What’s an Acupressure Session?

How Acupressure Works to Help Your Animals

An Acupressure session for your horse, dog or cat is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM. The ancient Chinese healers realized that taking into account the whole person or animal gave clues to the best avenue toward optimum health.

There are Four Examinations of TCM:

• Observation – Watching how the animal moves and interacts in her natural environment
• Listening and Smelling – Noticing the sounds the animal’s body makes and different smells over different parts of the body
• Palpation – Gently feeling over the body for heat, cold, hard and soft areas
• History – Where the animal lives, with whom, activities, diet, medications and procedures, injuries, complaints and recent changes in their lives

These Four Examinations show where your animal may be experiencing imbalances within the Meridians and Five Elements.

Imbalanced Meridians affect body functions that can create further problems in the body, mind and emotions.

Just like physical trauma, emotional trauma can become entrenched and affect Meridian and organ systems. Acupressure can clear blockages and stagnations, so energy flows freely again to revive the animal’s health and well-being.

The 4 Examinations help us to find these energy problems and point us to the affected Meridians and Elements. Tonifying or sedating various points along the affected or Sister Meridians will clear blockages or stagnations, so your animal can heal itself!

Opening, Point Work and Closing an Acupressure Session

Tracing the Bladder Meridian 3 times on each side is the Opening of an Acupressure Session. This opening of the longest Meridian on the body prepares the animal for the session.

Acupressure Points to be worked are chosen during the 4 Examinations. Up to 12 points may be worked on a robust animal, but usually only 8-10 points are worked. If an animal is very young, old or weak fewer points are used in a session.

The Closing of the Acupressure Session is a repetition of the Opening and when the practitioner assesses the Meridians that had points worked.