Can you imagine all the ways that animals, people, and relaxing music could assist each other in special education classrooms, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rest homes and hospices?
by Daniel Kobialka
Nontraditional, nonpharmacological treatments such as music-assisted relaxation, touch therapies, and animal- or pet-assisted therapy are being studied and tested more and more. The result is that they are becoming more common as complementary therapies around the world, both for humans and animals alike.
It's fascinating to imagine some of the possible combinations of such therapies. Music-assisted relaxation and touch therapies are beneficial to both animals and humans. Petting or grooming an animal is therapeutic to both pet and owner. Music has been shown to be beneficial for hypertension, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer's, pre- and post-operative anxiety and pain, and grief. Music also acts as a wonderful distraction and diversion. All of this is true for both animals and humans.
Can you picture all the ways that animals, people, and relaxing music could assist each other in the healing and enhancement processes in special education classrooms, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rest homes and hospices? Not to mention in our everyday activities and lives in this often hectic, stressful world. Petting a dog or a cat, for example, is a soothing interaction for both animal and human. Music can also be relaxing and calming for both.
Here's one example: a yoga teacher noticed that when she practiced yoga at home, her dogs liked to be involved. So she developed a dog yoga or "doga" program for dogs and their owners, accompanied by dim lighting and soft, gentle music. Her program is designed to combine dog training and classic yoga moves as a way to deepen the bond between canine and human.
In traditional dog obedience classes, the energy is high and is focused on results. In this class, the goal is one of calming interaction. The dog owners do not need to practice yoga themselves. But one yoga practitioner found that doga is the perfect answer to problems she encountered while doing her own yoga practice.
She found that if she locked her dog out of the room while she did her yoga, the dog was too much of a distraction, as he insisted on wanting to be with her. But if she let him into the room, he wanted to be all over her. Now she can practice her yoga and her dog knows, first of all, that he is to go to his own mat and sit or lie down.
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