Reiki and TTouch with Bonsai and Nilo: Nov. 12

A few days ago, I went to do Reiki and TTouch with Bonsai and Nilo, who I have worked with off and on over the past year or more. Bonsai (above) is a sweet senior Burmese kitty, and Nilo is a very independent, lovely bengal cat (below). Nilo is extremely close with his human "mom", but is generally afraid of everyone else. He initially would run away from me, but we have established a closer and closer connection as time has gone on. Kristin's daughter has been able to have a bit more of a connection with Nilo as well. Bonsai tends to have seizures, which are being controlled with medication, and has been getting more frail as time has gone on. Kristin called me primarily because Bonsai had been seeming to be more frail and lethargic lately, so I spent a bit of time with Nilo, then concentrated most of my time with Bonsai.
Nilo is generally most receptive to TTouch in short spurts, as he is very sensitive and can get easily overwhelmed.


First I did some abalone TTouches with Nilo, working down each side of his back slowly. The abalone TTouches are circular TTouches done with the whole hand. The larger surface of the hand can be comforting to many cats who are unsure of people other than their guardians. I also did some slow zigzag TTouches from the front part of his body to the back, which are helpful in bringing an animal who is a bit scared back into its body. He actually didn't seem scared with me today, he settled into the TTouches pretty well, then decided he was done and walked away.So I then focused my attention on little Bonsai.

With Bonsai, I did a little bit of Reiki with him with my hands slightly off his body, then he got up to eat some treats. Reiki can sometimes stimulate the appetite! While he was in the kitchen, I did some TTouches with him which he was very receptive to, nuzzling sweetly against my hand.
When he was done with this, I thought a nice warm place would be cozy for him so I put him in a sunny patch on the couch and he settled in, curling up for a Reiki nap as I worked with him. I started out by having one hand resting over the solar plexus chakra (about midway down the back) and one hand off. As he is a delicate being, I often just have one hand on his body at a time, so as not to overwhelm him with too much energy.
He settled into this position for a while, then rearranged himself til one hand was on his head and the other was over his base chakra, on the very lower part of the back. Animals will show you where they want the energy to go. I stayed there for a LONG time as he took a reiki nap, I felt him totally taking the energy in. As the heat in these areas began to dissipate, I followed the heat on his body which seemed to work down the back from the heart chakra, to the solar plexus chakra, sacral chakra, and the base chakra again. I felt a lot of heat coming out, but it would start to dissipate as I continued to hold my hand or hands over these areas. I felt him to be sooooooo peaceful. He stretched out on his side and I continued with hands-on reiki near the solar plexus and heart chakras again, following my intuition and his body language as to where my hands should be.
Kristin came in the room to speak to me and as we spoke, I continued to send the energy to Bonsai as he continued to be laid stretched out on his side. When I left, I felt so much calm in Bonsai and a calm energy surrounding him.

Later that night, I received an email from Kristin saying that Bonsai seemed to be much better after our session, that his energy had picked up, and he just seemed to be feeling better. This is always so wonderful to hear, it means the world to me. A few days after the session, I stopped by their apartment to deliver Bach flower remedies for the cats, and indeed, Bonsai looked much more alert, present, and energetic. Thanks so much to you all, sending all the best ..... xo

TTouch and Reiki and Cat Sitting with Bonsai and Nilo: Monday

Today was my third day of cat sitting for Bonsai and Nilo, who have been TTouch/Reiki clients of mine for over a year. Bonsai is a sweet, gentle senior Burmese kitty and Nilo is a lovely young Bengal cat who is generally shy except with his person, Kristin, though he has been getting increasingly comfortable with me.

This morning (Monday), Nilo was more affectionate than ever with me. He wanted me to TTouch him while we were in the kitchen, both before and after being fed. I have a feeling it has to do with his person being away. He seems to be missing her a lot -- I can see how attached he is to her. It feels like an honor to be able to suddenly get so much closer to him (both physically and emotionally) today. In Bach flower remedy terms, he is a "Water Violet" personality, which means that he tends to be very independent, and is aloof with most other beings. I can personally so relate to this type of personality. Maybe he senses this.


