An Interview with Elizabeth in Synergies in Healing Journal

Posted on December 16, 2015December 16, 2015

Elizabeth Fulton: The Work of an Animal Communicator

by Evelyn Einhaeuser

How do animals communicate?

Well, I think that the most important thing to understand is that, unlike our normal day to day communication using speech, facial expressions, gestures, etc., animal communication takes place on an inner level. Humans have grown less familiar with this level over time as they have built an increasingly complex civilization. Animal communication is telepathic communication. It can also be described as deepened intuition. All of us have intuitive capabilities, which we are aware of in day to day life, and these can be developed and expanded to become telepathic communication. At one time many people were probably able to communicate telepathically with other species. Although many humans have lost touch with this ability, most animals have not and are adept at communicating with each other, at distances as well as in each other’s presence.

Read full article at synergies-journal.com

Photo Essay: Offering Reiki to Deer and a Squirrel

Posted on July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

The following text and photos are abridged from Animal Reiki: Using Energy to Heal the Animals in Your Life:

“Over the past five years I’ve sent Reiki to the deer and other wild animals in my neighborhood to help them with the many challenges they face in a suburban environment. The deer face a lot of hardships: in finding food, avoiding cars and dogs, and dealing with hostility from people. They have felt the healing energy I sent, and gradually we have moved into a close relationship. They have come to trust me and to regard me as their healer. Whenever they are sick or injured, they come to my entry courtyard and wait until I come home or until I look out and see them there. Sometimes they even go from window to window looking in to try to catch my attention if I am home.

Over time they have brought all manner of injuries and illnesses to me for help. When a deer comes for help, I sit quietly in the courtyard with my hands in my lap and let the Reiki energy flow to him. Each deer decides how he wants to receive the treatment, moving around the courtyard as he sees fit and leaving when he has had enough Reiki.

When I scheduled the photo shoot for the chapter on wild animals in Animal Reiki, I was unsure how the deer would respond to the presence of a photographer. On the day before the shoot I sent Reiki to the situation and asked the deer to come the following day to be a part of the book, if it was comfortable for them.

The next day, just before the photographer arrived, I went outside and found that there were a dozen deer waiting for me. During the shoot the deer were calm and focused. Over the next hour and a half they took turns seeking treatments. They accommodated each other beautifully, with the majority waiting patiently off to the side out of the way of the photos or on the ledge until each deer was finished with Reiki and it was time for the next deer to step in.” The following photos are from the shoot that day:

Click the first image to launch the slideshow.

The deer’s desire to help me gave me enormous joy, and, as we worked together and Reiki filled the courtyard, I could feel the excitement and delight rising for all of us, the deer, the photographer and me.

After we had completed the photos with the deer, we moved inside, expecting that we had completed all the photos of wild animals that we would get that day. However, the squirrel, Reepicheep, had a surprise for me and was waiting on the deck to offer his participation as well. Reep was uncertain about the photographer, but he stayed long enough to contribute some lovely photos of a treatment of a squirrel.

At the end of the shoot I felt that Reep and the deer had really extended themselves to help Reiki reach other animals and to give something back to me and to Reiki for what they have received in the past.”

Oscar Releases His Emotional Burden

Posted on July 8, 2011September 9, 2022

The following is one of Elizabeth’s stories from Animal Reiki: Using Energy to Heal the Animals in your Life (Ulysses Press, 2006). It illustrates what can happen after Animal Reiki treatments and some of the results that Reiki can bring about:

I work with many extraordinary animals, but some animals truly stand out, inspire me with their courage, and leave an indelible print on my memory. One such animal was Oscar, a Russian Blue cat, whom I met at the local shelter in 2003.

Oscar arrived at the shelter in early June; he was severely depressed from the outset; for several weeks he rarely ate and lay with his eyes closed on top of his excrement in his litter box as though making a metaphorical statement about his idea of his place in the universe. He was unresponsive to touch or any overtures from the staff and appeared to have totally given up hope that anything could go well for him. Although I did not know the specific details of his life, what I could see indicated that he had had a particularly rough time. Among other things much of his beautiful tail had been cut off, leaving him with a somewhat ragged two-inch stump. The staff was very concerned about him and asked me to begin treating him.

