Giving Reiki to animals

Background

As holistic therapies and a desire for more natural approaches to healthcare grow, Reiki is increasingly being offered to animals as well as people. Animals are often very receptive and this technique can be very effective for relaxation and have many other potential benefits.

Reiki and veterinary care

Reiki is not a replacement for veterinary treatment, medication or other care. It can support veterinary care and other animal care or can be used, where appropriate, alone. Reiki and any other animal therapy Practitioners must abide by the requirements of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), including the guidance of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 in Chapter 19 of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons, titled Treatment of animals by unqualified persons.

Animals with an undiagnosed condition should be seen by a vet prior to a Reiki session unless the Reiki is being given in an emergency situation whilst waiting for a vet to arrive, or on route to a vet.

Starting out as a Reiki for Animals Practitioner  

To help you get started treating animals personally, or animals of people you know, TRA have produced an information sheet you may find useful 'Starting out as a Reiki for Animals Practitioner'. Click to view or download the pdf.

For anyone wishing to offer Reiki to animals other than their own, or to other friendly animals that they know well, we would recommend additional Reiki for Animals (RfA) training.

Training Standards for Offering Reiki to animals

The Reiki Association is keen to see high standards of training and delivery to benefit the profession, practitioners, and the animals to be offered this therapy. The quality of Reiki training for specifically working with animals varies enormously. Since there have been no official training standards, TRA has worked with other Reiki Council member organisations, in conjunction with the LANTRA, to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) for offering Reiki to Animals. From these a set of requirements has been developed which are felt to be the basic requirements needed for Reiki for Animals Practitioners, who wish to be professionally recognised.

Reiki Council member organisations are now offering professional recognition

TRA wishes to recognise Reiki Practitioners who have, through training and experience, learned not just about Reiki, but also animals, and to work effectively and sympathetically with them for the best results.

We now offer Reiki for Animals Practitioner recognition for public practitioners. This provides evidence of your Reiki learnings and practice, knowledge and experience in relation to working with and understanding animals, and competence in Reiki delivery to benefit different animals in various situations.

Application for Reiki for Animals Practitioner recognition

If you are interested in applying for recognition please contact Chris Battye, TRA Reiki for Animals (RfA)  liaison officer at reikiforanimals@reikiassociation.net

This application process has been created to:

• Help applicants be fully prepared to conduct Reiki sessions with animals competently in a safe, legal and completely ethical manner
• Enable Reiki organisations to professionally recognise proficient practitioners
• Raise standards of RfA training and practice
• Create a solid platform from which to generate awareness of RfA as a profession in its own right, and optimally publicise professionally recognised practitioners and approved training courses.

Pre-requisites to application

• Reiki level I and II completed
• Minimum 9 months practice since Reiki I
• Reiki Attunements/Initiations/Reiju must have been received in-person
• RfA training to public practitioner level OR if applying based on experience, a minimum of 100 hours offering Reiki to animals (with at least 75% being in-person)
• RfA training(when undertaken) to have included in-person practical sessions for your teacher to teach/ observe/advise on your Reiki with animals
• A valid insurance policy which covers you for humans and animals

We are aware of species-specific Reiki courses e.g. equine, canine, small animals, or animal (including equine), however we encourage students to initially learn to offer Reiki to a variety of animals. If you have focused only on one species, please contact Chris Battye.

Application Checklist

If wishing to apply, in addition to meeting the pre-requisites, please check the points below to confirm you are eligible. Then choose the Reiki organisation you feel most drawn to, then complete and submit your application directly with them.

 You will need to:

1. Have offered Reiki to animals with a selection of issues (physical/mental/emotional). This is required.
2. Have written up a minimum of 30 Reiki sessions across at least six different animals, including 3 different species.
3. Have a copy of your animal client information and consent paperwork for RfA sessions.
4. Be aware of Red Flag symptoms, have a list and know what to do if observed.*
5. Be aware of notifiable diseases, have a list and know what to do if asked to offer Reiki to an animal with one.*
6. Be familiar and compliant with relevant veterinary and animal welfare legislation.*
7. Be confident in acting in a way to optimise the safety of yourself and others when offering Reiki to animals.*
8. Understand basic animal body language for animals you will work with, and know how to respond.*
9. Be aware of basic animal anatomy e.g. location of major organs and significant bones.*

*If your training did not include all of the above information, don’t worry, the Reiki Council have produced a reference publication which practitioners can purchase -Understanding Animals: A working Guide for Reiki Practitioners. It provides information on the above and more besides, and is a useful document for anyone working with animals.  This will provide you with the knowledge you need......although you then need to put it into practice.

How do I find out where to get good quality training?

Currently the Reiki Council is working on accrediting courses that provide ALL the necessary information and training to meet Reiki Practitioner for Animals standards. Once courses have been accredited details will be available in the TRA directory and on the Reiki Council website.

Reiki for Animals (RfA) Practitioner Recognition: Frequently Asked Questions

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