07/09/2026
At Minded, although our primary focus is on health in humans, we are also committed to animals, both in their own right, and in how they can support the healing of humans.
Recently, an experience with Minnie, Heather's beloved dog and Minded's mascot, prompted a question. Minnie had been suffering from joint pain, and Heather happened to be speaking to the Reiki Master Nina Kemp-Jones on a yoga retreat, and asked if she might try Reiki on Minnie.
The three of them entered a large room, and Nina prepared herself. Minnie was free to roam the room and, to the best of Heather's knowledge, was not privy to what was about to happen. An actual conversation was, of course, not possible, but Minnie is surprisingly receptive 😉. Nina informed Heather that she was going to start delivering Reiki in Minnie's general direction, and without any coaxing, Minnie simply went over to Nina, lay down on a small blanket beside her and did not move for 30 minutes.
Heather observed a marked improvement in Minnie's walking the next day, and Minnie pulled her back toward the room of her own accord.
Animals, to the best of our knowledge, do not know what energy healing is, and so cannot bring any expectation of it to the encounter. This largely controls for the placebo effect, though the attention involved may still offer some benefit unrelated to the Reiki itself. This allows us to gather information about the efficacy of Reiki that is otherwise hard to glean, particularly where we lack the tools to measure subtle energy directly.
However, there is some actual research on this. A 2025 randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled study by Claudia Barbieri, published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, followed 54 dogs over eight years old across six weekly sessions of distant Reiki or a placebo control. Pain was rated by owners on a five-point scale, before treatment and again after the third and sixth sessions. By the third session, the Reiki group's owner-reported pain reduction was statistically significant compared with the control group, and by the sixth session, more strongly so.
This leaves us at Minded with two questions, and we want to hear your answers.
Have you seen an animal respond to a healing treatment in a way that surprised you, or do you have any other amazing story about an animal and energy work?
As we continue to delve into new treatments for our pets and beloved animals, do energy healing treatments have a role to play, particularly where a condition is not acute, as a possible complementary therapy alongside conventional veterinary care? We are not suggesting this, we are just asking for opinions.
Having experienced Nina's Reiki herself, Heather also wants to acknowledge Nina and her work. Heather's assessment is unequivocal: Nina is the real deal.
You can find Nina on Instagram at .
Complementary therapies such as Reiki are not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment. If your animal is unwell, please consult a vet.
