My Journey with Max: Comfort for Physical and Emotional Stress

Above:  Max

Max is a handsome, elegant 14 year old cat with a very big presence.  When I first went to see him, though, his big spirit was quite diminished, due to prolonged physical troubles - probable asthma and then a very serious chronic sinus condition which required a lot of testing and subsequent hospitalization, etc.

Max also has a lovely sister, Chloe, who has a separate tale to tell, so I will speak about her in a separate blog post.

Max's people, Debbie and Jonathan, are doing everything they can to help him.  After all that he had been through with the medical treatments and hospitalization, they wanted to help provide comfort for him in whatever way possible.  Both Reiki and TTouch are wonderful modalities for providing gentle comfort, both physically and emotionally.  They also can help the body to be more optimal balance, and can help stimulate the appetite.  Keeping a cat eating can often be a challenge in this type of situation, and is, of course, crucial to a cat's survival.

In the first appointment, he had just come home from the hospital with medication and a feeding tube.  I showed Debbie and Jonathan some of the basic TTouches, but I was very gentle and careful with Max, because his condition was very fragile, and I did not want to disturb the feeding tube.  I spent more of the appointment offering Reiki to Max, keeping my hands several feet away at first, then moving in a bit closer. 

The first thing I felt upon offering Reiki to Max was a huge flood of gratitude which I felt from him.  The gratitude was to his people, for all of their love and care which they have given him.  It felt like beautiful ocean waves flowing from his heart to mine, filling up my heart with this powerful feeling.

I felt a very strong flow of Reiki from my hands, and kept picturing his nasal passages clear, and clear light and energy flowing from his nasal passages and all the way down his body, healing.  I still had my hands off his body, as the energy was so strong, and I didn't want to overwhelm him.  A few times I wasn't sure if I should stop and give him a break but then I felt a signal from him that he was ready to continue.  I felt him really pulling the energy into his body.

After we finished the session, he got up and went to his food dish and ate, which was a wonderful sight to see, and then went and laid down in his bed by the window, where he looked very comfortable.

Over the next sessions I saw steady progress with Max, both on a physical and emotional level.  The feeding tube was removed, his energy and appetite improved greatly, and Debbie and Jonathan said he was acting more like himself all the time.  I saw the light come back into his eyes and began to see and feel the strong being who he really is.  Prior to the hospitalization, he had been getting steroids on a regular basis for asthma-like symptoms, and after this recovery he was able to stay off the steroids for a good while. 

Over time, I had to adjust the way that I worked with him.  He had gotten so much of his personality and energy back that it sometimes took some strategy to nudge him into a more relaxed mode.  But this was not a bad problem to have really!  Sometimes he would settle in several different places during the course of the session, but that was fine. 

At that point, I also began working with his sister Chloe, who has her own health issues.  Often I will work with her first, to give him time to settle into a more relaxed state.  Usually by the time I finished working with Chloe, he would have settled into one of his cozy spaces.

One thing that Max's people had told me was that he was still spending a good deal of time sleeping in a quiet closet space in the back of the apartment, rather than hanging out with them, which he used to do before his hospitalization.  Jonathan had mentioned he wanted to try to get Max engaged in play again.  This was a great idea, as engaging Max in play would encourage him to become more engaged with them again altogether. 

On my way to the next appointment, I stopped at Petco on the way and purchased a Cat Dancer toy.  Something told me this would be something he liked.  Indeed, it turned out that he used to LOVE to play with this toy when he was younger, and he got right into it when they started playing with him with it.  They also said that he had started coming up on their bed and sleeping with them again. 

A couple of weeks ago, while I was working with Chloe in her usual place in the living room, Max came in and started lurking around.  I wasn't sure whether he wanted to take in some of the energy, or was a bit jealous I was working with his sister, or both.  There was a cat bed a few feet away from where we were working, and he started circling around there, looking like he may even settle there. 

