Healing animals with Reiki

CLINTON – While Izzy and Wesley may not have known that World Animal Reiki Day was being honored Thursday at Clinton Book Shop, the two dogs — 6 and 12 years old respectively — were not adverse to benefiting from the celebration.

When Sue Ann Seccia-Harnden offered healing energy to the mixed breed Izzy and the Novia Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, the two took quiet notice, seemed drawn to her and made their way from their pet parents to the Reiki Master-Teacher, settling in at her feet — without any type of prompting.

Curious to their surroundings before, Izzy and Wesley appeared to relax and accept the healing energy offered. Clinton resident Kim Nolan is Wesley's mother while Izzy came with Erin Gries of the downtown-based Bearpaw Leather Shop.

"I definitely noticed a change in the behavior of the dogs," Gries said. "Izzy stopped and started yawning. I had to let her go. There was definitely a change in the energy in the room and the dogs noticed for sure. I liked this clinic and will look further into it."

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique. Just as it can benefit humans, the method can offer similar healing to animals of all species and breeds. Participants at the World Animal Reiki Day event learned how Reiki can be used for their own domestic companions as well as for animals in shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries and on farm animals. The healing technique also can aid wild animals or ferals, said Seccia-Harnden, a Reiki master-teacher involved with the technique since 1999.

"Reiki is Japanese word for energy healing. It's actually two words — rei and ki — and it translates most easily into spiritually guided energy," said Seccia-Harnden, owner of Fifth Dimension Healing Energy based in the town. "Reiki is meant for stress reduction and relaxation, but also promotes healing. By getting a client to deeply relax, it can help clients' tap into their own self healing abilities and those could be at the physical layer, the mental-emotional layer or even be spiritually."

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It differs a bit for animals, but as Seccia-Harnden says "Reiki is Reiki."

Unlike Reiki for humans, Animal Reiki differs in the approach. Seccia-Harnden demonstrated both forms last Thursday after discussing the history and benefits of both. While people would generally receive a treatment in a zero-gravity chair or a Reiki table and is a hands-on or hands-off technique (hands-off in New Jersey) of putting hands positions over energy points on the body's energy field, Animal Reiki helps animals more through the use of meditation. Like Reiki, it can be done short distance or long.

"Besides an energy, Reiki is also a system of energy healing, so as energy practitioners, there are several components in the system of Reiki that allows us to connect to that energy," she said. "Some of those include things such as meditation, techniques, hand positions. With a person, they have consciously said they are accepting of the Reiki. For animals, it is tapping into more of the meditation and mindfullness techniques of Reiki. We are creating the energetic connection and space with the animal and we are allowing the animal to determine how much, if and how long they might want to take that treatment. So it is really empowering them for choice within that connected space to take some, none or all of that energy that is being offered to them."

Seccia-Harnden said that because animals are "energetic beings" they understand the energy of Reiki and they understand energy in general as "that is the world they live in."

"It is is good and they feel safe and it is empowering and there is choice, then quite often they know they are out of balance and want to get back in balance or harmoize or heal, they are quite open usually to accepting that energy," she said. "Reiki will heal at the level of whatever is most needed at that moment when the Reiki is being offered to the person or the animal."

This is the second year the Clinton Book Shop opened its doors to World Animal Reiki Day. Seccia-Harnden, who for three years hosted the local "Holistic Around Hunterdon" radio series, also demonstrated a head and neck Reiki technique on Donna Kugelman of Long Valley and a guided meditation and breathing technique session for the attendees.

World Animal Reiki Day, which is officially on Feb. 5 every year, was created two years ago by Kathleen Prasad, a Reiki master-teacher based in California who founded in 2008 the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA), with the aim of supporting ethical and professional Animal Reiki treatment and training programs for shelters and sanctuaries around the world. It was Prasad's dog Dakota who first opened her eyes to the benefits of Reiki on an animal. Feb. 5 was chosen because it was Dakota's birthday. An Australian shepherd, Dakota was with Prasad for more than 16 years.

"SARA's mission is to raise awareness around the globe of the healing benefits of Reiki for animals and honor all animals as our spiritual teachers," Seccia-Harnden said. "As she (Prasad) started having healing experiences and working more with Reiki, her dog became really interested and would want to be part of the treatments as she was doing her own self-care practices. She relaized that there was something here and the animal wanted to be part of the experience of Reiki, so her dog, Dakota, was actually her first Reiki teacher. She went on to learn and realize that there were ways to use Reiki with all types of breeds and species."

SARA now has more than 300 members with 120 SARA certified teachers and is in 35 shelters at a regular basis in the U.S., Canada, England and Australia, Seccia-Harnden said. Seccia-Harnden, who opened Fifth Dimension Healing in 2013, has been involved with SARA and Animal Reiki for four years and offers a variety of classes in both forms of Reiki and other holistic energy healing solutions. Once a month, she volunteers at Woodlands Wildlife Refuge in Alexandria Township, which serves, rehabilitates and releases all species of the state's wildlife.

"They have in their care everything from bunnies, turtles, snakes, raccoons, foxes and bobcats, bears, reptiles — you name it. Reki is a beutiful option to add to the healing journey for them," said Seccia-Harnden, who also is an animal communicator. "I've had amazing results with animals. Domestic companion or wild — with Reiki. My mission is to help people become the best version of themselves. And same for the animals."

Participants also were given copies of "Everything Animal Reiki: A Simple Guide to Meditating with Animals for Healing" by Prasad, who also is the founder of Animal Reiki Source.

For more information about the Clinton Book Shop, at 12 E. Main St., call 908-735-8811. For more information about Fifth Dimension Healing Energy, go to www.FifthDimensionHealingEnergy.net or call 908-730-0658.

Staff Writer Cheryl Makin: 732-565-7256; cmakin@mycentraljersey.com