My Therapist and Other Animals
My Therapist and Other Animals

Author: Rene Chorley

Publisher: New Generation Publishing

Published: 2016-04-22

Total Pages: 70

ISBN-13: 1785078232

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"e;An animal is a prescription without side effects."e; Do you love animals? Do you feel a connection with a furry friend? Do you believe animals offer something that can touch and heal a human heart? My Therapist and Other Animals tells of the healing bond that can be created when animals are participants in our lives. These true stories document the loving connection between humans and those with whom we share a planet. Written by Rene Chorley, an experienced attachment therapist, it illustrates how animals can reach through the pain of abuse, neglect and trauma and reignite the ability to feel safe, cared for and valued. Animals can make a difference in our lives. They are consistent and unconditional in their time, attention and affection, qualities that may be missing in the lives of so many. Each story brings to life a connection - whether it be an exceptional dog offering friendship or a squeaky guinea pig excited for feed time, our importance in their lives feeds our self-worth. These heart-warming stories prove that this connection has the power to overcome all.

Afternoons with Puppy
Afternoons with Puppy

Author: Aubrey H. Fine

Publisher: Purdue University Press

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 9781557534705

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Afternoons with Puppy is a heartwarming account of dynamic relationships and outcomes involving a therapist, his therapy animals, and his patients over the course of almost two decades. Afternoons with Puppy is a narrative of Dr. Fine's experiences and the growing respect for the power of the animals effect on his patients and himself. This book documents some of the magnificent discoveries that Dr. Fine has witnessed and made over the past few decades working with these animals, and showing how the reader can apply these observations and discoveries to their lives. The authors illustrate the deeper and more fundamental elements of life found in our bonds with animals. more at ease but still reserved. As we sit and talk, Hart [therapy dog] sits close to her chair. At one point in our session, Sarah's reserve finally crumbles. Pushing up her left sleeve, she shows me her scars. As she lowers her arm, Sarah notices that Hart's eyes are fixed on that arm. At that moment, Hart lifts her gaze from the arm and connects with Sarah's eyes. Hart then looks over at me. With an expression on her face that I can only call puzzled, Hart looks back at Sarah, and then Hart lowers her head and begins to lick the scars. Sarah is startled for a moment but then sits quietly as Hart continues to lick the wounds. Finally, she bends over hart and holds her close.

Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy
Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy

Author: Nancy Parish-Plass

Publisher: Purdue University Press

Published: 2013-07-15

Total Pages: 526

ISBN-13: 1612492746

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The integration of animals into the therapy setting by psychotherapists has been a growing trend. Psychological problems treated include emotional and behavioral problems, attachment issues, trauma, and developmental disorders. An influential 1970s survey suggests that over 20 percent of therapists in the psychotherapy division of the American Psychological Association incorporated animals into their treatment in some fashion. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number is much higher today. Since Yeshiva University psychologist Boris Levinson popularized the involvement of animals in psychotherapy in the 1960s, Israel has come to be perhaps the most advanced country in the world in the area of animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP). This is true especially in the areas of academic training programs, theory-building, and clinical practice. Great effort has been put into understanding the mechanisms behind AAP, as well as into developing ethical guidelines that take into account the therapist's responsibility toward both client and animal. This book exposes the world to the theory and practice of AAP as conceived and used in Israel. It emphasizes evidence-based and clinically sound applications with psychotherapeutic goals, as differentiated from other animal-assisted interventions, such as AAE (animal-assisted education) and AAA (animal-assisted activities), which may have education or skills-oriented goals. Not just anyone with a dog can call him-or herself an animal-assisted therapist. This volume demonstrates not only the promise of animal-assisted psychotherapeutic approaches, but also some of the challenges the field still needs to overcome to gain widespread legitimacy.

My Therapist's Dog
My Therapist's Dog

Author: Diana Wells

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Published: 2004-01-06

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1565127897

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Diana Wells's intriguing exploration into the rewards of relationships--both the canine and human varieties--begins when she reluctantly starts seeing a psychologist, Beth, during a difficult time in her life. With no insurance to pay for counseling, a barter is arranged in which the client becomes part-time caretaker to the therapist's dog, Luggs, a sweet, clumsy black Labrador retriever. As Wells examines her past--her peripatetic childhood, her eccentric family, her grief over the deaths of loved ones--Luggs provides a bridge between therapist and patient. Dog lover by nature, historian by trade, Wells finds herself curious about the connections that dogs and humans have shared for centuries--and what these bonds tell us about our own psyches. Wells observes that training a dog has much in common with the therapeutic techniques her psychologist employs. Looking into recent experiments that have proved dogs better at interpreting human behavior than chimps or wolves, Wells explores the subtleties of her own relationship with dogs. Increasingly she finds herself agreeing with Diogenes, the original Greek cynic (the word cynic comes from the greek kuon, meaning "dog"), who said that unless we think like dogs, happiness will elude us. Wells analyzes what we name our dogs, how we breed them, how we've explored the wilderness with them, the kinds of literature we write about them, why we love them, and, most important, what we can learn from them. When an unexpected illness befalls Beth, Luggs comforts the two women, and his devotion helps Wells come to accept that relationships--despite the possibility of hurt and pain--are what life is all about.

