Animal assisted therapy is a highly productive form of cognitive therapy that strives to reduce an individuals stress levels and increase their mental and physical health in the form of companionship. Famous psychologist Sigmund Freud theorized from early on that the presence of his dog during psychoanalysis sessions significantly improved the patient’s mood and comfortability. According to research from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, animal companionship has been seen to lower a person’s heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Bonding annually with over 80,000 people, the organization visits various places such as; hospitals, nursing homes, youth facilities, convalescent homes, and developmentally disabled centers. …show more content…
These workshops are designed to relax students while also motivating them to interact socially and express emotion freely. The companionship provided from pet ownership acts as social catalysts because they have been shown to increase social opportunities and feelings of security. There are many ways animal assisted therapy can positively impact a person’s well-being and elevate their overall psychological state. SPCA research has shown that interaction with animals leads to an increase in sociability and helps strengthen relationships through shared interests. Animals promote a sense of integration when they act as social catalysts. Expert psychologist Phillip Messent conducted an observation experiment in nearby dog parks in 1983, he was attempting to report the amount of social interactions that occurred due to the presence of the …show more content…
This helpful form of cognitive therapy has been proven by several researchers from the NIH (News in Health) to reduce stressors and improve cardiovascular function for long term benefits. One particular NIH study researched the effects of animal companionship in 421 adults who had previously suffered from heart attack or stroke. Regardless of the severity of the attack, the study showed that after a one year later the patients who owned a dog lived longer and happier lives than those who did not. Pet owners are shown to live a more active lifestyle and exercise regularly to improve physical health. ‘Several psychologist’s and doctors nationwide are researching the benefits of incorporating animal assisted therapy within medical institutions to promote wellness and positivity. The heart rates and cholesterol levels of patients also reduced substantially due to the stress-relieving benefits of participating in AAT. Animals of all kinds have been shown throughout many credible research experiments to enhance an individual’s mental and physical health over
“A Healthy Dose of Puppy Love” by Kathryn Satterfield describes a new study that shows that dogs can improve an individual’s health by lowering anxiety levels and by improving cardiac function. Specially trained therapy dogs visited a hospital in November in Dallas, Texas to help conduct a study that animals can improve an individual’s health, to do this people split the seventy six patients into a total of three groups: visitors with dogs, visitors, and an “at rest group.” For accurate results researches preformed anxiety tests on the patients before, during, and after the visit, and the results concluded that patients who received visits from people had encountered a ten percent drop in anxiety, while patients who received visits from dogs
The human-animal bond is a very powerful connection, built strongly on the practices of healing and understanding. The relation is mutually beneficial for both parties, stimulating better health in both the human and his or her animal companion. Animal-assisted therapy utilizes this unique connection to treat those suffering from a variety of illnesses, diseases, and disorders. More specifically, the use of therapy dogs is the most common form of animal-assisted therapy. Their services are vastly used all around the world and are quickly growing in popularity as one of the most practiced therapeutic methods to date. Although this therapeutic method is becoming so prominent, there are many still questioning whether animal-assisted therapy is
Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive
Animal assisted therapy is used in hospitals and colleges throughout the United States and all around the world . Dogs, cats, fish, birds and many other types of animals are used to help calm people and bring them a sense of companionship. The animals also provide unconditional love for people who feel depressed and alone. Some doctors may oppose this type of therapy because they do not believe that it “actually” helps patients, but studies throughout the years have shown that this can be the best option for students in college and patients that are terminally ill. Statistics have shown that animal assisted therapy is one of the best options of therapy for people who struggle with depression, anxiety, stress, and many other mental illnesses. This type of therapy can also help with physical ailments. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been proven to be beneficial to a multitude of people in many different situations.
Therapy does not always mean sitting in an office talking to a psychologist. Sometimes it could mean someone going to a dentist appointment with a dog by his or her side or even riding a horse. Animal assisted therapy is treatment focusing on relationships between humans and other animals, and the human-animal bond in clinical and social settings (Giaquinto, 595). Although it has been proven to provide a handful of benefits to different types of people, incorporating animal therapy in public facilities continues to be debated (Ward, 198). Throughout the years, different types of programs have come about to specialize to certain people or groups (Kršková, 51). Animal assisted therapy is a growing subject that can provide major health advantages
AAT utilizes trained and certified animals to improve an individual’s well-being in all aspects emotional, physical and social (Sellers, 2004). It is relatively a new treatment and was initially implemented by Boris Levinson in his psychotherapy practice (Perkins et al., 2008). AAT, with its tactile comfort and companionship as well as a mode of social interaction, encourages a positive attitude and eases the negative effect of living in a retirement facility (Perkins et al., 2008). Unlike interventions with humans which tends to be judgmental and biased, animals tend to be more friendly and non-judgmental thus, facilitating more sociable behaviors than even more than the well-intentioned staff members (LaFrance et al., 2007).
(Introduction) What makes dogs such good companions and comforters? Is it their unconditional love? Their non-judgmental attitude? Their amazing loyalty? Or could it be a mix of all of these? Dogs have been used for therapists for a very long time. As one reporter states, “The use of pets in medical settings actually dates back more than 150 years” (Reporter, 2012). So why are dogs good for therapy? And what benefits do they bring? And what do they actually do? One reporter who works for a therapy dog agency seems to sum it all up: “Science is finally confirming what people have known intuitively for years: therapy dogs help people physically, emotionally, and socially” (Becker, 2016). The real question is: Can therapy dogs actually bring benefits and improvements into peoples’ lives that would not otherwise have been there? The answer: yes. Why? Therapy dogs change and improve peoples’ lives because they offer support to struggling patients, they do not judge people who are feeling low about themselves, they help people see the joy in life, they release hormones that improve our bodies. In other words, “It’s something us dog people have always known: dogs improve our lives, and sometimes even save them” (Geir, 2015).