I was finishing up with Chloe, and so I quietly began walking towards Max when I had finished the session with her.  At first I thought he was going to lead me into the back part of the apartment, where he usually settles.  But instead, he came back into the living room, settling on a little cat track toy near the bed he had been near before.  A while after I had begun offering him Reiki, he then got up and gently settled into the cat bed, where he remained for the rest of the session.  I felt such peace from him!!

After I finished the session, Debbie and Jonathan told me that he had not been in that bed since he had gotten back from the hospital, which was 3-4 months ago now.  So this was great progress!  The living room is a place where Max used to spend much more time before the hospital, so this was great that he was gravitating back to this room.  He has been sleeping in that bed again since then, and hanging out other places in the living room that he used to enjoy.  This also means that he is spending more time comfortably hanging out with his people, instead of isolating himself. 

Unfortunately, Max recently had another bout of sinus trouble, which resulted in a couple of more trips to the vet hospital (fortunately not having to stay overnight though).  He is now still on some medication, some of which will be long-term, but is feeling better again, and that has been within a pretty short time period, so that is good.  He seems strong, is eating pretty well, is getting back to playing again, and he is continuing to hang out in his places in the living room. 

Max and Chloe have never gotten along with each other, and still growl at each other even after being together their whole 14 year old life.  I am hoping that over time, there might be a bit more harmony between them.  Reiki can often help that to happen.  It is encouraging that they are able to peacefully hang out in the living room together now - which is something that they have done in the past, but maybe there is a bit more of a shift that can happen. 

In this week's session, I worked with Max first, back in his cozy space in the closet.  I felt a lot of energy especially coming from his heart chakra, which is interesting, as I feel like his heart has been progressively opening during our time working together, after having gone through so much with his hospitalization earlier in the year. 

Above: Chloe
Then I went to work with Chloe.  She was on the couch, one of her favorite places.  We did part of the session there, and she seemed almost mesmerized by the energy.  Then she took a brief break to eat, then came up on the coffee table, another favorite place.  She stretched out on her side as I offered Reiki to her, really absorbing the energy. 

Above: Max

At this point, Max came slowly into the living room, looking like he was sneaking in, and then settled in one of his favorite places on a chair by the window.  I opened up my visualization of where I was offering the Reiki, picturing it as an expanding area of light, encompassing more and more of the room.  I felt the Reiki like a rain of light, gently falling and soothing.  Max stretched out on the chair, looking very cozy, and Chloe continued to be very relaxed on the coffee table.

It will be interesting to see if this is a continuing pattern, Max joining Chloe in the living room for Reiki.  It will be wonderful if the energy can help them to feel better being around each other, as well as to feel better individually.

Many thanks to Max and Chloe for again reminding me to really be in the moment with what is happening, and to keep an open mind because one never knows what can happen in those special moments!!  And thanks to Debbie and Jonathan for all the love and care they have for these lovely animals.  Look forward to seeing you soon, and sending positive thoughts for continued health and well-being of both these cats :) xo