Oscar began to receive Reiki treatments and a daily dose of the Anaflora flower essence, Return to Joy. In the first treatment the only sign of progress was that he opened his eyes once and fleetingly looked at me. However, within days, and with subsequent Reiki treatments, he began to improve. We first started to notice these improvements when Sunny, a volunteer, was massaging him. He started to purr so quietly after a treatment that we couldn’t be sure it was true until we turned off the music in the cat area. Sunny was so touched to hear signs of life coming from him that she bent over and kissed him on top of his head. Like a person deprived of love and having almost given up on it, Oscar began to cry. For several minutes big golden tears rolled out of his eyes as he looked up at us. We praised him for his courage in being able to open himself up and release his grief.

After this, he became steadily more engaged, making eye contact, then holding people’s gazes, then pushing against the volunteers’ hands when they stroked him. He started to sit up and groom himself. Soon he was coming to the front of the cage looking for attention, batting at toys, coming out onto volunteers’ laps, and looking around with interest at the other cats.

He was always exceptionally sweet and loving. When he wanted to tell someone to stop doing something, he would slowly and gently open his mouth and put it around a hand or finger so as not to upset or startle anyone. It was as though he knew from sad experience what it feels like to receive harsh feedback. After three weeks of treatment, he was alert, healthy, and fully engaged in his life, and a few days later he was adopted to a good home.

I have reflected many times on the tremendous courage it took for Oscar to release his heavy emotional burden and open himself to hope and to interactions with people again despite his previous negative experiences. But Reiki and the flower essences have the ability to reach deeply into a being to restore health and balance, and, in this case, they were aided by the love of the volunteers who took Oscar into their hearts and helped coax him back to life.

When I am faced with such deep suffering-whether it is on the physical, emotional or spiritual level-I am always grateful to know that I have the wonderful healing capabilities of Reiki and the flower essences on my side.

Zoe Shows Me How to Give Her Reiki

Posted on July 8, 2011July 18, 2011

animal communication for dogs When I first learned Level 1 Reiki, I didn’t have much success in treating my dog, Zoe. She was then about twelve and had begun to develop symptoms of kidney disease. When I placed my hands directly on her, or even six to twelve inches away form her, she moved away after only a minute or so, as though Reiki felt too intense for her. Eventually, I concluded that she just did not like it and stopped offering her Reiki. Meanwhile, her kidney symptoms increased.

One day when I was standing at the kitchen sink, I suddenly felt my hands heat up and tingle. When I looked around, there was Zoe about four feet away, looking intently at me. I put aside what I was doing and stood with my hands out, Reiki pouring through them. Soon Zoe lay down on the hardwood floor, which was unusual for her since the hard surface was uncomfortable for her elderly body. But she stayed there for thirty minutes, lightly dozing.

The next day she drank less, needed to go out less frequently, and looked happier and more comfortable. When we went to the vet, her lab tests showed that her urine was more concentrated. Now when she comes to me and lies down nearby with a certain look on her face, I know that she wants Reiki, generally at a distance of three to four feet. With treatments when she seeks them out, her kidney disease has shown very little progression.

Where is Cedric?

Posted on July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

The following is one of Elizabeth’s stories from Animal Reiki: Using Energy to Heal the Animals in your Life (Ulysses Press, 2006). It illustrate what happens during an Animal Reiki treatment and the results that Reiki can bring about:

Cedric was a young male cat with beautiful orange and white coloring who was picked up and brought into the local shelter as a stray. His first two days at the shelter were memorable for everyone. He cried and yowled constantly, clawed at his cage door, lay down in his cage and shook, fell over and pawed at the air with his legs, and even got into his water bowl and made swimming motions. He was taken to the vet twice in two days because the staff feared that this behavior was the result of seizures. No one could figure out what was going on with him, but his presence was very strongly felt in the cat area. The staff requested that I offer him a Reiki treatment. He took quite a lot of energy and became quiet and relaxed during the treatment. Afterwards he seemed a little more contained.

The next day, when I stopped by the shelter, I looked in Cedric’s cage and saw a quiet, relaxed orange and white cat. I asked one of the staff, “Where is Cedric?” She laughed and said that I was one of many people who had said the same thing that morning, but that was, indeed, Cedric! Cedric stayed at the shelter for another three weeks before he found a home, but he was quiet and mellow the entire time with no sign of his former wild behavior.

Reiki Eases Tammy’s Transition

Posted on July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

Steve and Sandra were normally a close couple who agreed about the important matters in their lives. But when they contacted me they were at odds about their terrier, Tammy, who had a number of serious health problems and seemed to be at the end of her life. Tammy was a strong, intelligent, exceptionally personable dog who delighted in watching the animal shows on TV with Sandra and barked excitedly when her favorite shows and animals came on. Sandra and Tammy had been best friends for nearly fifteen years, and Sandra had been nursing Tammy through increasingly difficult symptoms for several months.

