How animal therapy can help people with PTSD
Image by Samson Katt
*Trigger warning – this article mentions causes of PTSD which some people may find triggering
Dogs are not only ‘paw-tastic’ pets, but they can also make excellent service animals. From detecting seizures to comforting panic attacks; they are skilled at helping people in their everyday life.
Animal therapy is gaining popularity in assisting people living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When combined with traditional interventions, the human-animal bond is continually proving to be an effective treatment for PTSD, with positive effects felt by both humans and animals.
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health condition that develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. In Australia more than 3 million people deal with PTSD at some point in their lives1.
Experiences that can cause PTSD include:
Serious accidents
Natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and earthquakes
Living in a war zone, as a victim of war or soldier
Sexual assault or threatened sexual assault
Serious physical assault
Seeing people hurt or killed 1
Several risk factors may put you at a greater chance of developing PTSD:
Repeated trauma, such as living in a war zone for a long time
Having a mental illness in the past, like anxiety or depression
A history of trauma or abuse in early childhood
Experiencing very severe trauma
Not having enough support after experiencing trauma
Extra life stresses after trauma, such as the loss of a loved one
The type of traumatic event, rape or sexual assault, is more likely to lead to PTSD than other events1
The effects of PTSD can be debilitating. Some symptoms can include re-experiencing trauma, repetitive memories or flashbacks that intrude into everyday life, nightmares, and memories or disturbing thoughts that smells, sounds and words can trigger1.
What is animal therapy?
Animal therapy or Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) involves animals helping people with specific physical or mental health conditions. Building on the human-animal bond - which describes people’s desire to interact with and relate to animals – people can form close relationships with animals, providing them a sense of calm, assistance and support.
What AAI looks like can vary depending on an individual's set of needs, the type of animal, and the services the animal will provide. For instance, Guide Dogs specifically assist people who are blind, while Smart Pups specifically aid people with autism. Animals can also be used to treat other physical and mental health conditions including epilepsy, depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Animal therapy and PTSD
A plethora of research shows that animal therapy can decrease symptoms and increase the quality of life for those with PTSD. Dogs are trained to do specific tasks like waking people from nightmares, grounding an individual through nudging, pawing or leaning, and even bringing medication to a person when they need it.
A preliminary study2 revealed a wide range of benefits for veterans with PTSD with service dogs compared to veterans with PTSD without service dogs. Specific results of the study include:
Decreased overall PTSD symptoms, including reduced levels of depression, improved quality of life, physiological well-being, life satisfaction and resilience
Decreased frequency of nightmares and sleep disturbance
Higher levels of companionship and social integration
Decreased social isolation
Lower levels of anger and anxiety
Increased levels of resilience and overall life satisfaction
A systematic literature review3 revealed that AAI might provide promise as a complementary treatment option for trauma. For example, the second most reported outcome from AAI for trauma was a reduction in PTSD symptoms in five out of 10 studies3.
HPHH Intensive Programs
Happy Paws Happy Hearts offers In-Shelter and Online Intensive Programs for Australian Defence Force personnel and veterans, first responders, and injured workers living with trauma. Our programs help participants learn to train rescue dogs while building social connections and self-confidence.
We have two In-Shelter Intensive Programs: Train and Explore.
Train is a six-month course focused on building foundational dog training skills such as mark and reward, scent games, and marking positive behaviour. In Train, participants work closely with shelter animals on their recovery journey, creating a positive association with people and places, and setting them up for adoption success.
Explore is a six-month vocational module that provides selected participants with support to the transition to volunteering, further study or employment in the animal care industry. Building on their animal training skills with one-on-one support for goal setting.
We also have an Online Intensive Program. In this year-long program, we offer weekly livestreams and one-on-one sessions where participants can discuss the course, speak directly with our trainers, and interact with a like-minded, virtual community – allowing participants to move at their own pace.
Paw-fect Points
PTSD is a mental health condition that develops after a person experiences or sees a traumatic event.
Animal therapy involves animals helping people with specific physical or mental health conditions.
Animal therapy can look different based on the condition of the person, the type of animal, and the services the animal will provide.
Animal therapy can decrease symptoms and increase quality of life for people with PTSD.
Happy Paws Happy Hearts offers Intensive Programs designed for veterans, first responders, and injured workers living with trauma, where they learn to train rescue dogs while building social connections and self-confidence.
Sources
1Health Direct. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
2HABRI. Mental Health Conditions. https://habri.org/research/mental-health/conditions/
3O’Haire, M.E., Guerin, N.A., Kirkham, A. C. (2015). Animal Assisted Intervention for trauma: a systematic literature review. Front Psychol. 6:1121. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4528099/