Tuesday: Quieting the Atmosphere with an Extremely Sensitive Cat

Tuesday is a gorgeous and very intense cat.  She is completely bonded with her guardian, Leila, but is terrified of pretty much anyone else.  She often hisses, swats and sometimes lunges at them.  Leila has had her for about 8 years.  Years ago, she was accepting of attention from people with a very gentle energy but at one point Leila was in a noisier household and since then, Tuesday has had an increasingly difficult time with people other than Leila.
It is so important with ultra-sensitive cats such as Tuesday to think of energy in terms of proportional volume.  What I mean is, what to us might be a tiny sound or movement, could seem huge to a cat that is frightened and hyper-sensitive.  So when working with this type of cat, I have to quiet and slow my energy down even more than I generally do when working with any animal.  In this way, I can start to really feel where they are and to be in that place where the smallest movement or sound can be huge.
When I arrived for the first session, Tuesday seemed to know that I was coming for her.  She came out and stared at me with very huge eyes.  I spoke calmly and tried to reassure her that I was there to help her.  When I walked across the room (which was not directly towards her but generally in her direction, she lunged at me, hissing.  I had Leila hand me the long wands which I use for doing TTouch with cats who are very scared of being touched directly, and just very carefully and quietly began to try a few TTouches with the wands, a few on her, and a few on the floor.  I could tell she was still very amped up, so I decided to give her a break.  Leila and I sat at the kitchen table, and I showed Leila some TTouches on a stuffed cat which I had brought.  During this time, Tuesday had some time to settle a bit.  She remained in the room, watching what we were doing, but got a bit more relaxed.
After that, I decided to offer her Reiki from a short distance for the second half of the session.  I felt that working from a distance with the wands was too overwhelming for her at this time.
From where I was sitting in a chair, I gently began to offer Reiki energy to Tuesday, silently letting her know that she only need take as much or as little energy as she wanted. 
It took her a while to settle, but eventually she did.  Every once in a while, she would look at Leila, as though for confirmation that it was ok for her to receive the energy.  As we worked, I felt her pulling the energy in more and more. 
When we were done, she was calmer, but unfortunately she got jumpy again when Leila and I both stood up as I got ready to leave.
Leila got back to me after a few days had passed, and said that Tuesday was agitated right after the appointment, but then began to get much better.  She said she and her boyfriend sat on the floor while she did some of the TTouches and that Tuesday was very calmed by them - and that she had continued doing the TTouches with Tuesday at various intervals in between this initial session and my next session with them. Leila said that Tuesday was much calmer about her boyfriend.
As a further challenge, Leila had gone away for a few days. Upon returning, the cat sitter said that Tuesday was actually rather docile.  And when Leila and her boyfriend returned from the trip, they took a nap and when they awoke, Tuesday was actually asleep on top of her boyfriend!
When I came for the second session (a couple of weeks had passed), I first gave Leila a Bach Flower remedy which I made for Tuesday, which should help to calm her energy.  Then I showed Leila TTouches using back of hand, which are especially useful for animals that are really on edge and apt to get easily over-stimulated. 

The rest of the session, I offered Reiki to Tuesday from a short distance.  However, this time I did not remain in the chair, but kneeled on the floor in order to lower my position, which can be calming for frightened animals.  I knew I was taking a risk, as Tuesday could get suddenly scared and then lunge at me, but I had to follow my intuition that this felt like the right move. 
As I began to offer the energy to Tuesday, I felt that the area that felt it needed the most healing at that moment was the heart chakra.  As the session progressed, I also felt the energy pulled to the base chakra and to the solar plexus chakra.  These chakras can relate to quite a few things, so are a bit too complex to detail here, but balancing these three chakras felt they would help Tuesday with emotional issues and the nervous system as well as issues of security and grounding,
As I continued, I felt an increasingly strong flow of energy coming out of my hands and out of my body, and felt the energy filling her body.  I remained in the same position throughout the session, instead of trying to move closer, as I didn't want to take the chance of startling her.
While all of this was going on, little by little her body language changed - first she shifted her sitting position a few times.  Then she little by little shifted herself until she was lying down.  Next she stretched one paw out, then finally she rolled completely on her side, exposing her belly, and she stretched out in that position.  Her eyes, which initially were in that huge, extremely wide-open ultra-alert position, softened.  During this session, again she would sometimes look at Leila as if for guidance or approval or confirmation that this energy was ok to receive.  Tuesday is so completely connected with Leila. 
As Tuesday stretched out on her side, exposing her belly to me, I felt tears come to my eyes, as I do so often when I feel the animal is really letting go of something held in very deeply.  It felt profound, almost as if she had been holding her breath for a long time, and now finally, in stages, was letting it go.  I felt a huge shift had occurred.
As Leila and I spoke after the session, Tuesday remained relaxed, with a much softer gaze.  And when I stood up to leave, she was still relaxed and didn't get startled.  Later that day, Leila emailed me that Tuesday had continued to be very relaxed and mellow for the rest of the day.
Thank you Tuesday, for trusting me enough to let go....I keep picturing you so stretched out and relaxed .. .. and look forward to seeing you soon.... xo

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

Reiki with Jinx: August 28

I went to do Reiki with my friend Jordyn Thiessen's (http://dancingminddesign.com) cat Jinx today - last night was when Hurricane Irene came through, definitely not with as much force as was expected, that's for sure! but storms can have an effect on the animals, big or small. Jinx has been having mobility problems - his back legs don't seem to have much sensation in them, so he can't use them quite properly (either a disk problem or tumor).

