Otherwise, animal therapy is called pet therapy, or animal therapy. These unifying terms contain up to ten different names characterizing individual groups of animals.
The direction of treatment of mental disorders and various disorders of a physical and personal nature through the “communication” of a person with a specially trained animal was developed back in the 18th century.
Method origin
Therapy with animals began with the use of ordinary tamed dogs as the first healers. Unexpected helpers appeared for the first time in 1796 in a philanthropic clinic for mentally ill people, organized by the efforts of the British humanist William Tuke.
Such a method of treatment did not echo the generally accepted scientific standards and met with strong resistance from the public. However, the study of the mental state of the patients of the clinic shortly after the introduction of four-legged assistants into the staff significantly reduced the aggressive attacks of opponents from among the conservatives.
It was proved that communicating with animals at a primitive tactile level and having the opportunity to provide minimal care for the dogs (walking them, combing, participating in feeding), the patients began to react more calmly to the surrounding irritants. There have even been cases of the return of former patients of the clinic to a full social life.
But the influence of conservatism of that time was too strong, and the method was not allowed to develop into the official direction of medicine.
It happened only in the middle of the 20th century. The American psychiatrist Boris Levinson, who was conducting therapy sessions at home, was amazed to see the reaction of one of his young patients, a nine-year-old autist, to the doctor’s dog, which was usually locked up, suddenly entering the office. Not coming in contact with anyone, the child began to play with a big dog and let him touch himself, which meant an unprecedented breakthrough in treatment.
From that moment, Jingle began to participate in most of the doctor’s meetings with patients and the mental state of many of them improved markedly.
Levingston’s colleagues, who met a new method of treating animals with ridicule, had to calm criticism when it became known that Freud himself used his dog Yofi as his main assistant during psychiatric sessions.
The essence of zootherapy
The main area of animal therapy is working with children and adolescents who have communication difficulties or impaired motor and motor functions. The latter, which has become very important, the use of the method is adaptive therapy for children with Down syndrome. Animals, as if taking over the abilities of a sick child and always moving one step ahead, with it overcome important steps in the socialization of the individual and physical development.
The psychological aspect of the method is 90% of the positive result of therapy with animals. A child who is tired of serious treatment perceives sessions of communication with a four-legged friend as an encouragement, a joyful event, a game that allows him to try on new roles.
The animal is not able to answer, but it sensitively reacts to any sounds and touches, therefore the patient does not feel stress from a feeling of misunderstanding, does not worry that he will meet aggression or ridicule. He reveals himself most fully and initiates the impulse to action - to the beginning of a dialogue with people or to the first independent steps.
It is not uncommon for a series of 10-15 animal therapy sessions to be compared in value with a full course of strong antidepressants or nootropics, but without a huge number of side effects and contraindications.
The next 10% success depends on physiological stimulation. For example, in the process of dolphin therapy, the child’s body is immersed in water and begins to interact with the elements at a reflex level, performing simple movements. A specially trained dolphin located nearby enhances this interaction, forcing the patient to exhibit enhanced motility for the convenience of mutual play.
Approximately the same effect, but with small nuances, is observed when communicating with other animals - comprehensive stimulation is used everywhere.
Forms of animal therapy
Animal therapy is not always intentional. This situation is possible if you have your own pet at home, communication with which brings family members pleasure. This role can be played by exotic animals, but most often you can hear about the healing effects of cats or dogs on humans. This form of inadvertent treatment is called “omnidirectional pet therapy”.
Another form - targeted therapy - involves the involvement of a trained four-legged doctor in the process. Animals, before gaining access to people in need of treatment, undergo multiple tests of stress tolerance, patience, and the absence of aggression. Specialists are constantly engaged with them, and the animals themselves are kept in conditions of increased comfort.
The main functions of the method
Animal therapy (hippotherapy, ichthyotherapy, etc.) pursues the main goals that must be achieved within one or more courses of treatment. Conditionally, the general effect of animal therapy can be divided into a number of narrowly targeted functions, however, it should be understood that even when choosing only one direction, the patient somehow gets the whole “range of services”, since the animal will be “laid out” completely.
- Interaction at the psychophysiological level. It is formed on the basis of tactile contact with the pet, in games, in the process of caring for the pet.
- Psychological impact. It consists of different situations, but is most often used to develop a sense of responsibility in a patient, to distract from serious problems, to increase self-esteem and a sense of self-worth.
- For the purpose of rehabilitation after injuries or for the partial elimination of congenital physical and mental pathologies.
- The expansion of the comfort zone for people with phobias and serious complexes that interfere with social adaptation.
