About Louise
I have always been in the habit of talking out loud to animals, beginning in childhood. I was convinced that they were able to understand me, and with their behavior, the animals usually showed me that they did indeed understand every word I said.
I imagined there being a “Universal Translator” somewhere out there that worked like the one on the Star Trek series I was watching at that time. However, it wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I became aware of snippets of information that animals sent me.
Encouraged by this discovery, I began studying animal communication with Penelope Smith’s materials and practicing whenever and wherever possible. I was studying Reiki with Susanne Weiss at the same time, and shortly after completing my Master Level Reiki training in 1995, I found myself able to consistently hear the animals when I telepathically connected to them. No doubt, my daily Reiki practice helped me in this break-through. Since then, I have enjoyed talking to a wide variety of animals, wild and domestic, including spider mites and a beluga whale!
In addition to communicating with animals, I also love to support them in their lives through the use of Reiki. I have long been interested in natural and holistic healing methods — in Europe, where I grew up, homeopathic medicine, flower essences, and other natural home remedies such as herbal teas and salves are quite widely used. When I emigrated, my mother gave me two books: a basic cookbook, and a book on preparing my own home remedies.
It was this interest in alternative medicine that sent me to a 3-day holistic medicine conference in Seattle, where I became inspired to put my passion for energy and sound-based healing into practice. I began taking classes on energy and sound-based healing, and of those methods, Reiki made the most sense to me, as it was completely non-invasive and yet extremely powerful.
As Reiki works on a physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual level, I have found that Reiki is not only invaluable in assisting animals on their path to health; it can also help animals who are distrustful of humans relax and open up to communication where they may have been reluctant to do so before — animals tend to be very accepting of the Reiki energy.
After my Reiki training in 1995, I initially wanted to build a career in Reiki and Animal Communication, but I began to have doubts about my ability to sustain a practice, as both fields still seemed to be considered quite “out there” at the time. So I decided to follow a conventional career path and pursued another passion of mine – teaching.
I received a Bachelor’s degree in German and Spanish and a Master’s degree in Teaching from Western Washington University and began working in public schools. In the meantime, I continued to practice Reiki with friends, family, animals, and plants and communicate with animals in homes and out in nature.