History of Animal Healing

Animal healing has been practiced since the 1950’s when the famous healer Harry Edwards ran Saturday sessions in the yard at Burrows Lea for local animals and there are still animal healing courses run there today.

In those days Harry Edwards was so famous he was demonstrating healing to packed audiences in sell out displays at the Royal Festival Hall.

Research in healing has recently focussed on hormonal changes in Labrador dogs. Japanese scientist Nagasawa (2009) showed the beneficial effects on human health of stroking a pet. His colleague Mitsui (2011) demonstrated the release of oxytocin hormone in dogs when hands on therapies such as massage and energy healing were given to dogs. The hormones excreted in urine, peak after an hour, as the system has been flooded with them up to that time. The physical signals of soft body posture, dilated pupils and male dogs exposing themselves, are all familiar signs during healing sessions. Oxytocin increases trust and socialisation which brings about important behavioural changes in dogs and their humans.

          Reduced Stress Levels

Research has been conducted by Lisa Benn, a UK based healer and animal behaviourist, for her Master’s thesis, to see if healing could reduce stress levels in cats at an RSPCA rescue centre.

Chronic stress experienced by cats in rescue centres poses a significant challenge to welfare and re-homing potential. Results of the study showed a highly significant reduction in stress levels immediately following healing that was still evident 2½ hours later. It was concluded that healing could be a highly effective intervention to reduce stress and thus improve welfare and re-homing potential in kennelled cats

Healing has been demonstrated in studies to 

• Increase the immune response
• Reduce the stress hormone cortisol
• Increase the hormone oxytocin
• Speed up wound healing
• Decrease pain sensation
• Reduce blood pressure
• Give an overall feeling of well-being.

The healing of animals works on  different levels, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It is beneficial for everything from illnesses, injuries and behavioural problems. Healing speeds up recovery from illness and injury as it allows the animal to heal itself on a deep, natural level. It is a non-invasive method that helps to bring the animal back to a place of natural balance. It can remove blocked energy that can cause both physical and emotional issues. Animal healing can be used on a regular basis to help prevent future health problems from occurring, keeping the animal’s energy field in a balanced condition and boosting their immune system.