Jinx actually seemed to be in relaxed condition when I got there, he was resting in a crate that he enjoys. I sat outside the crate and began to offer him Reiki from a short distance away, maybe 6-8 inches. Initially, the front part of his body was nearest my hands, but he soon shifted his position so that my hands were sending the energy to his back legs and lower back, which is something he has done before. Sometimes animals prefer to have you send the energy to a part of the body other than the one having the most trouble, as it can be too sensitive there, but Jinx regularly has usually shown me by shifting his position that he wants me to send the energy right there. He really stretched out and relaxed, taking a little Reiki nap.

One of Jordyn's dogs, Petey, who can often be very active and "in your face" for attention, calmly fell asleep right behind me as I did this :)

After a time, he shifted again, so that one hand was sending energy towards his abdomen and the other, more towards his head and towards where the heart chakra is on the front part of the body. His eyes relaxed and he got very cozy there for a time.

He shifted position a couple of more times, and I had thought he was done but then for a few minutes I felt more energy coming out of my hands towards his heart chakra again, so I stayed there briefly and his eyes relaxed.

After we were done, he got up and walked slowly towards the apartment door. One of the activities he really enjoys is walking out in the hallway, and I was happy to see that he wanted to do this, - that even though he walks rather gingerly, he still is motivated to do the things he enjoys.

Reiki with Jinx, Closer and Closer

My friend Jordyn Thiessen's (http://dancingminddesign..com) cat Jinx has been having some trouble using his back legs, either due to a disk problem or a spinal tumor, so I have been working with him, mostly with Reiki, and have been doing some TTouches with him. Jordyn has also been doing some energy work with him, as well as some TTouches which I have shown her.
When I entered Jordyn's apartment for my session with Jinx on Wednesday, at first he was eating. So I just very gently sat down a couple of feet away and began sending him Reiki energy. After he finished eating I did a few Touches with him as he was turning around and starting to settle. Then I backed off a bit til he sat down comfortably. Still wanting to keep a gentle approach (especially as he is quite sensitive) I started out doing Reiki from about a foot away, then got gradually closer.


As he had done before, at ont point he put his paw on my hand to make a connection. I felt him more sensitive today, and his back twitched if I got too close. Ao I stayed a short distance away for a while. Eventually, he began to settle more and was comfortable with hands-on Reiki. I had my hands over his heart chakra area for a while (on the back a bit below the neck), stayed there for a while, then put my other hand over the solar plexus chakra (more towards the middle of the back). He really settled into the energy, his eyes closing, his body stretching out and he went to sleep. After a long while, he got up and moved a bit, so I wanted to see if at that point he would be more comfortable with my hands about a foot away from where he was. I felt him continuing to absorb the energy from that position, so I continued with him there.

For those unfamiliar with chakras, they are energy centers in the body. Just to sum up, the solar plexus chakra relates to the digestive system, nervious system, metabolism and emotions, and is a center of personal power and will. The heart chakra relates to divine and unconditional love, as well as circulatory and respiratory system, etc. You can find a lot more info on the chakras in books and online. Sometimes I am guided to chakras by my intuition, other times, I will work with specific chakras which relate to an issue the animal is having.

Out of curiosity, at one point I touched one of his front paws with my finger and he wanted me to stay there, moving his paw around my finger a bit like he was holding it. It is interesting, since he is having trouble walking, that he would want to make the connection there. When we finished, I felt he was SO relaxed, I felt him really let go. I feel he is very much craving peace and quiet as much as possible now.

