A DORSET woman is hoping to change people’s perceptions of complementary medicines for animals.

Helen Martin, 43, from Poundbury has been practising reiki and crystal therapies for nearly four years.

She started practising on people before doing a short course to let her work on animals as well.

She said: “I was always very drawn to working with animals because the nice thing about working with animals is that they have no preconceptions about what’s going on.

“People look at reiki and energy therapies and think it’s a bit airy-fairy but animals can show how they’re reacting.

“Horses and dogs interestingly know if they are having reiki and if they want the treatment they will let you do it and if they don’t they will walk off.”

Reiki was developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhists and it uses a technique called palm healing, which practitioners believe can remove blockages of Ki, or energy, in the body allowing the person or animal to relax and so allow the body to start to repair.

She added: “Reiki lets the body relax and release tension and removes blockages in the body and lets the body heal.

“Horses in particular hold a lot of tension and so they might not be happy being ridden.

“It is also good for trauma. It can help to make them feel more secure in their environment.

“I tend to use reiki when I first meet the animal. I try to get a rapport through reiki then I can use crystals.

Alternative therapies have often been the focus of scepticism, and it is recommended that owners always consult a vet as reiki and crystal healing are complementary to traditional veterinary medicine.

Vets should also be told if an animal is receiving other therapies as well as medicines.

Although the practice of alternative therapies has become more widespread and accepted, its use on animals is still viewed as a luxury.

Mrs Martin said: “It sounds odd but if I’m working with a horse in a stable the ones in the other boxes will start to yawn and sway.

“You don’t need to be physically close for the reiki to work and after a while all the horses and even the owners will go quiet.

“It’s a lovely therapy to work with for yourself and for others.”

“I want to show people that you don’t have to be a hippy to benefit from reiki. It’s something everyone can benefit from if they just open their minds to it.”

She added: “Unlike massage reiki can be done from afar.

“It’s not invasive or intimidating.”

For more information visit www.quintessential-therapies.co.uk