Benefits Of Animals In Psychotherapy

The proven and multiple benefits that animals bring to psychotherapy have led to an increase in the use of this discipline in recent years. In this way, a large number of patients have managed to improve the quality of their life.

What does animal psychotherapy consist of?

Animal Assisted Psychotherapy is an alternative and / or complementary therapeutic method, through which the patient, guided by a therapist, interacts with an animal.

It is a direct intervention with pre-established objectives. The animal used must have specific criteria: this is an essential part of the different treatments.

Depending on the objectives sought, this form of therapy can be carried out in groups or individually and using different types of animals. For instance:

• Farm animals
• Horses
• Dolphins
• Dogs
• Cats
• Birds
• Turtles

Animal psychotherapy brings great benefits to improving the quality of life of patients with different types of pathologies.

Find out about the benefits animals bring in psychotherapy

Animals represent one of the most accessible ways to improve people’s quality of life. Thus, animal psychotherapy achieves excellent results in issues such as:

• Fear
• Shyness
• Autism
• Psychosis
• Anxiety crisis
• Emotional crises
• Sociopathy
• Hyperactivity
• Pathological shyness
• Alcoholism
• Drug addiction
• Alzheimer’s

How are animals selected for this type of therapy?

However, the selection criteria for determining which animals can be used in psychotherapy must be very rigorous.

Such animals must be:

• Reliable;
• Controllable;
• Predictable behavior.

Furthermore, the good state of health of the animals must be guaranteed and the vaccination and deparasitation rules must absolutely be respected.

A bit of history

Over the centuries, animals have occupied an important place in theories related to the treatment of mental illnesses.

For example, the Egyptians recognized its healing properties for various pathologies. The Greeks, for their part, attributed to the horse the property of relaxing and increasing the self-esteem of the sick.

Already during the Enlightenment the idea took hold that pets could have a function linked to sociality, both for children and for the mentally ill. However, it was not until the early 19th century that animals were introduced into assistive positions.

However, during the first half of the twentieth century, scientific medicine seemed to reject this type of practice, pointing to issues of zoonosis and certain psychoanalytic theories that devalued them.

In the late 1960s, animal psychotherapy made a comeback, especially by Boris Levinson, a child psychotherapist.

Use of psychotherapy with animals in different fields

The results of the use of animals in different areas are positive. In people residing in nursing homes, for example, the following positive effects have been observed:

• Increased attention and concentration;
• Improvement of psychological well-being;
• Greater interpersonal interaction;
• Decrease in depressive states.

In the case of patients admitted to hospitals, on the other hand, there is a significant reduction in stress.

Benefits in psychiatric patients

With those with psychiatric illnesses, animals are employed to help diagnose patients. In addition, it has been established that they promote self-esteem and social interaction of patients who tend to isolate themselves.

Furthermore, in the departments where there are animals:

• Medical treatment is reduced to half;
• There are fewer situations of violence;
• Suicide attempts are decreasing.

Animals help children

Children with different deficits find in animals their best allies in overcoming their problems. The result was beneficial in children with:

• Dyslexia problems
• Autism
• Schizophrenia
• Introversion
• Lack of attention
• Down syndrome

In school settings, this type of psychotherapy is being used successfully in pupils with emotional disorders.

Animals, our great friends and allies

People who have pets know very well the great benefits they bring to their physical and spiritual well-being. However, if scientific proof was lacking, many studies have shown that people who live with animals are healthier and happier.

This is why it should not be strange that these noble creatures are turning into great allies, who help heal our body and mind.