So this morning I did TTouch with him for quite a while, and it was such a pleasure to see him really relax into the touches. The sun was coming in the window, making it comfortably warm and bright, so of course that made him feel cozy as well. I did chimp TTouches (which use the back of the fingers), abalone TTouches going down body, ear strokes and mouth work. The abalone TTouches use the whole hand and are extremely comforting. The ear strokes are extremely calming, and as the mouth TTouches connect with the limbic system and the emotions, these were all extremely comforting, relaxing TTouches to do with Nilo.
He laid on his side, and then his back, purring up a storm the entire time.


Later, when Bonsai and Nilo were both in the living room, I sent Reiki to both Bonsai and Nilo from a short distance, which felt that it calmed the whole environment, which seemed a very beneficial thing to do, as both cats were missing their owner and I wanted to create as calm a space as I could for them.

Then I did TTouches with Bonsai. I use the lightest of touch with Bonsai as he is an older, very delicate cat. He is more comfortable with Reiki done from a distance for the same reason, and when he has had enough he usually gets up and walks to a different place. So I did Reiki with him for a while from a short distance after the TTouches.

Both cats were very cozy when I left, and that afternoon, Kristin returned. Kristin gave me a lovely call after she returned - she was grateful that all had gone so smoothly and peacefully in her absence.
Thanks all! much love and hope to see you soon.

TTouch and Reiki with Nilo and Bonsai: Saturday and Sunday

Nilo and Bonsai are two sweet cats who I have had a number of TTouch/Reiki sessions with. Their person, Kristin, asked if I would cat-sit for them and do a session with them over the weekend, which of course I was very happy to do!
Bonsai (above) is a gentle senior Burmese kitty. He has a history of seizures, so is on medication for that. He has beautiful eyes which pull you right into them, he is a very sweet little angel.
Nilo (below) is a gorgeous young Bengal kitty, who generally is only affectionate with Kristin, though I have been connecting with him more and more with each session we have had. He is a very gentle soul, just seems to have a fair amount of wild in him. Each little step of getting closer to him feels like it is a big step from his perspective.




Saturday evening when I went to feed them, they seemed a bit surprised that Kristin wasn't there (though she had told them that she would be away), but happy to be fed, and little Bonsai was such a good sport about the medication. After feeding them and taking care of the litter, etc. I sat and sent them both Reiki from a distance for a bit. I could feel the whole space get very quiet and peaceful.


Then I did a little TTouch with Bonsai, who got very sleepy. Nilo was underneath a table, but he was very comfortable when I went under the table with him and, with my body oriented sideways to him, did TTouches all around his head. He relaxed and stretched out as I worked.


I told them how long Kristin would be gone, when she would be coming back, and that I was going to take care of them and feed them until she came back. I said all this in a slow, quiet voice, and they seemed comforted by this. When I left, they both looked quite peaceful.

Something interesting to note is that Nilo is very considerate of his older, delicate friend Bonsai, and he will let him eat more food first, even though there are two food bowls, as Bonsai tends to eat some from one bowl, then some from another bowl. It is so sweet to see this!
Sunday morning, to my surprise, Nilo was super affectionate and came to me for attention right out in the open when I first arrived. Probably as he was hungry and he knew I would feed him, he was able to let his guard down. I did TTouches all over his head and down his body, even picked him up briefly.
After they ate , I did a TTouch/reiki session with them.



I started out with Bonsai, who was hanging out in the kitchen. I sat a foot or two away and began to send him energy. He is very delicate, so didn’t I want to get too close, especially not right at first. He was in the sun, and got very cozy.

