No matter how sad it may be, every year in the modern world new diseases appear, which are very difficult to get rid of with the help of medications. Today, the development of medicine is at a very high level. It is divided into many areas, each of which has certain features. One of these is animal therapy. This is an alternative treatment based on the use of animals and aimed at providing psychological assistance to patients with various diseases. As the research results showed, communication with furry friends positively affects the emotional state of people, regardless of age group.
However, the tasks of animal therapy are much broader than simply helping to combat depression, apathy and bad mood. It is used as an adjunct treatment in the fight against diseases such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, as well as many other genetic pathologies and psychological disorders.
A bit of history
Today, alternative methods of treatment, in particular animal therapy, are gaining great popularity in Russia. The history of this method has several millennia. Even the ancient Greeks found that domesticated animals not only bring great benefits to the economy, but also have beneficial effects on human health. They used dogs to fight many diseases. In ancient Egypt, cats were very popular, which were endowed not only with healing, but also with mystical properties.
As for the present, anitherapy began to develop relatively recently. As a separate direction in medicine, she began to be considered only in the second half of the 20th century, and Boris Levinson is considered her father and ancestor, who devoted his whole life to the study of the interaction of people and animals and the influence of communication between them.
Zootherapy today
So, animal therapy is a relatively new treatment method that is gaining more and more popularity every year around the world. Many well-known psychiatrists note the high efficiency of interaction between pets and their owners, suffering from various destructive disorders and mental illnesses. Despite the fact that zootherapy is already actively used in medicine, nevertheless, its studies are actively conducted today. The United States and European countries are making the most effort in this.
It is worth noting that in medicine not only the animals themselves are used, but also their images, toys, characters and so on. As for the technique, it can be direct and directional. The first is based on the patient’s communication with pets in vivo, and in the second case, animals are one of the main components of the treatment program for various human problems.
Zootherapy as a method of correction of mental disorders
Let's dwell on this in more detail. Today, animal therapy is an auxiliary therapy method that significantly increases the effectiveness of the treatment of many diseases associated with mental disorders. Treatment with animals favorably affects patients, improves mood and emotional state, eliminates feelings of loneliness, and also helps to cope with a sense of inferiority and better adapt in society.
It is important to understand that contact with pets has not only a psychological, but also a physical effect. The latter is especially important for the patient, since contact with animals not only favorably affects the psyche, but also improves well-being and improves physical health.
The main goal that animal therapy carries in itself is to try to interest the patient himself in communicating with four-legged friends. This is very important because, as practice shows, the vast majority of patients do not perceive zoototherapy as a treatment, which allows them to open up better. Thanks to this, this direction becomes almost limitless and helps to develop higher motivation in patients.
Zootherapy classification
There are various types of animal therapy, which differ among themselves with which animals the patients will contact. When prescribing a specific type of treatment with the help of animals, psychiatrists are guided by the age category of the patient. This is very important, since children and adults have key features that should be considered when designing a treatment program. It is also important to understand that various animals have a certain effect on humans and contribute to the fight against a specific ailment. To make it clearer, let's look at what types of animal therapy exist today, and talk about their key features.
Hippotherapy
What is she like? The treatment under consideration, or treatment with horses, was used in ancient Greece, and today it is actively used around the world. The main advantage of this area is that it is highly effective in treating patients regardless of age category. Horse riding not only favorably affects the emotional state, but also helps to strengthen physical health.
Doctors use hippotherapy to combat the following diseases:
- mental disorders of varying severity;
- disorders and pathologies of the nervous system;
- paralysis;
- rehabilitation after a stroke.
Exercising with horses helps improve coordination and balance, and also strengthens the body. During riding, the muscles are affected, comparable to massage, which improves blood circulation in the lower extremities.
Canistherapy
This type of zoototherapy is based on the interaction of mentally ill with dogs. However, not all pets can be used for treatment, but only those who have undergone special training. However, in some cases, canistherapy is also carried out with pets living with the patient.
Dogs were tamed by humans as one of the first animals in the time of primitive man, so there is a special connection between them and their owners. When the patient walks with his four-legged friend, then all anxieties go away and his mood improves. In addition, with their help, you can engage in physical therapy, as well as carry out a rehabilitation program after many serious diseases.
