Animals play an important role in impacting the human life. They provide unconditional love, security and comfort to help individuals with mental disabilities to deal with their symptoms. Although there’s a wide range of treatment options available for treating mental health conditions, pet therapy is highly effective and safe.
What’s Animal-Assisted Therapy?
Animal-assisted therapy is an alternative treatment that involves animals as a part of treatment. It includes emotional support animals, which can help patients improve self-esteem and develop social skills, thus managing mental health conditions such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder. Therapy animals also work in different clinical settings including nursing homes and hospitals.
Under the federal regulations, individuals with mental disabilities can fly and live with their emotional support animals without paying extra pet fees or deposits. To avail such benefits, they need to get emotional support animal letters signed by licensed mental health professionals.
Major Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy
Reduces Blood Pressure
Those who own pets are less likely to develop heart diseases. The reason for that is—pet owners walk more and are healthier than non-pet owners. Also, spending time with animals make you feel good, thus reducing the levels of stress hormones in the body.
Increases Self-Esteem
How you feel has a direct impact on how you perform. If you’re not happy, you can’t give your 100% to a given task. Animal-assisted therapy helps individuals to regulate their behavior while increasing their self-esteem. As a result, they feel more confident when doing their work, and perform better.
Reduces Anxiety
Animals provide company to anxiety sufferers, helping them deal with their symptoms. Studies have proved that patients perform better when with their pets. The animal-assisted therapy is beneficial for individuals to fight loneliness, negative thoughts, feel good, and boost focus.
Increases Trustworthiness
Researchers investigated social interaction and behavior of people in presence and absence of a dog. The participants asked strangers in the street for money and observed whether people help them in picking up money. The presence of dog showed a higher rate of helping behavior than the absence. People were attracted to help an unfamiliar man accompanied by a dog.
Improves Social Relation
Those who have trouble talking to others can benefit from animal-assisted therapy. Imagine you’re walking in a street alone. You’re less likely to talk to others in the street. And, if you’re with your pet, people will interact with you. However, people like opening up when it comes to discussing about animals. Thus, being with your dog can help you strengthen your social relations, thus improving your overall health.
Reduces Aggression
Spending time with animals can help you relax and calm your mind, thus reducing aggression. Many studies have found that aggressive behaviors in people are decreased in the presence of animals in comparison with the absence. Also, for Alzheimer’s patients, touching pets gently and playful interactions with them can help in decreasing aggressive behavior.
It’s not necessary that you can improve health by spending time with dogs or cats. However, watching fish in an aquarium can also be beneficial in lowering pulse rate and reducing muscle tension.
Covering it up—animal-assisted therapy involves managing symptoms of patients with mental disabilities with the help of dogs, cats, and other support animals. Those who own pets are less likely to experience heart attacks and lead a healthy lifestyle than non-pet owners. Additionally, spending time with animals can help people boost self-esteem and focus, thus improving productivity. Additionally, petting a cat or dog can make you feel good, lower blood pressure, releasing more relaxation hormones while reducing the levels of the stress hormone.
Register your dog as an emotional support animal to avoid any pet restrictions related to housing and air travel.
Also Read: 7 Top Breeds of Dogs to Consider When Choosing Your ESA
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