Pet therapy: how animals treat us

Pet therapy (from the English pet – pet, pet), zootherapy, animal therapy – different names for the method, the meaning of which is the therapeutic effect on a person with the help of animals. Every year it becomes more and more popular. Animals “teach” children to read and communicate, give support to the elderly, help adults to understand themselves.

Johnny and Jingle: The Birth of a Method

Therapy dogs first appeared in a hospital for the mentally ill, which was opened in 1796 by the British philanthropist William Tuke. The treatment there was based on the principles of humanism, and the presence of dogs, as doctors noted, had a positive effect on patients: they had reduced manifestations of aggression and the frequency of seizures. But as a method, pet therapy developed only in the second half of the twentieth century. The idea was suggested by New York psychotherapist Boris Levinson. Among his patients was Johnny, a 9-year-old boy with autism who had great difficulty making contact.

One day, Levinson’s dog, Jingle, suddenly ran into the office. The child suddenly came up to her and began to stroke. Johnny’s parents asked that the dog be present at the next sessions. Levinson was surprised how much more successful the work went. This led him to the idea of ​​using dogs and cats in child psychotherapy.

At first, colleagues raised Boris Levinson to ridicule. Criticism subsided when it became known from published documents that Freud often allowed his chow chow Yofi to be present at the sessions and believed that it helped to establish trust with the patient. After 10 years, Levinson conducted a survey among colleagues and found out that out of 319 psychologists, 16% use “assistant” animals in their work …

What it is?

Any owner of a pet knows how beneficially it affects the psychological (and sometimes physical) state of the owner. In a sense, all of us, the owners of animals, are exposed to them. Such spontaneous animal therapy is called non-directed. However, we are talking about therapy in the full sense when it is carried out by a professional according to developed programs with the participation of specially selected animals: cats, rabbits, llamas, horses, dolphins. The undisputed leadership among therapy animals belongs to dogs. Therapy with their participation is called canister therapy.

“She is at the intersection of rehabilitation, psychology and pedagogy,” explains the canistherapist Nika Mogilevskaya. – For example, a child after an operation needs physiotherapy exercises, but he refuses. In the company of a therapy dog, he will enjoy doing it.” Canistherapists come to schools and libraries to help children learn to read: the child willingly reads aloud to the dog, which patiently “listens” to him, “does not notice” mistakes and does not evaluate him in any way.

The range of indications for canistherapy is very wide. These are people with disabilities, with autism and cerebral palsy, neuromuscular and mental illnesses. Dogs are used in the treatment of depression, eating disorders, psychological trauma and fears.

What is their strength?

When it comes to psychology or psychiatry, animal therapy acts as an auxiliary method: a specialist uses animals as an additional tool in his work. Why are these helpers effective?

“In analytical psychology, the dog archetype embodies the masculine principle, devotional service, forgetfulness of one’s own interests for the sake of others, a sense of duty,” explains Nika Mogilevskaya. “In our genetic memory, it is associated with trust, protection, care.” She talks about a study in which children from one to one and a half years old were shown cute animals and various objects. Only the dog caused a smile in all the children without exception.

“The dog accepts us as we are, without judging,” continues analytical psychologist Galina Cherkasova, organizer of the pet therapy training program for psychologists. “This sincere contact helps us reconnect with ourselves, gain access to our resources, to the source of strength within ourselves.”

How are they chosen?

“Only dogs of a certain psychotype can become therapists,” says Nika Mogilevskaya. – They are resistant to external stimuli, calmly react to a large number of people (after all, they work in groups), to sudden movements and sounds, they are able to quickly get out of stress (for example, if something scared them). Finally, they love people.” In the process of therapy, the dog also experiences feelings and gets tired, and after a session or group session, she needs rehabilitation.

The dog is selected for a specific client. “For example, for children with cerebral palsy, we take a phlegmatic dog, on which you can put your foot, lie down on it. If the child is afraid of dogs, we choose a small and calm one that will not jump and bark. Hyperactive children will not pay attention to a quiet animal, they are suitable for cheerful, playful ones, with whom they can jump, release energy.

Adult clients perceive a large dog as a companion, a friend. Sometimes the client is unable to tell the therapist about something painful, but he can do this by referring to the dog. And small dogs, which are drawn to cuddle, are suitable for women who have not realized their maternal instinct.

How do they work?

When a child comes to therapy, two adults can work at the session – a psychologist and a dog owner, a canistherapist. There are also psychologists who work with their dogs.

With an adult client, the psychologist works alone: ​​here the third will be superfluous. “It’s not uncommon for a client to come with one request, but the real request is different,” adds Nika Mogilevskaya. “And the presence of the dog helps him see it. A case is described when a client approached with a problem related to work. At some point, the Spitz, who was in the office, ran up to the mirror and began to bark at him. Seeing this scene, the client realized how much aggression she has inside that she cannot express. The dog seemed to have done it for her.”

“The difficulty for a psychologist is that he needs to be able to direct attention both to the client and to the dog, he must understand its psychology and be able to decipher its behavior,” says Galina Cherkasova. The dog essentially acts as an intermediary between the client and the psychologist. “She helps the client to relax, get support and open up, she gives the psychologist important information about the client,” the expert continues. “For example, if she suddenly starts whining, yapping or thrashing about, it could be a sign to us that the client is having a hard time.”

The dog allows the psychologist, bypassing rational, often false, reasoning, to immediately go deep into the problem.