22/01/2026
As a Reiki master and animal Reiki practitioner ,when treating people or animals the energy is intelligent enough to go where it’s needed most ,however as Reiki has spread to the West over time some Reiki practitioners work with balancing the chakras and using crystals and working with Angels or practicing holy fire Reiki etc,this is more Western style where the practitioners use their intuition and experience when working with balancing chakras and not traditional Reiki but both are effective ,there is no one better than the other,it’s down to personal choice and what someone looking for treatment chooses,healing energy is still healing energy whether it’s from a Reiki practitioner,acupuncturist,chi practitioner or faith healer etc.
When working on the chakras animals are often said to have an additional chakra to humans,sometimes called the brachial chakra.This idea is a modern spiritual interpretation developed by intuitive healers and Reiki practitioners and is described as being located near the shoulders/front legs or slightly above the heart chakra.Animals are said to have this extra chakra as they are viewed as heart centred beings,in Reiki philosophy humans are thought to over identify with the mind (upper chakras)where animals are thought to live primarily through instinct,emotional truth,presence and unconditional affection.
This additional chakra is thought to strengthen their heart and body connection,allowing direct emotional communication,supporting loyalty,bonding and intuitive awareness and because of this,animal reiki practitioners often describe animals as being able to sense emotional states,absorbing stress or illness from humans,acting as energetic buffers or guardians.
This extra chakra is thought to help animals process external energy and protect their primary system and disperse emotional/enviromental energy quickly,this would be possibly why animals avoid chaotic spaces or people they sense as distressed.
Animals also tend to be seen as spiritually simpler and energetically efficient,whereas in Reiki thought,humans have complex karmic,emotional and mental layers,animals are believed to have fewer energetic blockages and faster chakra balancing with shorter energetic memory.
This additional chakra is thought to assist in rapid energetic clearing and keeps their system resilient and responsive.
It’s important to note that from a scientific and medical standpoint,chakras are symbolic and not anatomical,there is no biological evidence of animals having extra energy centres,however within Reiki and energy healing traditions chakras are maps of awareness,not physical organs,the extra chakra is a way of describing observed patterns in animal behaviour and sensitivity.In Reiki philosophy,humans are said not to have this extra chakra as they became more conscious/ intellectual and ego based,although some believe children retain a partial access to it and advanced meditators are said to reactivate similar energetic functions through heart based practices.
When giving Reiki to animals i allow the animal to choose where the energy flows and use my intuition to notice any strong responses from around their shoulders and chest and avoid forcing hand positions as animals typically end the session themselves when complete and so sessions tend to be shorter than it would be treating a person but still deeply effective and because animals naturally self regulate and will disengage when complete is one of the reasons Reiki can be such a respectful and calming support for animals alongside veterinary care.
Reiki is always offered as a complementary practice and never a replacement for veterinary care.
I hope this information is of help for anyone considering Reiki treatment for themselves or for anyone else and their beloved animals and can contact the balance clinic Tatenhill near Burton Upon Trent to book a session.