The session I just described was on Wednesday. Sunday I went again to work with Jinx. Jordyn had put a crate with a towel draped over it on her bed, so that Jinx can have some privacy when he wants it, as there are two dogs and another cat in the house. I had suggested after our last session that having the option of a closed space to go into may be a good idea.

Today he was actually laying on top of the crate. He likes to be up high so he can see everything. there were towels on top of the crate, so this was a cozy place for him to lie. He was very comfortable, as he had just been given a homeopathic remedy which seems to help him to be extremely relaxed. Today, I approached him gently, as it seemed that he may be receptive to hands-on Reiki from the start. I started out with my hands a short distance away, and after a bit we settled into a position that seemed to be very comfortable for him. My left hand was just barely touching his pelvis area and the other hand was either under or behind his head. I felt a lot of heat and strong energy particularly passing to his pelvis area. His head was very relaxed in my hand, and at times he put one of his front paws to rest on my arm. He seems to enjoy making a connection with me this way. He was very sleepy and stretched out on his side.
After a long while there, we shifted position and I had one hand again on his pelvis and the other just off to the side of his abdomen area. After a bit, it became clear that at this point he preferred me to have my hands a short distance away. Once I moved my hands just about 6 inches away, he really stretched out and closed his eyes, very cozy. This time, his tail was close to my right arm. Initially it was twitching a bit, but then he made a connection with me with his tail in the same way he has done with his paw, just resting it on my arm, and I could feel his energy coming to me through it.
At the end of the session, I thanked Reiki and thanked him, and he looked so peaceful. As often happens, Jordyn's other animals had gotten into a rather sleepy mode as well :)

Thanks to you all, and I look forward to seeing you soon!! xo

TTouch and Reiki at BARC shelter: update on Dr. Teeth

Dr. Teeth is a very shy female cat who arrived at BARC shelter some time ago along with a bunch of other cats whose owner had passed away. She was the shyest of all these cats. I have been working with her very quietly, and she has very gradually been getting more comfortable in general and more comfortable being touched.
She is more comfortable with being touched on the body than on the head, so that is usually where I start. For quite a while, I was only touching her with a long-handled paintbrush, doing little circular touches and strokes going down her body, starting just a few touches at a time, taking a break, and continuing. I could see her realizing that these touches were actually very relaxing, so she became very comfortable with me doing this.
The next step was to start incorporating touches with my hand, so I did a few touches with the brush, then some circles with the back of my fingers or back of my hand, then back to the brush, still mostly doing TTouches on the body. Then I started integrating a few touches around the base of the neck, working up to doing touches on the head.
Last Saturday I decided to try a bit of Reiki with her before I began doing the TTouches. First I held my hand slightly over her body, above one side of the brachial chakra. Chakras are energy centers of the body, and the brachial chakra is one that apparently only animals have, that is located near the two shoulders. That is a good place to start, as it connects to other energy centers. Then I held my hand slightly over her heart chakra, and this seemed to be a really important area to work, as I felt a real response and relaxation by her there. Below you will see a video of me doing a bit of Reiki with her over this chakra, and she really settles after a minute of doing this. Sorry it is dark and a bit hard to see. I alternated between doing the energy work over this chakra and doing some circular TTouches with my hand down her body, and then working in some TTouches around her neck and forehead. I felt a relaxation as a result of the Reiki that I had not felt with this cat before.

When I next came back into the shelter on Tuesday, Dr. Teeth greeted me at the front of her cage, which is something really new for her, to see her seeking human connection. When I was doing Reiki with a cat next to her, I saw her watching me, as though she was watching and feeling the energy waves.
Then when I worked with her, again I alternated between doing energy work with my hand slightly off of her, then doing some TTouches. When my hand first touches her, she still will move to the back of her cage initially, then settles into it. She doesn’t hiss anymore. And then when I do energy work with her, she starts to move forward in her cage again, settling.
When a cat starts to really settle like she is now, I can feel her personality starting to come forth, and in this case I felt that balancing the heart chakra helped me to start to feel a deeper, more tangible connection.When I left, I thanked her for trusting me enough to make that connection. I look forward to working with her again.