The main functions of animal therapy using dogs are as follows:
- stress relief:
- motivation for physical activity;
- beneficial effect on attention;
- improvement of mental state.
Canistherapy is used extensively around the world to combat ailments such as Down Syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and hyperactivity. It is worth noting that this animal therapy is most used in the rehabilitation of children and adolescents.
Dolphin therapy
One of the most popular techniques to date. Dolphins are one of the most amazing creatures that have high intelligence and have a healing effect on humans. Scientists have long established that it is very useful for people to spend time with these mammals.
As for psychologists, they prescribe dolphin therapy to patients who have the following diseases:
- Down syndrome;
- autism;
- cerebral palsy;
- ADHD
- disorders of the central nervous system;
- past stress;
- major depressive disorder;
- violation of memory functions;
- oligophrenia.
In Russia, it is practically impossible to find an animal therapy center in which dolphin treatment is practiced, but in Western countries it is successfully practiced. It is important to understand that this type of treatment has absolutely nothing to do with ordinary swimming with dolphins. First of all, the therapy under discussion is aimed at eliminating a specific problem using a special set of exercises. Therefore, dolphins are pre-trained and trained.
Felinotherapy
The therapeutic effect that cats have on humans has been discovered in ancient Egypt. Modern scientists have also devoted a lot of time to research in this area. As they were able to establish in the course of numerous experiments, cats very often lie on the sore spots of their owners, thereby performing a kind of treatment. And what is surprising, people at the same time experience a marked improvement in well-being. This is due to the fact that the body temperature of cats is higher than human, due to which a warming effect is achieved. However, psychologists do not use animals in medicine for this.
Animal therapy for children with cats is useful because the vast majority of four-legged pets have a very calm disposition, due to which patients have an improvement in the emotional background, which favorably affects the treatment of many diseases, the main ones being the following:
- chronic depression;
- neurosis;
- various mental disorders.
In addition, felinotherapy will be useful for people who have problems with the cardiovascular system. Just half an hour spent in company with a cat is enough to normalize blood pressure and heart rate. Also, this type of medicine is used as an auxiliary measure in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system and the gastrointestinal tract, as well as impaired functioning of the musculoskeletal system. In addition, many European countries practice animal treatment (animal therapy using cats) for people suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.
A positive effect is achieved by purring. Its frequency range ranges from 16 to 55 hertz. It is due to this, according to many scientists, that the effectiveness of treatment is achieved. The sound made by cats stabilizes the nervous system, strengthens the immune system, and accelerates the regenerative processes in the body.
Zootherapy for people of different age categories
So what is she like? Animal therapy for adults and children is the same, but the effect of animals on representatives of different age categories is not the same. Psychologists recommend that parents give babies to play with animals as early as possible. This will not only develop a sense of responsibility in them from childhood, but also contribute to normal mental, psychological and physical development. In addition, if the child has any developmental abnormalities, then during treatment, zootherapy significantly accelerates the dynamics of recovery.
In foreign countries, there is a special project of animal therapy, which is aimed at ensuring that children can freely play with animals. This allows specialists in the very early stages of development to identify the presence of any problems in children and start treatment in a timely manner. At the same time, the kids themselves willingly make contact with four-legged friends.
In many European and American educational institutions for preschool children there is a living corner in which such species of animals as turtles, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs and others live. Children not only play with them, but also look after them, during which they develop such important qualities as empathy, understanding of the condition of others, kindness and caring. All this later goes on to communicate with other people, making it much easier for children to adapt in society.
As for adults and the elderly, for them, pet therapy is prescribed in the fight against many not only mental, but also physical ailments.
The main objectives of this treatment method are:
- normalization of the emotional background;
- assistance in adaptation in the social environment;
- rehabilitation;
- self-realization;
- fight against loneliness;
- beneficial effects on physical condition.
Thus, we can conclude that despite the low development and use of zoototherapy in our country, the feasibility of using this method of treatment is simply undeniable.
Conclusion
Foreign experts have long understood how effective treatment with animal mental disorders and various genetic pathologies is. In many countries, the use of animal therapy in tourism has long been carried out. There are many wellness tours that are very popular. One can only hope that in our country they will also pay more attention to zootherapy. Take care of yourself and your children!