Animal Therapy

Animal Therapy

I absolutely love animals, I have lots of animals: dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, chickens, doves and a horse. I've grown up around them and have appreciated them more and more over the years. Animal therapy is not for some but for others it is extremely helpful. When you feel sad, angry, depressed, sometimes an animal can make you feel grounded and calm again. It may only be temporary but it can be extremely effective. Personally, I believe that animals can sense exactly how you're feeling, I've been in tears sometimes and my dog will walk into the room and sit with me until I feel better again. They're so in tune with us and for me there's something about them that soothes me. Maybe it's their soft fur, or because they're so loving, I connect with animals better than I connect with people.

In the past, I've done lots of equine (horse) therapy, it was extremely beneficial and I would definitely go again, I haven't taken it up for a while though maybe one day I will again. The therapist and I would do what was called "body-checks" which is becoming mindful and tapping into your body. You can do this by closing your eyes, start thinking about your face, are there any sensations? Are you tense? Relaxed? Can you think of a colour that comes to mind, a shape or word when you're focusing on that part of your body? Honestly, at first I didn't think it was any good but I kept practising, the more I practised, the more I became in tune with my body. I began to notice when I was tense, I could check in with myself and do a body scan when I needed to, it also gave me something to focus on and helped to calm me down when I felt stressed. They became part of my routine, I always did a body scan before I woke up in the morning and before bedtime, I also did them in the day when I felt I needed to. I also looked it up, searching for "The Body Scan Practise" and found out more about it, if you wanted to you could do the same too. There are plenty of links and information surrounding it which could be beneficial. I definitely recommend researching it!

"I will go anywhere, as long as it is forward."