All of a sudden, Nilo jumped from a high place and turned the radio on, seeming to be asking for my attention. He was howling a bit, it felt like he was missing Kristin. So I began to him energy from a few feet away, and little by little he became quiet and started to calm down. I began to say to him, over and over, "you are very loved and very safe". I said this in a slow, quiet voice and could see that this was helping him to relax.
Bonsai came into the living room at the same time, so I continued to say it over and over to both of them. Nilo visibly calmed down, then went to eat more - which was good, as again he had let Bonsai eat a lot of the food first.
Then Nilo came back into living room. Nilo was on one side of the room, and Bonsai was on the other. So I sat between them, sending energy to both, feeling I was filling the room with light and Reiki energy. Bonsai was sitting in a sun patch near the window, and Nilo was underneath a table. Both of them got very sleepy.


Next, I went under the table and did some TTouches with Nilo. Each time I work with him, he is more and more at ease. When he is in a more shy mood, he seems most at ease if I touch him when he is underneath something or in a cozy place somehow. I did chimp TTouches around his head, forehead, and neck area, incorporating some slides down his body. He was purring and seemed quite comfortable.
I gently thanked him and then worked with Bonsai.
I held my hands about six inches away from Bonsai’s body. He is so fragile, I didn’t want to overwhelm him with too much energy. He settled into the Reiki energy, taking a nap for a while during the session. It was lovely to see him so peaceful.
Afterwards I went to clean up in the kitchen for a bit. Nilo was in there on a chair, and was completely at ease as I did a few TTouches with him while he was on the chair. This was interesting, as it was a time when he was not waiting to be fed, so he was comfortable with me in a situation which didn't have to do with food. I felt that this was a big step for him.
When I left, Nilo and Bonsai were both near the window in the living room. They both looked as though they felt quite cozy. Nilo was doing blinks at me, and little Bonsai was curled up, fast asleep. Much love, you guys, see you tomorrow!!

Bonsai and Nilo - Moving Forward Step by Step

Today I went to work with Bonsai and Nilo, two lovely cats who I have been working with for a few months. Bonsai is a sweet senior Burmese kitty who has had seizures from time to time, and Nilo is a young Bengal with a lot of wild in him.

Bonsai had had a short seizure the day before, so I wanted to do some very gentle work with him, and with Nilo, I am little by little getting him used to being touched by a person other than his human "mom".

Bonsai has a very gentle energy and is extremely sensitive, so it took a little bit to get him to feel comfortable enough to really settle in. So I started out by doing a little TTouch with Bonsai, then a little TTouch with Nilo, alternating back and forth, until Bonsai got to a place where he was very cozy and it felt like he was very ready to receive Reiki. He got onto the cat tree where you see him in the picture below. I began to send him some very gentle Reiki energy from about six inches away, and could see his eyes start to close. I moved my hands a little closer and he adjusted his body til my hands were where he wanted them, just about an inch or two from his body, and near his lower back. Often the animals will show you the part of the body where they would like you to send the energy. I stayed in this position with him for a very long time, feeling a lot of waves of energy and heat. After it felt like the energy was becoming more stabilized, I slowly began to move my hands a bit lower on his back, and I felt quite a bit of heat there, so I stayed there for a while. During the session I slowly moved to several locations on his lower back, then later I focused around his throat chakra and crown chakra, where I was feeling quite a bit of heat and energy. He really settled in during the session, closing his eyes and purring. He looked as though he was being very comforted, and I could feel him absorbing the energy.

When he had enough, he got up and walked away, which happened just as I was wondering if this had been enough for him. He did seem more focused and energized afterwards.


Next I went to work with Nilo. Last time I worked with the cats, Nilo began to respond to circular touches using the wand with an Ace bandage at the end, so that is how I started with him at the beginning of the session, when I was alternating between Nilo and Bonsai. He was pretty receptive to this, rubbing his body against the wand a bit and against nearby furniture, but was only ok with it for a few seconds, then he wanted to move on.

