Animals have always been a source of comfort and companionship to humans since the beginning of their relationship. Even though humans and animals do not share a language, they share a natural and strong bond. Due to their calming, comforting presence, animals have been highlighted for their healing, emotionally supporting role throughout history.
Did you know Sigmund Freud, the father of psychology and founder of psychoanalysis, would keep his dog, Jofi, a Chow, around during therapy sessions? This later came to be recognized as the earliest mention of benefits of animal interaction during therapy.
Animal Assisted Therapy
In the 1980s and 1990s, animal-assisted therapy gained recognition as a legitimate form of therapy, with research studies providing evidence of its effectiveness in various clinical settings. Today, animal-assisted therapy is a well-established and growing field within healthcare and therapy.
Animal Assisted Therapy or AAT is applied when an animal is used or incorporated into the therapeutic plan and modality of treatment for a client, usually a trained mental health professional clinically utilizes and applies the human-animal interaction during therapy sessions.
AAT ranges from being used for stress and anxiety relief, emotional regulation, mood balancing and processing to education. It is also utilized for trauma patients and individuals with developmental disorders.
A variety of animals are used for AAT apart from dogs and cats, such as horses, birds, rabbits, ferrets and guinea pigs as well.
Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy
AAT is increasingly being adapted as a therapeutic and support modality. Let’s look at some benefits it can offer.
- Reduces loneliness, low mood and anxiety
- Provides emotional support and companionship
- Induces relaxation, reduces cortisol levels resulting in lower levels of stress
- Encourages interaction and social engagement for people with social anxiety or poor social skills
- Lowers blood pressure and promotes physical health
- Animal assisted learning can promote mental acuity and cognitive function
- Fosters a sense of purpose, internal motivation and drive
- Helps with emotional regulation, building empathy and is particularly helpful for people with emotional dysregulation and trauma histories
- Is effective in treating or managing anxiety, depression, PTSD, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, substance use disorders, and behavior issues as well.
According to research (National Institute of Health, 2019), AAT used by itself or incorporated into other therapies such as Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy (CAP), can reduce emotional arousal, anger, cortisol levels (and also increase levels of oxytocin, endorphins and serotonin), help with internalizing disorders, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), impulse and conduct disorders. It is also been found to have broken barriers and make headways in child abuse cases with victims.
Psychiatric Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
Let’s break this down and look at some details of how it works. Specially trained dogs and animals to treat mental health disorders are increasingly being recognized in the US, described below.
Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs) are specially trained dogs to perform tasks that assist someone with a psychiatric illness or disability. These tasks may include providing deep pressure therapy during anxiety or panic attacks, interrupting harmful behaviors, reminding the individual to take medication, or guiding the person to a safe location during a dissociative episode.
Psychiatric service dogs are considered service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are animals providing emotional support, comfort and companionship for people with mental health conditions which are not specifically trained for performing special tasks. Their presence and companionship provide therapeutic relief and support to the individuals. ESAs allow individuals to live with animals even if the place has a no pets policy, this is applicable under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
Emotional Support Animal or Dogs for Anxiety and Depression
Any breed or mixed breed dog has the potential to provide emotional support and companionship to individuals experiencing anxiety and depression.
However, the best emotional support dogs include Labradors and golden retriever due to their friendly, gentle and empathetic nature. Further, German shepherds are known for their loyalty and protectiveness, which can provide a sense of security for individuals with anxiety.
Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and other animals are suitable for emotional support as they form a strong bond with their owners which alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety.
If you are experiencing low mood, anxiety, depressive symptoms or any mental health issues, it is important to get in touch with a mental health professional or seek a therapist. If you’re looking for an animal companion for emotional support, an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) would be beneficial for your physical and overall mental health and wellness.
If you’re looking to get an Emotional Support Animal, you can adopt a therapy dog or cat, get your dog or trained by a certified therapy dog or cat trainer as well with the assistance of American Associate of Animal-Assisted Therapy. Alternatively, you can find Animal Assisted Therapists, a network of direct and related professionals through Animal Assisted Counseling of Colorado, US or many other similar centers established all over the US.
At North American Behavioral Health Services, we offer animal assisted therapy as well to support you on your journey of mental wellness. Animals can offer great emotional support that suits your needs and are a simple and therapeutic experience.
