moments of moving house or routine, such as the guardian’s return to work, the arrival or departure of family members, such as divorces, the arrival of the guardian’s elderly parents; or adoption of new animals; mourning the loss of animal companions or human family members; tutor’s trip.
• During training or training, and also following the treatment of behavioral disorders, such as anxiety and fear.

How reiki works on the animal’s body

According to Sabina, reiki has been accepted as effective for certain purposes based predominantly on evidence medicine, that is, the predominant scientific literature consists of works proving the effects of reiki on patients, even without knowing the real mechanism of action. “This is the case with many medications in use as well,” she says.

“However, the number of scientific works has grown at an incredible pace over the last 10 years, with a boom in growth in 2020, during the pandemic, following the global movement towards the expansion of medicine and integrative veterinary medicine”, highlights the veterinary.

She mentions some of the works that launch theories and delve a little deeper into the possible mechanism of action of reiki: “as is the case of Kemal Irmak, in 2010, who suggests the participation of Merkel Cells, which are neuroendocrine cells and are located in the skin and mucous membranes.”

“They communicate with the central nervous system and can also release substances that mediate inflammation or repair. According to the tutor, it was detected through a controlled experiment that these cells react immediately to any electromagnetic field. And the reaction of these cells was detected both on those who are sending the reiki and on those who are receiving it. The effect of reiki is proven, the ‘how’ is being tested”, says Sabina.

What does the person applying reiki feel when doing it?

Sabina explains that the Reiki therapist generally feels “the energy flowing in the palm of their hands”, and can detect the different intensities of the flow.

“At Reiki Pet we apply reiki with connection, that is, totally focused on that animal. So we can feel its emotional field, its level of energetic misalignment and even some physical discomfort. At the end of the session, we pass these impressions to the owner”, says the veterinary.

She points out: “However, feeling something, for both the therapist and the patient, is not a condition for reiki to act. Reiki is reiki, once applied it will have its effects on the individual who received it. The therapist’s experience and the patient during the application is variable or even non-existent, without compromising the reiki itself.”

Does remote reiki work?

According to Sabina, the technique can be applied remotely, with the therapist and the pet’s owner keeping in touch via video call or even via a social media video, for collective submissions.

“Distance reiki remains effective for the animal, it will act on its different bodies in the same way as in-person reiki. The difference between in-person and distance reiki is in [dois pontos diferentes].”

1. In the contact between the tutor and the therapist, which for some people is important to establish more intimacy and trust;
2. In-person reiki discreetly and secondaryly influences the energy of the home and even the owner or other animals that remain nearby.

“Distance treatment is aimed exclusively at the patient and has no beneficial side effects at home”, says Sabina.

What does it take to be a Reiki Therapist?

Sabina Scardua says that to become a Reiki Therapist it is necessary to undergo theoretical and practical training, in which the therapist will be “tuned by a Master, to the Universal energy”.

“Training involves four levels in Brazil: Level 1, which allows you to apply reiki only in person; Level 2, which allows you to apply it to the patient remotely. Level 3 or 3A, which allows you to apply it to several animals or people together at the same time. time and Level 3B or Masters, which allows training other therapists”, explains Sabina. “So, for each level, there is a specific therapist attunement and symbols and techniques for in-person, distance and groups.”

The specialist also highlights that it is important to differentiate a reiki treatment carried out remotely from collective reiki sendings. “In the collective submission that is seen on social media, the person puts the name of the animal there in the comments of the post or video and the Reikiano [terapeuta que aplica o reiki] At a given time, he sends it to 100, 500 or more than a thousand individuals jointly, for about five or 10 minutes, in this case it is a Reikian level 3, which uses the symbol and technique of collective sending at a distance.”

Sabia says that, in these cases, individuals receive it, but it is different from a treatment, in which a therapist connects with a single animal and does a 10 to 20 minute session focused only on that animal and monitors it for a while.

“An individual remote session for animals generally works like this: at the scheduled time I get in touch via Whatsapp, so the owner gives me the ‘ok’ to start, that is, the animal is protected inside the house, is not eating, doing the needs, there are no visits or other significant variations”, he points out.

She highlights the importance of the owner staying close to the animal, because it is in the presence of the owner that most animals feel safer. “This care is to respect the animal, and so that it can have a pleasant experience when receiving reiki.”

“At the end of the session, I send a brief report on how the animal is doing physically, emotionally and energetically, and we agree on the time of the next session, which can be changed depending on the patient’s condition worsens or stabilizes, or the day of chemotherapy, for example”, concludes the veterinarian.

Want to stay up to date with the main news of the day? Click here and join our WhatsApp channel

read more