When I first talked with Steve and Sandra they were divided about whether it was time to assist Tammy to pass on. Sandra was exhausted, and it was painful for her to be unable to cure Tammy and to see her suffering at times. Steve felt that there was still a lot of life in Tammy and could not bear to end her life at what seemed to him to be a premature point. They asked me to send Reiki to Tammy to see if it would help her and to help them with their decision-making process.

I sent a series of treatments to Tammy, Steve, and Sandra. Tammy’s symptoms improved, and she was almost her old self for about a week. During that time Steve and Sandra got a little rest and had a chance to talk about their feelings regarding Tammy without the high level of stress that they had been experiencing. In the third week after her treatments Tammy began to be uncomfortable again, and this time Steve and Sandra agreed that it was time to help Tammy with her transition. Tammy passed on peacefully with her family, and Steve and Sandra were grateful for the extra time they had with her and the peace Reiki brought them in helping her to leave when the time came.

Rose’s Reiki Miracle

Posted on July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

At the height of kitten season, when the shelter was already more than full, a very old, very sweet female cat, Rose, was brought in as a stray. Rose had a number of serious health problems but was bright-eyed, seemed comfortable, and still clearly enjoyed life quite a lot. She was bedraggled and matted but appeared to be quite a lady and not a cat that had been on the streets for long. Because they were so full, with more kittens coming in every day, and because of Rose’s health problems, the decision was made to euthanize her. This happens rarely at this shelter and only when circumstances become really dire. One of the volunteers asked me to send her Reiki for her transition. I did so and also asked for the highest good for her situation, secretly hoping for a miracle.

The next day I was afraid to ask what had happened to her. It turned out that the person who was to give her the injection got sick at the last minute and had to go home. The following morning, someone who normally was not involved with the paperwork at the shelter noticed that the legally required holding period had not been met, giving Rose a several day reprieve. Two days later a very old woman came in looking for her lost cat, and, sure enough, it was Rose! The two of them went happily home together, where hopefully Rose was able to live out her days in peace. When you send Reiki you never know what the outcome will be, but sometimes it really seems that there are miracles!

Merlin

Posted on July 8, 2011July 18, 2011

animal communication for wild animals One day near the beginning of my experiences with the deer, I noticed that one of the young stags was limping. When I got a closer look at his right hind leg, I could see a large swollen infected area above the hock and extending down below it. There were several long, open, festering wounds there, similar to the kind of lacerations animals sometimes get from being tangled in barbed wire. It looked as though it had been there for some time.

I sat down and offered him Reiki, which he accepted gratefully. Off and on when I saw him, and when I thought of it outside of his presence, I sent Reiki to him, and, in a couple of weeks his wound had healed. He began to come more frequently to my courtyard, and a special friendship developed between us. He was the first deer to whom I gave a name, Merlin. Merlin has weathered many injuries, including one that almost ended his life. Each time he has come to me, and I’ll never be able to express how much his trust has meant to me.

Master Communicator

Posted on July 8, 2011July 18, 2011

animal communication for cats Years ago I worked with a feral cat named Smokey at the local animal shelter. Smokey hadn’t done well in the shelter and had tried to escape several times. Soon after he arrived he became very sick and would have died if one of the staff had not force-fed him and nursed him back to life. As he grew stronger, however, he continued to be very wary of people, often biting volunteers who tried to interact with him. When I met him they were very concerned because after three months in the shelter he sat hunched in one corner, never moving from that spot, severely depressed. He started at every noise and movement, and, although he could be taken out of his cage by a few of the most experienced volunteers, he would try to bite people¹s faces as soon as he saw them.

Smokey and I formed a strong bond during the month I worked with him at the shelter; his depression cleared and he became much more relaxed and confident with his favorite people. I could feel that it was my love and high regard for him, in addition to Reiki, which brought him back to life and renewed hope. At the time I was still reconnecting with the animal communication abilities I’d had as a child, and Smokey was an expert communicator. With him I received elaborate information effortlessly. I had come to love him very much and knew that we were already a team, and, after much careful consideration, I brought him home to live with me.

