To most of us, energy calls to mind something that turns lights on and off, runs our cars, or is supplemented by vitamins. We don’t realize we are made of energy, and that we interact with people and animals on an instinctive, energetic basis. All living and non-living substances are made of vibrating electromagnetic energy– just like light, sound or microwaves. We literally send off an invisible electromagnetic field in all directions, like ripples caused by pebbles tossed into a pond. This energy field is a physical connection to our animal companions, wildlife, and our natural surroundings. Utilizing positive, therapeutic energy can be an effective way to supplement the natural healing process for animals that have gone through a medical or surgical procedure or are re-gaining health after an illness.
How Does Energy Therapy Work for Dogs and Cats?
Electromagnetic fields are composed of waves, so to understand how to use energy principles for healing, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of wave theory. In addition to an immediate connection, waves traverse locally very quickly, interacting with other waves around them. When one wave hits another object that is vibrating similarly, the two waves resonate. If you put two guitars on opposite sides of a room and plucked the E string on one, the sound would travel across the room and interact with the opposite guitar. Because the corresponding E string is of a similar frequency, it would resonate with the vibration and produce a sound. The other property of waves that’s extremely valuable in understanding energy healing is called entrainment. When two waves of similar frequencies resonate, their frequencies entrain, and they will eventually vibrate at the same rate. One wave increases or decreases the frequency of the other. Two pendulums of equal weight and length that are swinging at different rates will eventually swing together. The wave from one entrains the wave from the other, and they synchronize. We observe entrainment frequently in nature. A school of fish that changes direction in a moment happens because all of the individual fish are acting as one unit. Their fields are entrained, so they move together.
How do Dogs and Cats Benefit from Energy Therapy?
The concepts of resonance and entrainment form the basis for energy medicine methods such as Healing Touch for Animals®, Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, Pranic Healing®, and Reconnective Healing®. With these therapies, the practitioner’s energy field entrains the patient’s energy field and changes its vibration. Studies have shown that people undergoing chemotherapy who received Healing Touch had more cancer-killing immune cells than those who didn’t. The body is much like an orchestra – when it is in harmony and playing in perfect pitch, its instinctive healing mechanisms work more efficiently. Whether it is to boost the immune system, alleviate pain, or help a pet regain strength after surgery or an injury, energy medicine can be an effective adjunctive therapy.
Pets who may Benefit from Energy Therapy
Cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy treatment, those recovering from bone marrow transplants, patients undergoing rehabilitation therapy, geriatric pets, those with chronic illnesses, and patients experiencing acute or chronic pain.
Part of your Pet’s Total Care
Energy therapy is part of MedVet’s Integrative Medicine program. With Integrative Medicine, we provide complimentary therapies for your pet to promote healing and improve quality of life during an illness or a procedure performed by one of our specialties. If energy therapy is considered to be of potential benefit to your pet, your MedVet team will coordinate a treatment plan and discuss these recommendations with you prior to beginning. As with all treatments performed at MedVet, you will be the ultimate decision-maker on how we proceed with your pet. An energy session can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. If it is being done in conjunction with an Integrative Medicine consultation, expect the appointment to last about 2 hours. You are welcome to be with your pet during this time. It’s very relaxing for pets and humans! Many patients have more vitality immediately afterward, while some will sleep soundly that evening, but be brighter the following day.