Psychology How Animal Therapy Assists Various Kinds

Psychology

How Animal Therapy Assists Various Kinds of Patients

Animals and humans have had a long and multifaceted relationship over time. There are many of us who have visited petting zoos, regular zoos, and kept pets in our homes. People who have bonded with animals know first hand how strong the connection can be between a person and an animal. It is only been in the past several decades where formal research into the advantages of animal-human companionship has been conducted. As recently as the 1960s is when this research began, and in subsequent decades, the area of Animal Assisted Therapy has been established, and a number of studies have been conducted about the numerous physiological, emotional, psychological, cognitive, and behavioral benefits there are when humans and animals spend time with each other, in the long-term and in the short-term. Animal Assisted Therapy has been implemented in a variety of settings with many different kinds of patients. The paper is a brief exploration of the effects of Animal Assisted Therapy in a variety of health settings, for patients with varied conditions and at all stages of life.

As previously stated, there is a precedent for this subject in formal research in areas such as education and psychology. At first, this was called Pet Therapy and began in the United States.

Pet therapy had its origins in the United States in the early sixties and is based on the hypothesis that the relationship between different species may have a therapeutic effect. After the early writings of child psychotherapist Levinson (1962), who shed light on the positive effects of a dog on an autistic child, the validity of pet therapy has been supported by various studies conducted in different settings, with depressed subjects autistic children psychiatric patients and subjects with somatic disorders, as cardiovascular pathologies and communication disorders. (Colombo et al., Page 208)

Early on, it was clear to the first researchers and pioneers of this subject, that strong relationships with pets improve emotions. Animals make people happy, and happiness has distinct biological and psychological manifestations in the body that can be observed and measured. Early Pet Therapy involved children -- autistics ones, in a time where autism was a great mystery and with children who suffered from disorders of sleep as well as communication. Animals help us feel better, when we feel better, we have an easier time falling asleep and enjoy a better quality of sleep. Sleep is key to recovery, whether it is for the common cold, or for far more serious conditions. These early studies provided pet therapy for patients suffering from psychiatric problems and cardiovascular problems. Animals can help us get physically fit because they want to play with us, and we want to play with them; play is critical to psychological and physical improvement.

Animal assisted therapy is not only useful for children, or for psychiatric & cardiovascular disorders. Animal assisted therapy has positive affects upon adults in hospitals, and mental facilities who suffer from other emotional problems, and social disorders, which is a problem that affects a lot of people in the 21st century. Animals can help us learn how to be better friends, can help us make friends, and can help break down emotional defensive barriers so we are able to be closer to others.

The current claims for success, where animals are used to assist in therapy, are mainly based on the ability of animals to fulfill such needs and this is particularly important for individuals lacking support from family members or close friends. Companion animals somehow possess the ability to reconnect such people with the outside world, breaking down the barriers of isolation that make them refractory to conventional forms of treatment. The presence of an animal, particularly a dog, is able to act as an "ice-breaker": it catalyzes communication and enhances opportunities for social exchange and shared interests which, in turn, can promote a feeling of social integration. (Cirulli et al., Page 342)