Animal Assisted Therapy Essay

Pet therapy is a way of comforting a patient. Although dogs are primarily used, they are not the only

In a recent study conducted by Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., RN, of the University of Missouri-Columbia Center for the Study of Animal Wellness showed that when humans pet a dog, within minutes there is a huge amount of beneficial hormones known to be associated with health and feelings of well-being.(Becker par. 2) These hormones are called beta endorphin, prolactin, dopamine, oxytocin, and beta phenylethylamine (Becker par. 2). The hormones that are released from the interaction between the animal and the human allow the patients to feel more blissful and trusting. Along with being emotionally benefited from working with animals in assisted therapy; people can benefit physically. For example, people who have physical

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-based therapy provides many benefits for individuals with a disability. When assisting individuals with disabilities it is important to consider all options that will help them achieve the most success in life. Deciding which therapies to use is often difficult and should be decided on by the individual, their doctors, therapist, and family. Any drawbacks will need to be weighed against the advantages to ensure the course of treatment will be effective and appropriate for the individual. Revisions may need to be considered for the patient along the treatment path. Of the many types of therapies available, it is important to look at the benefits of animal assisted therapy. Individuals with disabilities who are routinely engaged in companion animal therapy develop a greater range of social skills than those who are not involved in any form of therapeutic animal-based therapy.

Questions arise concerning the treatment of therapy dogs when visiting patients and whether animal-assisted therapy really works at all; however, those who disagree aren’t looking at the big picture. Animal-assisted therapy is both an ethical and effective therapy method due to its success in treating those with chronic diseases, disorders, and managing stress and anxiety. The varieties of cases regarding the success of therapy dog treatments far surmount the amount of cases saying otherwise. Animal-assisted therapy stems from the human-animal connection, one of the most unique and powerful bonds man has ever experienced. It is that connection that allows animal assisted therapy to be a critical part of everyone’s daily

Vulnerable prison inmates have benefited from pet therapy programs, including a group of female prisoners in Northern Ireland. Animal therapy is used extensively for depression. For physical health, it can lower blood pressure, reduce medication some people need, and can slow down breathing with those who are anxious. Pet therapy can diminish all overall pain, and relax you when doing complicated or challenging exercises. It can increase motivations, and allow people to enjoy therapy sessions more, and make it less stressful (Consumer Health 6.)

Animal assisted therapy, or AAT for short, began with the first documented case at an asylum run by the Society of Friends in England 1792. The first documented case of animal assisted therapy in the United States was not until 1919 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington D.C. During the 1930s, famous psychoanalysist Sigmund Freud become an advocate for AAT when he used his dog, Jofi, during his therapy sessions. He found that his patients were more comfortable talking to him when Jofi was present. I believe that AAT proves to be beneficial for both mental and physical disorders according to articles I have read prior to the research done for this project.

In the years that have passed the use of animal assisted therapy has increased in hospital and assisted living settings. Animal assisted therapy is said to be extremely therapeutic while being able to restore balance and cognition to a person’s life when using these trained animals. More specifically is can directly enhance outcomes for patients who suffer from physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. Individuals can benefit from this in multiple ways according to Phung (2017), it can help with physical goals by increasing physical capacity by standing and reaching to pet an animals for rehabilitation as well as improving their belongingness and spiritual connections by providing a close relationship with these animals (2017, p. 63).

The main scope of this research paper is limited to sources collected within the past ten years. Although my paper is not necessarily science based it is important to use resources that are somewhat recent in order to heighten their credibility on the topic. In addition, the sources I use pertain to therapy dogs helping those facing mental illness, chronic disease, and high stress situations. These categories are taken into consideration because the roles of therapy dogs are commonly used in those areas. Furthermore, my sources are not limited in location. Therapy dogs are being put into practice globally as another tactic for therapeutic sessions.

Survivors of sexual abuse may reach a point in their lives where they find they need assistance from a professional in order to overcome the trauma of their experiences. Assisted animal therapy has been shown to make the task of having to recount painful and traumatic experiences much less daunting. Having an animal present in therapy sessions greatly increases the survivor’s ability to heal in a less threatening manner. An animal provides sympathy and comfort that are physically expressed without overstepping the therapist’s professional boundaries.

“It is quite clear that in abusing animals we abuse our relationship with animals, and that we abuse ourselves. We become less human to the extent that we treat any living beings as things” (R.D. Laing). There is a very evident connection between animal cruelty and cruelty to other humans. In studies conducted between 1983 and 2004, 60% of children who met the criteria for child abuse/neglect had families that were cruel to their pets. In 88%

Children who live in homes where animal abuse is present are often abused themselves and unfortunately, sometimes carry on with the cycle of abuse later on in life. “More than 80 percent of family members being treated for child abuse also had abused animals. In one-third of the cases, a child victim continued the cycle of violence by abusing a pet (“The animal abuse home violence connection”, 2013).”

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

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

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.