Animal Therapy
We strongly believe in the healing effects of nurturing bonds between humans and animals, in fact – that’s what inspired our journey and prompts our continued efforts – but it’s not just us! Spending time with animals for healing purposes is often called animal therapy, human-animal interaction (HAI) or Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and has been studied and used in a number of therapeutic settings.
We’ve seen the positive impact this has on people’s lives, building confidence, improving mood and anxiety, and bringing a sense of purpose and meaning.
Animal-assisted therapy involves a trained animal and a therapist working with the client and engaging in therapeutic activities. These activities can look different from person to person, but are all based on facilitating human-animal interaction (HAI), improving the health of both the person and animal through creating meaningful bonds. Animals make excellent additions to therapy due to their non-judgemental and loving nature. They provide comfort, can alert us to danger, and are sensitive to our emotions. Anyone who has a pet knows that they can sense when we need some love!
Many positive effects of animal-assisted therapy.
Animal-assisted therapy is used for a variety of cognitive, social, emotional and physical ailments, alongside other therapies and treatments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends animal-assisted therapy for conditions including dementia, and the NHS supports the use of it for in-patients and those in the community.
Animal assisted therapy or Human-Animal Interaction has benefits for our furry friends!
- Help to overcome fear, neglect, trauma
- Provides non -judgemental interaction and inclusion
- Enriches quality of life
- Enhances wellbeing
- Increases public awareness of animal welfare
Physical
- Reduces pain
- Improves motor skills
- Increases movement
- Releases Oxytocin
- Improves immune function, heart health, blood pressure
Social
- Develops social or behavioural skills, emotional intelligence
- Increases feelings of social support
- Provides motivation, stimulation, focus
- Increases motivation towards exercise and social interaction
- Decreases feelings of loneliness
- Develops a bond between human and animal
Cognitive
Improves or provides some respite from conditions such as; Dementia, Depression, Anxiety, Autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, PTSD
Emotional
- Decreases anxiety, fear and stress
- Improves depression
- Improves mood
Improving the quality of life for those in need
One of Pause Charity’s missions is to improve the quality of life for those in need, from ill health or disability, through animal-assisted therapy. We are dedicated to realising this objective and would love for you to join us on our journey. Your donation will support this important work.