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Taking it Slow and Easy with Walter

Walter is a young little tabby who recently arrived at BARC shelter. He will come to the front of the cage and vocalizes as though he wants attention, but seems unsure at the same time. I proceeded very gradually with him. You can see from the picture above that he is quite timid.

Before he was checked in and brought into the main cat room, I saw that he looked frightened, so I stood with my body sideways to his cage and offered him Reiki from outside his cage. Immediately I saw his body relax and his eyes closed in a restful position. So I felt as though I had already established a bit of connection with him after he was checked in by the vets and was placed in a cage in the cat adoption room.


I quietly spoke to him, and he came to the front of his cage. He rubbed his head against my hand, so I did a few circular TTouches curling my hand and using the back of my fingers (chimp TTouch), followed by a few straight strokes going down his back with the back of my hand. After this I closed his cage to give him a break.


Especially when I am first working with a frightened cat, it is most helpful and effective to work a little bit, close the cage and give them a break (I can work on another cat or cats in the meantime), then come back in a little while to work with them again. Yesterday I probably did four or five very short little sessions altogether (I have summarized what I did here).


He felt as though he was ultra-sensitive, so I decided to do some TTouches on him with a big, soft makeup brush that I had. This also gave me a little distance between me and him to make him feel safer and to make me safer if he became unsure and wanted to swat, etc.


I started out by doing little circular TTouches with the brush on top of his head and at the base of his ears, stroking out along his ears. He relaxed with this and began to close his eyes, very sweet. I paused and took the brush away from time to time to give him breaks. I started to work in strokes with the brush down his back as well, which he responded to.


After this I closed his cage and gave him a break. His response was interesting, when I would leave him alone, often he complained as though he wanted more, then would settle down a bit until I came near his cage, then he would call to me to come to him again.


The next time I opened his cage, again he was in the front of his cage to greet me. I had worked on several other cats in the in-between time, one of them being the cat next door to him, Camilla, who always comes out to curl up on my lap. What he did next seemed like she may have inspired him or given him courage.


This time I opened the cage door, and he gingerly put one front paw on my knee, took it away, then the other paw, the slowly crawled out onto my lap to settle there. I put my hands on his brachial or "key" chakra (actually two energy portals, one on each side in the shoulder area) and offered him Reiki energy, trying to keep my energy flow from being too intense for him. He calmed right down and settled into my lap. I didn't keep my hands there too long, not wanting to overwhelm him. But I did feel my hands magnetized to his shoulders when they were resting there, the energy pulsing into the chakras. I also did a little TTouch on him there. He settled there for a few minutes, then suddenly meowed loud like he had had enough. He did a hiss as well, but no swatting or biting. At this point I tipped my legs towards his cage, and he went back in there to rest.


A little later, as he was meowing to me again, I offered him Reiki outside of his cage, and he got quite relaxed, as you see here.


Thank you Walter, I look forward to working with you again soon and will keep on taking it slow and easy!

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Boychick

Boychick is a big, gorgeous kitty who arrived recently at BARC shelter in Brooklyn, after his owner had to go into hospice. He is frightened to be in the shelter but gentle and not aggressive. He stays in the back of his cage for the most part and often seems very pulled in.

I have worked with him several times, doing mostly Reiki, as I feel he really is soaking in the energy. I have been doing TTouch with him as well to help his circulation and his connection to his body.

I have felt quite a lot of heat coming from the area of his heart chakra, which makes a lot of sense, so I have focused a lot of attention there. It has felt like my hand is pulled there like a magnet. He does seem calmed by the warm energy. I have also felt my hands gravitate to his back end, or his root chakra. This energy center is important for grounding, so that makes a lot of sense as well. Sometimes with a frightened cat, it is better to keep your hands a distance away, as the energy is too strong for them to handle in an ultra-sensitive state, but Boychik appears to be very comforted by having my hands directly in contact with him. It is so sweet to see him settle into a cozy nap after working with him.

