Preface

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a form of intuitive healing knowledge that all we humans carry inside us from birth and often unconsciously use time and again.

When we put our heads in our hands while thinking, for example, we activate certain parts of our brain and thereby help ourselves to remember things. At school, children often sit on their hands, which helps them to focus, to listen more carefully and to remember what they have learned. When we cross our arms, we touch a point in the crook of the elbow, which helps to align us with our own authority and power. We also intuitively place our hands on painful areas, on ourselves or on an animal, as a means of reassurance. Everyone knows Jin Shin Jyutsu--we just need to remember it again.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a gentle healing art to harmonize life energy, which can be applied to humans as well as animals. By placing our hands on certain points on the body, life energy is brought back into flow, self-healing potentials are stimulated, and complaints and symptoms are alleviated or completely eliminated. Holding Jin Shin points is a wonderful and easy way to regain mental and physical balance.

You can use Jin Shin Jyutsu to help your cat or dog, if they are undergoing veterinary treatment or about to have an operation. Jin Shin Jyutsu has a strengthening effect after surgical interventions, supports the healing process and makes it easier to tolerate anesthetics.

By holding certain points on the body, you help to “jump-start” life energy so that it can flow harmoniously, evenly and powerfully again. Health and well-being rely on this harmonious flow of life energy.

Even if your cat or dog has no symptoms or other issues, you can use the flows as a preventative measure. You can strengthen the health and resilience of your pet with just a few minutes of treatment.

This book gives you the opportunity to use the wonderful method of Jin Shin Jyutsu--which is essentially much more than a method--effortlessly and without prior knowledge. Enjoy the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu with your pets!

Helpful Hints

Quick Guide to Holding Points

• Make sure that the atmosphere is as calm and undisturbed as possible.

• Feed your cat or dog beforehand so that they are not hungry and their physical needs do not disturb the peace.

• Decide which points or flows to use.

• To start off, hold the initial centering points (p. 19).

• Then place your hands or fingers on the chosen energy points.

• Hold the points until you feel a calm, even flow or pulsation (2–3 minutes per hold).

• Depending on the issue at hand, you can give 2–3 treatments--or more--per day. Your pets will show you what is best for them.

• There are different safety energy locks or flows for most issues. Try them out, see what feels good. If your pet does not like a certain hold, try another.

• You cannot go wrong!

Relax

Jin Shin Jyutsu is effortless. Let go of all strain and effort. It can be easy! Just pay attention to what is good for you and your pet. Instead of paying attention to symptoms and to eliminating them, focus on harmony and the life energy that is always there. Feel the pulse that brings life into the body and maintains a perfect energy cycle. Through your treatments you strengthen this pulse. And you harmonize the energy flows that create, nourish and renew the body.

Let your intuition guide you to find your own way. Once again: you cannot go wrong! Even if you accidentally hold a “wrong” point, there are no negative consequences. It may just take a little longer for your treatment to have an impact. The harmonizing of energy flows is always linked to the intelligence of the body, and the body ultimately uses the harmonized energy exactly as is needed.

Keep Going

In cases of more severe or chronic illnesses, it is particularly important to harmonize energy points regularly. You can simply give treatments for a few minutes at a time throughout the day, thus offering regular impulses to the body. Alternatively, you can hold points for a little longer once a day. Let your pet guide you, depending on what it is comfortable with. And, remember: healthy cats and dogs like to be treated too! Regular treatments allow your pet to drop into a deep state of relaxation, in which extensive regeneration and healing can take place.

Be Patient

If initially you notice no change with respect to a certain issue that you are treating, do not let yourself be disturbed. The body’s system usually first regulates what the living organism needs most. Perhaps your pet has become calmer and more relaxed overall, or perhaps another symptom has suddenly disappeared--Jin Shin Jyutsu always works, even if we are not aware of it ourselves.

However, this does not imply that it is meant to replace a doctor. Always get a check-up from a vet if your cat or dog is weak, sick or injured. You can then always offer additional support by harmonizing energy points.

Have confidence, relax, avoid putting yourself under pressure and enjoy your time with your pet. Be curious about the effect, which can sometimes occur very quickly--and at other times happens in ways that we did not expect. Every treatment brings more harmony, strengthens the immune system and stimulates self-healing capacities.

The 26 Safety Energy Locks

The energy locks, also known as safety energy locks (short: SEL), are, as mentioned already, certain points on the body where energy is present in a highly concentrated form. They are places of high conductivity that, when touched, transmit a given stimulus to the entire energy flow pattern or energy pathways.

The 26 safety energy locks are arranged symmetrically on each side of the body. The diameter of each SEL corresponds more or less to the size of a paw--and in humans, to that of a hand. This means you do not need to worry about actually locating a point, as it is big enough. Nevertheless, if you do not manage to locate a point precisely at first, it is not a big deal. You will find that you will increasingly internalize the location of the SELs over time and eventually you will accurately locate them of your own accord.

Since you cannot go wrong with harmonizing energy points, and with this being more of an art than a technique (you are the artist!), just experiment, give it a go, see what feels good, and what relaxes your cat or dog. There are several ways to treat any one symptom or issue. Be creative, let your gut instinct guide you. Trust yourself and your pet--intuitively, they often know very well what they need in any given moment.

From “General Harmonizers”

Initial Centering

The following hold is very suitable for starting a treatment: Place one hand on SEL 13, the other hand on SEL 10.

This is a good hold to say hello, to attune and to begin to relax. It brings the exhale and inhale into balance, facilitates a state of rest and fosters engagement with the treatment.

This is an important hold for

• all breathing issues,

• allergies,

• coughs,

• chest colds (bronchitis),

• pregnancy,

• neglected and abused pets,

• and very shy animals.

Getting the Energy Flowing

This simple hold is also good for initiating a treatment. It gets energy flowing and at the same time has a deeply calming effect. It is also a helpful hold for very restless cats or dogs that generally do not like to be touched. Likewise, it is a good first aid hold for all injuries, accidents, shock and overheating.

For the left side of the body: Place the left hand on the left SEL 4 (directly under the base of the skull) and the right hand on the left SEL 13 (on the left side of the chest, approximately at the height of the third rib).

And reverse this for the right side of the body: Right hand on the right SEL 4 and left hand on the right SEL 13.

This hold

• harmonizes emotions,

• dispels general fatigue,

• helps with everything related to the head,

• strengthens the eyes,

• supports the legs on the corresponding side of the body,

• helps the hips and is very helpful for end of life support (see p. 138).