When in Doubt

There is no explaining some things. As a human being I often wonder about the validity of things that I can not see or prove. I've never been one to feel the need to validate or prove the unseen but wonder none the less. When searching for a modality I could learn and practice for dogs I found Reiki. This was in the 1990's and Reiki was becoming more mainstream here in Northwest Washington. Reiki 'spoke' to me in a way that other healing modalities hadn't. As soon as I began researching the history, use and philosophy of it, I had a complete sense of "this is it", an aha moment. Over the years of practicing Reiki I have let the energy do it's thing, not feeling the need to over-think it or dissect it. If the person (human or canine) let's me know it is doing something I am happy to know and I am pleased to be the facilitator. That being said, giving Reiki to dogs in my work has always been an interesting process. They don't verbally express themselves and tell me things like, "I felt a tingling sensation", or "I felt a rush of energy when you did that". Practicing Reiki on dogs is a practice of faith that something is actually happening. Once in a while a dog will shy away from the energy when it starts to flow and I can feel them fidget or actually move away from me. That could be coincidence or the feeling of warmth increasing in my hands or just 'don't touch me there', so I never know for sure if the Reiki is working out for them. Then came Zak. Zak is a 14 year old Lab mix. He hadn't had professional massage or Reiki before. Before he came to see me for his first session he only knew me from when I would come to his house and work on his brother Rudy. The last time I had seen Zak was the day that Rudy passed, when I gave Rudy some massage and Reiki to help ease him into his transition. It was a very emotional day for us all. Zak was pretty tentative about letting me work with him on his appointment day. His Mom and I both felt (we got the feeling at the same time; possibly picking up Zak's thought) that he associated me with the day Rudy left his life. They were very close for many years and Rudy's passing was hard on Zak. Zak was coming in for his session primarily so I could help increase the mobility in his back end and legs. He has been having a hard time getting around, up and down and is losing some muscle mass. When I began the massage he guarded his back legs, laying like a sphinx, or moving from side to side so I couldn't get my hands on much. His panting and body language told me he wasn't very relaxed at all. I decided to start some Reiki for him. Just as I started, Zak spun his head around and looked at me. I hadn't moved my hands, just started the Reiki. I thought it was funny, but didn't think much of it as a lot of dogs do that. Again, coincidence? After a couple of minutes he began to relax, breathing slower and panting less. I moved my hands and re-started the Reiki. Once again he looked at me, then he looked at Mom then he turned his head back toward me and began sniffing the air around my hands. It was priceless. We laughed. After another minute Zak was laying on his side fully relaxed. Then out of the blue he shot both back legs right toward me and extended them completely, leaving them relaxed. I began Reiki and some gentle massage on his legs and he completely allowed me to work his entire back end. Without being there to see the process it can still seem like coincidence or be explained by touch or other circumstances, but we that were there saw exactly what was happening and know Zak was feeling, liking and appreciating the Reiki for what it is; healing energy. Thanks for reaffirming that for me Zak. Thank you for facilitating the Reiki for ME!