This past Saturday I felt the strongest connection yet with him. I alternated between sending healing energy to his chakras and doing TTouch. This time, in addition to working with the heart chakra, I also spent a lot of time sending energy to the root chakra, which is the area near the base of the spine, and has a lot to do with feeling grounded and feeling safe in the world. This seemed to make a real difference with him. When I was finishing working with him, he opened his eyes and sat straight up in his cage - which was different for him because usually he is lying down at the back of his cage, keeping his head down. He seemed as though he had woken up from a long nap. His eyes were wide-open, alert but not frightened-alert, just focused and open. This was great to see. Later, when other people were petting him, he seemed more responsive than I have seen before. I need to get a new picture of him to put up, the one at the top of this post is a "before" picture :)

Thank you, sweet boy, so glad to see you feeling more comfortable.

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Update on Animal

Animal is a very petite tortie kitty at BARC Shelter. She arrived at the shelter a few months ago after her owner passed away. She has had ongoing digestive issues, and has been receiving medication and a special diet for that as well as other health issues. She is also blind in one eye, and quite a shy girl. I think the blindness makes her more fearful, and it seems to be scary when she sees a hand come towards her. For a long time, due to the shyness and probably also due to not feeling so well, one would often see her in the back of the cage and in a rather hunched up position.

I have been working very intensively with her since she arrived at BARC, using both TTouch and Reiki, so I have been able to observe emotional as well as physical changes as they have happened along the way. I have also quite often sent her distant healing. I am so happy to say that recently she appears to feel so much better physically and emotionally. The medication and diet has been helping her to feel better, which took a while, but she recently seems to be really turning the corner, which is such a pleasure to see.

I have done a lot of Reiki work with her, helping to balance her chakras (energy centers). Until recently, I mostly found heat around the areas dealing with digestion, so I would mostly concentrate there. The past few times, though, the heat shifted to her throat and crown area, so I have been focusing my work there. The throat chakra has to do with expression, the crown chakra has to do with our spiritual nature and connection to the universe. These areas can be hard for a shy cat to tolerate someone's hands, but as I placed my hands near these chakras, slightly away from the body, she settled right in and began to stretch her body out, stretching her paw out towards me as well. This was a very new body posture for her.

The first day I did this, shortly after my session with her, I was working with a cat across the room from her and suddenly I heard a little meow and cat-chirpy sound (that brring! sound that cats can make). I looked around, and discovered it was coming from Animal. This was the first time I ever heard her utter a sound. I looked at her to make sure she was not in distress, and she looked at me as though she was fine, she was just surprised at herself. This same thing has happened the two days following that when I have focused on these chakras. It is very interesting to see. In general, she appears to be coming out of her closed-up state. When I do TTouch on her, she more quickly becomes relaxed and begins to rub her head against the bars of the cage and against my hand. She is also hanging out in the front of the cage more often. Though she is still afraid of a hand suddenly coming towards her, once she realizes it is a gentle, friendly person who is touching her, she quickly becomes responsive.

I especially noticed heat from the crown chakra yesterday when I was working with her, so I stayed there for a while. This feels like it makes so much sense, that she is ready to connect more fully with the universe. Thank you to all the BARC staff and volunteers for all the extra help and love they have given to this cat, and I hope for her to have a connection with the perfect person or people who will give this special being a forever home when the moment is right. Much love to you, Animal!

Hands-On Healing Class with Margrit Coates

Hi folks, this past weekend I had the beautiful experience of taking an advanced class in hands-on healing for animals with Margrit Coates. I had taken another class with her in March, which I found to be so helpful, and for me added another way of helping the animals I work with in the shelters and privately (in addition to TTouch and Reiki). In this class she showed us other ways of working which gave another level of connecting with the animals to help balance their energy. Hearing her speak and watching her work was such an inspiration. She has such a kind, gentle energy, and we saw each and every animal respond to her as she worked with them. Above, you see her working with a lovely dog named Spirit. Her hands truly are magic.

