I was looking at The Gazette this afternoon and noticed an article about animal massage and Reiki, focusing on one of the women from Illuminations!:
Gina Hamilton, a licensed massage therapist and spiritual healer, has a special bond with animals. She is able to communicate with animals by “merging” with their “universal energy,” she believes. When she connects with their energy, she “sees the world through their eyes,” and uses the visions to help her determine where to concentrate healing energy because “so much is non-verbal,” she explained.Hamilton facilitated a "Coexist" speaker event called "A Pagan Circle." In the middle of her presentation, the backdoor opened and an aged dog entered the room, slowly shuffling to the front of the room and settling at Hamilton's feet. She had a very calm and centered disposition. I can easily sense her devotion of animal healing.
“They can’t tell you what’s wrong,” she said. “I find where they’re hurting and ask to help.”
She uses a Japanese healing technique called reiki. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, reiki is a complementary health approach that involves practitioners placing their hands on or above a person — or animal in this case — to transfer healing energy to treat pain, anxiety, fatigue and depression, among other issues...
Hamilton earned her certification in small-animal massage from the Blue Sky School of Professional Massage in Wisconsin in 2008. Since then, she’s been performing massage and reiki on humans and animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, goats and chickens.
She’s worked in veterinary clinics but currently practices at the Illuminations Healing Arts Center in the Cherry Building in the New Bohemia District. She also travels to homes in the area, seeing five to six animals each month.