After I worked with Bonsai, Nilo was on his bed which is in a bit of a hidden place behind the couch, as you see him below. This seems to be one of his "safe places". I used my long-handled paintbrush and began to do some circular TTouches on his head, and a few strokes down his body. He really started to settle into this and become more at ease, leaning a bit into the brush. I worked my hand down the brush and began to do chimp TTouches and raccoon TTouches sometimes with the front and sometimes with the back of my finger on his head, around his forehead and around the base of his ears. He responded to that as well, looking very cozy. I did a few strokes down his back as well. I gave him a break, then did this again with him in that location. When he had enough, he got up and moved to a different place. I spoke to his owner for a bit and then he got himself in another one of his safe places, a box-like structure with a hole in it on the cat tree. I was able to do raccoon TTouches with my hand on him in that space as well. It was interesting to see that with both Bonsai and Nilo, I was able to pick up where I had left off with them about a month ago, instead of starting from scratch with them again. With Bonsai I had a longer, more focused Reiki session than I had ever had with him, and with Nilo, I had more direct contact than I had been able to have previously.

Thanks boys! You always teach me so much. I am constantly reminded of how important it is to be patient and truly stay in the moment with animals. This requires a similar type of thinking to that which happens when I am creating art, where you are thinking creatively and trying new approaches as you move along, not being attached to the way you think things should go, but exploring and keeping your eyes always open to new possibilities and ways to approach things.

TTouch and Reiki with Bonsai and Nilo

A couple of months ago, I did a TTouch/tabling event at Whiskers Holistic Pet Store in NYC, and I raffled off a free TTouch session. Kristin came by my table, entered the raffle and said she was lucky at these things and sure enough, she ended up winning the free session. Since then, I have had four sessions with her and her two cats, Bonsai and Nilo. Bonsai is a sweet 15 year old Burmese cat who has had problems with seizures (he's taking medication for this) and Nilo is a 5 year old Bengal cat with a lot of wild in him. Nilo is a very one-person cat and only likes Kristin. He also often pees outside of the litter box. Kristin has been feeling that Bonsai has become more low-energy and more removed from her lately, perhaps a side effect of the medications he is taking. Both these cats are absolutely stunning-looking, and so appealing each in their different ways: Bonsai has a lovely gentle, sweet energy and Nilo is very inquisitive and hyper-aware of all around him, like a little wild cat.
In my first meeting with them, Bonsai settled very easily into the TTouches. I showed Kristin how to do some of the TTouches so that she could do them on both Bonsai and Nilo. I wasn't able to touch Nilo, but I did engage him using two of the long TTouch wands, and did some of the TTouch circles on the floor near him. While I worked on Bonsai, he sat a little ways away and was very interested, but just not ready to be touched by me.
After this first session, Kristin told me that Bonsai had been extremely calmed by the TTouch, and that he slept in the bed with her, something he had not done for a long time, which was great to hear. (below is Bonsai)

The next meeting, I showed Kristin a few more of the Ttouches on Bonsai, and how to do some circles and strokes on him with a jelly scrubber (here's a link to how to use the jelly scrubber) and soft brush, which he responded to also. Then I did some TTouch and Reiki with Bonsai. His lower back and tail felt tight, so I did some TTouches around that area, and when I offered him Reiki, this area of his body also was emitting the most heat, so thought I put my hand in several positions, I spent more time with my hands in that area. I felt a very strong connection, almost like my hands were glued there. He got extremely and laid on his side, very relaxed.

After the session with him, he ate some treats which I had put out for him previously, and went to curl up on his cat bed, something he apparently had not done for a while. Again, Nilo had been observing all of this from a short distance away. Right as I was about to leave, I leaned down to say goodbye to Nilo and he came and touched me with his nose. I felt that with patience, I would make more contact with him soon.

The next session, I did seem to be slowly making more contact with Nilo. He came up to me several times, touching my hand with his nose, and I was able to engage him a bit using the TTouch wands, doing a few circular TTouches on him. I also connected with him with Reiki, sending him Reiki energy from a couple of feet away. I crouched down with my body sideways to him while we were both in the kitchen area. He stayed quite still, then relaxed as I did this. Though this was just for a matter of a few minutes, this seemed like a lot for him, as he is a very sensitive cat.