Not only did we work on connecting with animals in the class, Margrit also showed us how to do remote healing, using a photograph of the animal we wanted to connect with. It is very easy for people to be skeptical of this process but I can tell you that it is very powerful, and I did feel a shift in the animal (actually the sweet BARC kitty Animal) who I connected with when I next saw her in the shelter. Once I tuned into her energy as I looked at her photograph, I felt like I was in the shelter with her. It was really quite something. My friend Eileen, who is a wonderful animal communicator and healer, was also in the class and said she noticed a real difference with her cat Duff when she got home.

Above and below you see pictures of Ryley (and Margrit working with him below). Ryley is a sweet senior Maltese, who has very serious heart disease. His loving owner Tracy found Margrit while searching on the internet for someone to help him, as he was doing very badly - panting, lethargic, his heart pounding, he wasn't eating much, and would barely even raise his head. Tracy was so afraid she was going to lose him. She emailed Margrit, sent her a picture of Ryley and she did the long distance healing on him. What happened next was so miraculous. Tracy said, "The morning after Margrit did the healing (I didn't know she had done it overnight because of the time change overseas) he bounced up, ate breakfast, played with his toy and wasn't panting anymore. It really was amazing. I'm not saying he doesn't have heart disease anymore but he certainly has his will to live back and doesn't seem to be suffering anymore. That's all I can ask for. " When we saw Ryley at the class, as you can see in the pictures, he was bright and alert, and he was interested in everything that was going on. I am sure the work Margrit did on Ryley in the class was extremely helpful as well. The healing work seems to pull everything into balance and focus, while being extremely relaxing at the same time.


Thank you so much Margrit, for all that you do with the animals, and for your generosity in sharing the lovely work that you do. Please check Margrit out on her website (click on her name in the first paragraph to go to the site). She is on Facebook as well.

Chakra Healing, TTouch and Reiki with Joie, Bobbi and Leo

Hi folks, first of all I want to reiterate that I am not a vet, and that the work I do is not a replacement for veterinary treatment, but can be helpful in conjunction with it. That being said, I'd love to share the following:

Recently we got in two kittens who appear to be limping a bit. Of course we will have them evaluated by a vet soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to offer them some gentle healing and touch. I took the kittens out one by one very gently and did pretty much the same procedure with each one, so I will just continue describing as though I'm working on one of them. She is quite shy and so it took a minute to calm her. I contained her in a towel initially, doing some gentle ear strokes and a bit of gentle TTouch using a very light touch. I did not find any place on her body (includng down his back and back legs) where she flinched or pulled away or appeared to be in pain when I touched her.


She had calmed down so I then opened up the towel. Then I placed my fingers on the two chakras which are in the shoulder area. I could feel quite a bit of heat there, and once I put my fingers there I could feel the energy opening up and going down her body. she really relaxed and stretched out, purring.


As I did this, our sweet elder kitty Leo came near where we were and looked right at me. For a while he hung out under the stool I was sitting on and then he came around and looked at me again. I only had one hand on the kitten as you see here, and so with my other hand I placed it in the offering position and began to feel Reiki flowing to him. He stayed right there for quite a while, until I felt it was enough, and then he went on about his day. He often hangs around when I am working on the other animals, and, of course, I make time for him too!

But back to the kitten. I continued to feel energy flowing from the chakras down the body and the kitten totally relaxed and stretched out. When it seemed that it was enough time, I told the kitten I was going to move her back to her cage, wrapped her up in the towel again and placed her back in his cage. She seemed a bit scared at first, but I did see her stand straight up on her legs, then she scurried a bit, and then in a minute went over to her food dish and began to eat. I was glad to see this as well, as we always want to make sure these little ones are eating!

I look forward to working with these little girls more and am curious to see what will happen when they are looked at by a vet as well. maybe there's a possibility they are still recovering from spay surgery or that their bodies were stiff from sitting in a scared crouching position? we'll see.

ps. I'm actually posting this two days after it happened, and yesterday (the day after this work), I only could stop by the shelter briefly, but when I checked on the kittens, it truly appeared that they were standing up taller on their legs and that they were walking with more ease.