Riding the Ups and Downs with Mr. Ji

I have been working with Mr. Ji for some weeks now, and he has been responding so well.

Mr. Ji is a delightful senior Shitzu, a little dog with a big spirit.  He has musculoskeletal issues, apparently spinal stenosis.  He has some feeling in his back legs but they cannot support him, so Niseema (Mr. Ji's amazing person) has a customized cart for him which helps him get around very well.  He tends to twist to one side, and has a lot of tension in his upper body because it is working very hard to help the rest of his body get around.

But when I arrived at Niseema and Mr. Ji's place the week before last, he did not look good.  He was having spasms and seemed very uncomfortable.  Niseema said the trouble had started yesterday.

I sat down near him and set my intent to create as quiet and calm a space as I could for both Mr. Ji and Niseema.

As Mr. Ji was very sensitive, I kept my hands a short distance away from him for Reiki.  I started to let the energy flow, and pictured a healing bubble around us.  Niseema sat down and held Mr. Ji to help him feel more at ease as well.  If Mr. Ji cannot get comfortable on the couch, Niseema will hold him and usually he settles down.

As I continued, I slowly started to see Mr. Ji show some signs he was feeling more comfortable.

And then, Niseema began to do some slow TTouches down Mr. Ji's back.  I could see another level of relaxation begin to happen.

By the end of the session, Mr. Ji was definitely much more at ease.  And I was so happy to hear from Niseema later on that Mr. Ji seemed to have turned a corner - after the session he was more comfortable walking, and then he went to the vet for a cold laser treatment, which helped him feel even better.

This past week when I went to see him, I could see he was so much better, he had a lively energy to him and it felt like light was around him.  So beautiful to see.

This time, he was comfortable with my hands on. Which showed me he was more comfortable altogether.

Niseema held him for most of the session.  I began with Reiki with my hands around his lower back, then did some Debono Moves muscle lifts going down one side of his back, then the other.  Debono Moves is a very gentle modality, developed by Mary Debono, that is based on Feldenkrais work, as is TTouch, but I think it is even more subtle.  I did the muscle lifts extremely slowly, with the image that I was supporting his back, that he could breathe into my hands.  I felt him getting more and more comfortable as I worked.

After that, I had my hands on either side of his lower back, and had an image of him walking freely, with his legs moving comfortably.  I did not move my hands, but just imagined as I held my hands there that one hip and hind leg was moving forward, then the other - that he was walking.  As I continued working with him, sometimes my hands were on him and other times just off, as my intuition guided me.  And I kept seeing that mental image of him walking freely, without actually moving my hands on his body.  Continuing to let the Reiki flow throughout the session.

Niseema gently placed him down on the couch on his side next to me, and he settled in comfortably.  At that point I had one hand just off his chest and the other just off his lower back.  I felt the energy was traveling through his whole body.  He became so peaceful.  So lovely to see him so at ease, particularly when I thought about what the situation had been just the previous week.

Ups and downs are usually part of the territory when working with an animal with challenges such as Mr. Ji has, but fortunately Reiki and the other gentle modalities I use can often help the animal to be more comfortable and as much in balance as is possible, given the situation.  And Niseema is doing everything possible (and then some!) to help Mr. Ji to be as happy and healthy as possible.

Sending good vibes for continued comfort and health for dear Mr. Ji:)  xoxo  And thank you Niseema for giving this sweet dog so much love and care.