Transforming Trauma
Transforming Trauma

Author: Philip Tedeschi

Publisher: Purdue University Press

Published: 2019-07-15

Total Pages: 511

ISBN-13: 1612495206

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Have you ever looked deep into the eyes of an animal and felt entirely known? Often, the connections we share with non-human animals represent our safest and most reliable relationships, offering unique and profound opportunities for healing in periods of hardship. This book focuses on research developments, models, and practical applications of human-animal connection and animal-assisted intervention for diverse populations who have experienced trauma. Physiological and psychological trauma are explored across three broad and interconnected domains: 1) child maltreatment and family violence; 2) acute and post-traumatic stress, including military service, war, and developmental trauma; and 3) times of crisis, such as the ever-increasing occurrence of natural disasters, community violence, terrorism, and anticipated or actual grief and loss. Contributing authors, who include international experts in the fields of trauma and human-animal connection, examine how our relationships with animals can help build resiliency and foster healing to transform trauma. A myriad of animal species and roles, including companion, therapy, and service animals are discussed. Authors also consider how animals are included in a variety of formal and informal models of trauma recovery across the human lifespan, with special attention paid to canine- and equine-assisted interventions and psychotherapy. In addition, authors emphasize the potential impacts to animals who provide trauma-informed services, and discuss how we can respect their participation and implement best practices and ethical standards to ensure their well-being. The reader is offered a comprehensive understanding of the history of research in this field, as well as the latest advancements and areas in need of further or refined investigation. Likewise, authors explore, in depth, emerging practices and methodologies for helping people and communities thrive in the face of traumatic events and their long-term impacts. As animals are important in cultures all over the world, cross-cultural and often overlooked animal-assisted and animal welfare applications are also highlighted throughout the text.

Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound
Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound

Author: Phil Zeltzman

Publisher: Purdue University Press

Published: 2011-05-15

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 1612491979

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A dog is an ideal workout partner: always supportive, happy to go for a walk and never judgmental. The human-companion animal bond is a great way to help you and your dog lose weight or stay fit. When people and dogs exercise together, fitness and health happen on both ends of the leash. As the obesity epidemic spreads, 70% of Americans and 50% of dogs are overweight or obese, resulting in staggering health care costs and suffering. The causes, consequences, and treatment for overweight and obesity are strikingly similar in people and dogs. Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound, written by an expert veterinary surgeon and a leading nurse researcher, helps you move from a food-centered relationship with dogs, to an exercise-centered relationship. Even better, you don’t have to own a dog! The book gives several creative suggestions to exercise or walk a dog even if you do not or cannot have one. This volume is designed for dog lovers, dog owners and families. Based on the latest scientific findings, it will also help professionals (including physicians, veterinarians, and physical therapists) fight obesity and promote fitness in both people and pets. Dog-walking programs can easily be implemented in neighborhoods, parks, workplaces, animal shelters, hospitals, retirement homes and obesity clinics, and this book shows you how to establish them. In nearly every health care profession, practitioners are teaching human patients and dog owners on a daily basis about the risks of obesity. Never has there been a more compelling time for innovative approaches to increasing physical activity, reforming sedentary lifestyles, and enhancing fitness. Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound provides specific strategies for people and dogs to exercise together, lose weight together, and have fun in the process.

Entangled Empathy
Entangled Empathy

Author: Lori Gruen

Publisher: Lantern Books

Published: 2015-02-01

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 1590565576

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In Entangled Empathy, scholar and activist Lori Gruen argues that rather than focusing on animal “rights,” we ought to work to make our relationships with animals right by empathetically responding to their needs, interests, desires, vulnerabilities, hopes, and unique perspectives. Pointing out that we are already entangled in complex and life-altering relationships with other animals, Gruen guides readers through a new way of thinking about—and practicing—animal ethics. Gruen describes entangled empathy as a type of caring perception focused on attending to another’s experience of well-being. It is an experiential process involving a blend of emotion and cognition in which we recognize we are in relationships with others and are called upon to be responsive and responsible in these relationships by attending to another. When we engage in entangled empathy we are transformed and in that transformation we can imagine less violent, more meaningful ways of being together.

Empty Cauldrons
Empty Cauldrons

Author: Terence P. Ward

Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide

Published: 2022

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 0738763330

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Depression is a universal condition that people of all walks of life face. Author Terence P Ward shares his experiences with depression and the spiritual methods he has used to cope. With contributions from Pagan clergy, depression sufferers, and therapists, Ward offers hands-on rituals, prayers, and exercises for readers to practice on their own journey. This book explores the isolating influence of this common affliction and why many people resist professional help. Empty Cauldrons shows readers how to tend to their life of prayers, offerings, and dreams, and also provides spells and strategies for developing a non-monotheistic relationship with depression. You will discover rituals for drawing off miasma and appealing to the gods of the wind, traditional Hellenic ancestor feasts, ideas for tending a depression shrine, and much more."--

Our Wild Calling
Our Wild Calling

Author: Richard Louv

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Published: 2020-11-10

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1643750844

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“A book that offers hope.” —The New York Times Book Review “A wondrous tapestry.” —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel Audubon Medal winner Richard Louv’s landmark book Last Child in the Woods inspired an international movement to connect children and nature. Now he redefines the future of human-animal coexistence. In Our Wild Calling, Louv interviews researchers, theologians, wildlife experts, indigenous healers, psychologists, and others to show how people are connecting with animals in ancient and new ways, and how this serves as an antidote to the growing epidemic of human loneliness; how dogs can teach children ethical behavior; how animal-assisted therapy may yet transform the mental health field; and what role the human-animal relationship plays in our spiritual health. He reports on wildlife relocation and on how the growing populations of wild species in urban areas are blurring the lines between domestic and wild animals. Our Wild Calling makes the case for protecting, promoting, and creating a sustainable and shared habitat for all creatures—not out of fear, but out of love. Includes a new interview with the author, discussion questions, and a resource guide.