With Bonsai, I offered him Reiki for quite a long time. Again, I felt a lot of heat coming from his back end, so I focused my attention there. I felt him become deeply relaxed. When this happens, I also feel my own energy change, like it drops down a level and even the thoughts in my head feel like a record being played at a slower speed. Then I did some abalone TTouches and clouded leopard TTouches down his body and even down his legs a bit, as well as some mouth work.

In our most recent session, a few days ago, at first I felt the energy with both cats to be a bit restless, and so I began by doing a few circular TTouches at a time on Nilo, who still was keeping his distance from me, hiding under furniture. So I would do a few TTouches with him, then do a few TTouches on Bonsai, who was nearby.

Then I gave Nilo a break and began to focus on Bonsai. First I did some TTouches on his body and head, and offered him Reiki for a short time. Then I tried a technique which I learned in Margrit Coates' hands-on-healing workshop where one gently and slowly follows the energy down one side of the back (a few inches from the spine, parallel to the spine) and then the other side of the back, not pressing down on the back but, using such a light touch, following the energy. Hard to describe in words -- will have to put video up sometime soon. At any rate, all of a sudden felt the energy s h i f t down to the lower, slower level I was talking about earlier in this post. Very interesting. All of a sudden Bonsai and I were completely focused and connected with each other at the same time. I did energy healing on his brachial chakra (over the shoulder area), heart and base chakras. Bonsai because VERY settled at this point, so extremely comfortable.

I did the energy healing going down the sides of his back again, then Reiki with hand positions starting at his head, then slowly moving down his back. I was feeling a very strong connection and a lot of heat - and waves of energy going back and forth between us. After we finished this, I did a bit of TTouch around his mouth area, and felt we were done. It was a bit hard to move my hands away from him though, we felt so connected. Bonsai followed me into the next room as I went to see what Nilo was up to.

I began to work with Nilo with a wand again - but this this time I wrapped a piece of Ace bandage around the narrow end of the wand (contrary to the end we were taught to use but had to follow my intuition). When I touched Nilo with this and began to do the TTouch circles, all of a sudden I saw him react like "hey, this is different - hm, I think I like this". And I felt a real connection to him and saw him start to respond to the circular touches. He became really comfortable and began to rub his head against any surfaces that were nearby. I gave frequent breaks - would do the circles for a couple of minutes then stop for a few minutes, then start again. Bonsai was nearby so I did a few TTouches on him while I gave Nilo breaks.

THEN - I actually was able to work my way down the wand and did a few brief ttouches on Nilo with my hand - hooray! I just got in a few touches before he was on the move again, but I tried the same procedure a few times. He became extremely comfortable with the wand/ace bandage TTouches and was ok with a few hand TTouches after that. I feel that gradually he is beginning to trust and that I will be able to get closer and closer as our sessions progress. I love how much cats can teach us about patience.

After this, I was speaking with Kristin about what had happened, and asked if it was all right to take some pictures of the cats and to post about them on the blog. After I took apictures of Bonsai we began to look underneath the furniture for Nilo, as that is where we were used to finding him. He wasn't there.

All of a sudden I noticed that Nilo was on top of a bookcase (see below) and he was staring at me - probably had been doing so the whole time we were talking! Very funny.

Below you will see Nilo making a "cozy face" to me. What a nice holiday gift to me it was to feel such lovely connection with both these cats, and I felt I had particularly made a real breakthrough with Nilo.

TTouch and Reiki are not presto-chango fixes for helping animals, but the shifts that can happen as a result of these modalities can be deep and lasting. Wth time, I believe these modalities will give Bonsai a lot more relaxation, body awareness and comfort and will give Nilo more trust and less stress, which hopefully will help lessen the peeing outside the box and make it more possible for him to connect with people other than Kristin.
Happy holidays Kristin, Bonsai and Nilo, look forward to more adventures with you soon! xo