From the beginning Smokey was deeply attached to me, but he remained wary of my husband and daughter, our dog, and the two cats. In many ways Smokey was basically still feral and distrustful of people. His failing eyesight aggravated his sense of vulnerability, and he was careful in his interactions with everyone. I offered Reiki to him frequently, and he would come up and lean against me and doze for as long as I could continue the treatment. His tolerance for physical contact improved, and I could touch him carefully as long as he could see my hand approaching. He often slept with me but would sometimes jump down when I turned in the night. When I was sick, however, he stayed with me constantly.

But on the inner level Smokey and I were a wonderful team without any reservations. Smokey was a master communicator, not only with me but with other beings as well, and he was very focused in his desire to help me in any way he could. Almost as soon as he arrived home with me he took on as his purpose in life helping me to develop my animal communication skills. In my early work he acted as a facilitator in my communications with animals, and, with his assistance, their messages invariably came in loud and clear. And on a practical level his skill in communicating with other beings was highly appreciated in our household.

During the summer he came to live with us we had several major ant incursions in our home. I noticed the first of these incursions only moments before I had to leave the house for a long appointment. With considerable agitation I told the ants that it was not all right to come indoors in such large numbers and I wanted them to leave by sunset. I told them I did not want to hurt them but they could not stay here, and, if they did not leave, I would feel I had no choice. Smokey watched me with concern, and, as I left, I noticed his eyes were tightly closed and he had gathered himself into the loaf shape he often assumed when he was concentrating hard on helping me with some inner task.

When I returned several hours later, there were only a handful of ants. By suppertime all the ants were gone, and Smokey was looking very pleased with himself. I had had very good results communicating with ants when they came indoors, but I had never seen such a rapid withdrawal. Usually it took a couple days for all of the ants to move out. Smokey had clearly devoted himself to helping me with this task for a considerable part of his day with his usual masterful results.

Ask Your Question

Posted on July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

A regular feature of Reiki Magazine International, in which readers send in questions and the magazine selects a Reiki master to respond to the questions

By Elizabeth Fulton

Reiki Magazine International, February/March 2004, Volume 6, No. 1, p. 26.

Question: I regularly give Reiki to dogs and cats. When I wanted to give Reiki to a very old, demented Schapendoes, my hands turned ice cold. The dog kept shaking its head and walking around the room. I gave it a distant treatment instead, but my hands remained cold and the dog remained restless. I interpreted it as “the dog doesn’t want Reiki.” Is that correct?

Elizabeth: Your interpretation of your experience, namely “The dog doesn’t want Reiki”, is a common one for people when they encounter an animal that doesn’t settle down easily into receiving Reiki. However, the animal’s experience is probably more like “I don’t know what to make of Reiki yet, and I’m conflicted about receiving it”. Some animals are open to Reiki immediately, especially our own animals who trust us already. Others, especially those with even temperaments and who have had positive experiences with humans, may settle down easily into receiving Reiki. But, like humans, animals are individuals; some are more nervous and sensitive by nature, and some have had reason to be distrustful of humans.

Animals seem to feel Reiki more intensely than humans, especially older animals who can be sensitive and frail in general. At first Reiki can feel invasive to animals and be experienced as something that is being done to them without their consent. Distant Reiki seems to be experienced as less intense and so can be useful in this kind of situation for people who have Level II Reiki. But this situation is very manageable with Level I Reiki as well.

Animals are more open to Reiki if they are given a choice about whether to receive it or not. When I give a Reiki treatment to an animal for the first time, I set aside 45-60 minutes and find a quiet space of a good size (at least a small room if possible). I let the animal roam freely in the space, sit down, and let the animal know who I am and why I am there. I ask the animal to take only what it wants in the way of energy, and then I put my hands out and let the energy flow.

At first the animal will continue to move around the room or even move as far away as possible. However, as they get used to the feeling of Reiki and trust that it is their choice about whether and how much of it to take, they settle down into an appreciation of it. They usually end up positioning themselves close by or even under my hands and taking quite a lot of energy. Some will actually move through a series of positions on their own, like a human treatment, offering the parts of their bodies most in need of healing. Sometimes it will take 30-45 minutes for an animal to settle into the first treatment, but in subsequent treatments they will settle down more quickly.

The feeling of cold in your hands is information like any other sensation (such as increased heat) you may receive in the course of giving a treatment and does not mean that Reiki is not flowing. Generally, cold is a sign that the area or being has a higher need for healing. As you know, it’s not necessary for you to do anything with this information since Reiki has its own intelligence and will go to the source of the problem on its own, giving the animal or human what they need most at this stage of their journey.