Communicating with a pet as a family member has been proven to help people deal with depression and loneliness. For many patients suffering from anthropophobia (fear of people), the mute interlocutor even became a pass to an active, full-fledged life in society.
Indications
Animal therapy can be recommended to everyone, without exception, but since there are not so many centers involved in raising special animals and realizing their potential for healing purposes, you can only get treatment if indicated:
- diagnoses of cerebral palsy, autism;
- mental disorders, neurosis;
- impaired functioning of the organs of speech, hearing and vision;
- underdevelopment of motor, mental, mental functions;
- Down syndrome;
- congenital or acquired defects of the heart and blood vessels;
- birth and other injuries.
Separately, children with musculoskeletal disorders are referred for dolphin and hippotherapy.
Types of therapeutic effects of animals
What is the name of animal therapy indicating a specific species? In the territory of the Russian Federation the following types of treatment with the help of animals are officially used:
- Ichthyotherapy - communication with dolphins in their native, aquatic environment.
- Canistherapy - work with dogs of various breeds.
- Hippotherapy - communication with a horse and horseback riding.
- Felinotherapy - interaction with cats. Most often used as an undirected treatment.
Canister therapy is considered the most universal and widespread, however, in the process of long-term treatment of children with congenital malformations of various etiologies, they try to use all types of therapy with animals. In working with children deprived of mobility, realistic images of animals and recordings of friendly sounds made by them (for example, dolphin songs) can also be used.
Canistherapy
For each individual case, the canister therapist selects a special dog in accordance with the nature of the patient and the prescription of the doctor. For a teenager or an adult who has problems with socialization, large individuals of calm, phlegmatic breeds are selected. The same dog will be recommended to parents of inactive children - it will be possible to lie on it, to stroke and touch it for a long time.
Funny, active dogs, used for group and individual lessons with moving, energetic children. One hour of such a game will help the child to pour out the accumulated energy, fill him with positive emotions, remove aggression, tearfulness, the threat of hysterical seizures.
Dogs are often used to relieve early fears associated with unpleasant experiences with other animals. Subconsciously, the image of a dog in a person is associated with fidelity, selfless devotion, reliable friendship, so even the depth of a child's phobia, as a rule, does not withstand several sessions of such therapy.
Dolphin therapy
Not only people with disappointing diagnoses are sent for ichthyotherapy, but also pregnant women, and even those who fail to conceive a child. It's all about the ultrasounds that dolphins make in the form of jerky, screaming screams or lingering, clicking songs - the power of their influence is so great that in dolphinariums with several talking animals sensitive equipment can fail! Dolphins talk only has a positive effect on the human body, and children feel it very subtly.
Dolphin therapy involves short, no more than 25 minutes, sessions of communication with animals. And this time, multiplied by 8-10 meetings, is enough for a long positive emotional reserve. Tactile therapy with animals only enhances the effect, and children willingly stroke the sides and fins of these unusual doctors.
Hippotherapy
In addition to the unique impact on the pelvic muscles from a leisurely ride on horseback in a specially equipped horse saddle, communication with this amazing animal is filled with positive and calm peace.
For children and adolescents with disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the sensation of movement associated with the close proximity of a powerful animal is a lesson in unlimited trust and the discovery of new opportunities. Gradually, self-confidence and a sense of security in the process of communicating with a horse develops into an invaluable experience in socializing.
Felinotherapy
Everyone knows about the energy potential of home Murka. As well as the cat’s incredible ability to recognize the weaknesses of the human body. The cat picks up the psycho-emotional background of the person in contact with it, when receiving alarming impulses with its caresses, forces the owner to tactile response in the form of stroking. At these minutes, the human body sends an uncontrolled response - an enhanced synthesis of oxytocin, which, when it enters the bloodstream, causes a psycho-emotional sensation of tenderness, love, desire to do good.
People with a history of heart and vascular disease notice that after talking with a cat, blood pressure often returns to normal, tachycardia stops, heart pain goes away. Insulin-dependent diabetics feel less need for drugs to lower sugar, since the main reason for the increase in glucose levels - stress - is suppressed in the presence of a pet.
In a house where there are small children and at the same time a cat lives, they are less likely to encounter pediatric and ENT diseases, allergies, and stomach upsets.
Contraindications to the method
Contraindications to zootherapy are both general and local factors. Common are:
- acute infectious diseases in humans;
- obviously negative attitude to such treatment;
- severe mental disorders.
Local contraindications include individual intolerance to the coat, saliva, dandruff of the animal, as well as the negative reaction of a particular individual with whom treatment is supposed to be carried out. In the latter case, the specialist will have to replace the animal, since it is impossible to achieve a good result with a negative patient attitude to the animal.