The last objective the members will obtain is canine companionship. Stern, Donahue, Allison, Hatch, Lancaster, Benson, and Peterson (2013) announce how associating with an animal companion can reduce loneliness, anxiety, depression, and can improve an individual who is suffering from medical problems overall health (Stern, Donahue, Allison, Hatch, Lancaster, Benson, & Peterson, 2013). Finally, this companionship will help the member establish trustful relationships.
Animal assisted therapy is based upon biophilia hypothesis. This basically states the relationship between animals and humans long ago. Because humans sometimes depended on animals for survival, when we see an animal rest, it signals the human that they too can be calm and rest. Due to this hypothesis based therapy, animals who simply rest upon the patient’s beds, give the individual a will to
Researchers have found animal-assisted therapy to be useful for certain individuals through pilot studies (e.g. Chu et al., 2009; Kovacs et al., 2004; Nathans-Barel et al., 2005). One of the reasons for this may be due to the human-animal bond discussed by Brown (2004), who explains that the reason for a human-animal bond is potentially due to viewing the animal as a ‘selfobject’. Although we are not searching for reasons why animal-assisted therapy is effective for patients with schizophrenia, it is useful to keep in mind why animal-assisted therapy may be effective. Interacting with animals weekly is beneficial for patients with schizophrenia who are institutionalized (Chu et al., 2009; Kovacs et al., 2004). However, these studies did not examine whether actually owning a pet is as beneficial for an individual with schizophrenia, and if this is more beneficial for individuals with a lower severity of symptoms or with a higher severity of symptoms. The human-animal bond due to viewing the animal as a ‘selfobject’ (Brown, 2004) should mean that actually owning an animal rather than interacting with it once a week would be more beneficial. However, owning a pet could be stressful for some individuals, especially those who have lower functioning skills. I predict, however, that the increased human-animal bond will override any potential negative effects of
Animal Assisted Therapy is an area of Human Relations. Human Relations deals with counseling and Therapy. The use of animals help people relax and deal with the issues, problems and stresses in their lives. People see the unconditional love of the animal as acceptance as they are broken and hurt. Therapists have chosen Animal Assisted Therapy because they want to help people. The use of animals create a safe transition to conversation. People find the common love of an animal and feel more comfortable to talk. The use of Animal Assisted Therapy reportedly dates back to the 1940’s when an army corporal brought his Yorkshire Terrier to a hospital to cheer wounded soldiers. There was such a positive response that the dog continued to comfort others for twelve more years (“Animal Assisted Therapy.” - Dr. Weil 's Wellness Therapies. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.). Animal Assisted Therapy is proven to help not only physical but mental problems, whether it be in children, middle aged men and women, elders, or even veterans and their families.
Animals are sometimes soothing, helpful and playful but what if they were not just an ordinary pet? What if they were therapeutic doctors that helped ease pain away from patients and allowed others to recover and heal faster? Every question that has just been asked is benefits from using this form of therapy. Moving onward to why using this form is very beneficial, animals are usually looked upon as caring, loving family members. Animal Assisted therapy is a very common use of therapy but it does have negative effects but the positive aspects make the use of animal assisted therapy more needed around the world, and it reduces blood pressure for patients, relieves anxiety, grief and isolation.
Animals have been domesticated for about 15,000 years; surprisingly, pet therapy has only been around for a few hundred years (Ernst). It amazed me that it took such a lengthy amount of time for the human race to discover the benefits that animals could have on human health. The first time pets were recognized as having therapeutic potential was in the late 1800s when Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, observed and recorded the ability of animals to reduce anxiety in patients (Ernst). The use of pet therapy was continued by the use of other psychotherapists, but, at this point, no official programs for pet therapy had been introduced. One of the main examples of the people who also used pet therapy is Sigmund Freud, who, in the 1930s, used his favorite dog, named Jofi, during psychotherapy sessions; furthermore, Boris Levinson in the 1960s used his dog, Jingles, during children’s therapy sessions as a stepping stone for communication (Ernst). The thing I found most fascinating was the fact that these dogs were the pets of the men, and they just happened to bring them to their therapy sessions. It seems like an extraordinary happenstance that lead to the use of pets in therapy for the benefit of many people. However, when Levinson published his results, he was not immediately recognized for it, as stated by Lorraine Ernst, “Based on his collective experience, Levinson presented a paper at an American Psychological Association meeting, but he was not taken seriously until Freud’s experiences with Jofi came to light. Levinson went on to author Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy and became known as 'the father of AAT.” Personally, I am quite glad that Freud’s experiences were unveiled because they lead to the creation of many very valuable programs such as Therapy Dogs International, a program with
“Animals are such agreeable friends- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms” (George Eliot) for that reason they are the future of therapy. There are so many benefits for therapeutic patients with AAT (Animal Assisted Therapy)(Citation) so why doesn 't animal assisted therapy have a place in medicine. Experience has found animals to be keen observers of human behaviour, specifically dogs. The experimentation with animal therapy was based on the idea that the majority of people enjoy cute animals and by nature they are loyal and considerably one of life’s good things (Citation). The idea of animals being cute and delightful is non-exclusive to any age, race, ethnicity, gender or religion. There are various studies as well as personal testaments that focus on how individuals function better when in the presence of animals. The lack of judgement by the animals is comforting to people. Amy McCullough, National director of research and therapy touched on this by saying that “they accept you for the way you are flaws and all. They are so forgiving and they are always happy to see you. Their behavior is just so consistent and so consistently happy that I think it’s just comforting to people knowing that there is a being there that you can always count to be happy
In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.