Ever noticed how a wagging tail can turn a rough day around?

There's science behind that. Dogs actually affect the human brain in very real ways. They are fast becoming one of today's most effective tools for modern mental health.

Dogs are assisting everything from veterans with PTSD to addicts in recovering from trauma like normal therapy just cannot.

Here's how it works…

In this article:

1. What Is Animal-Assisted Therapy?

2. The Brain Science Behind The Bond

3. How Dogs Help With PTSD

4. Why Dogs Work For Substance Recovery

5. What A Session Actually Looks Like

What Is Animal-Assisted Therapy?

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a goal-directed therapy that incorporates a trained animal into the recovery process of someone experiencing a mental or physical health illness. These animals are often dogs.

It's not just "playing with a puppy" for an hour.

The session is led by a licensed therapist who has identified treatment goals. The dog is present to facilitate the client opening up, feeling safe, and remaining focused during the hard work of recovery.

That last piece is HUGE. Groups such as Changing Tides incorporate animal-assisted therapy with talk therapy to offer services to clients with PTSD, anxiety, depression and substance use disorders and see tangible outcomes. When a client is feeling grounded and connected, they stick with treatment. And treatment is what saves lives.

Animal-assisted therapy can help with:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Addiction and substance abuse

• Anxiety and depression

• Trauma recovery

• Social issues in kids

Pretty cool, right?

Now let's look at why it actually works.

The Brain Science Behind The Bond

Here's the part most people don't know…

Petting a dog elicits a complete chemical response from your body. Within minutes your stress hormones decrease and feel-good chemicals increase.

Two big things happen inside the brain:

• Cortisol decreases – Cortisol is your stress hormone. When cortisol is high, you remain anxious, jittery and entrenched in the "fight or flight" response.

• Oxytocin increases – Often referred to as the "love hormone." Allows you to feel calm, safe and connected.

To a PTSD or addiction survivor, this is monumental. They are constantly operating from fight-or-flight mode in their nervous system. A therapy dog assists them in returning to a "window of tolerance."

Science agrees. One big meta-analysis of studies on animal-assisted therapy showed real benefits to mood, behavior and even medical issues. That's huge.

Picture the dog as the bridge between a frightened, defensive patient and the therapist attempting to reach him.

How Dogs Help With PTSD

PTSD is one of the hardest conditions to treat. And a lot more common than people realize.

Rates hit 29% among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. 7% of veterans overall will experience PTSD at some time in their lives. That's millions of Americans living with hidden scars.

The problem?

There is a high dropout rate associated with traditional PTSD treatments. Memories are too painful, sessions too challenging and patients leave before feeling better.

Dogs are changing that.

Here's why therapy dogs work so well for PTSD:

• They provide a calming presence during hard conversations

• They interrupt panic attacks and nightmares

• They give the client a reason to leave the house

• They lower the stigma of asking for help

• They rebuild trust that trauma has damaged

People with PTSD have gravitated toward this treatment in droves. Veterans in particular. Dogs don't recoil when you tell them about the worst thing you've ever witnessed.

The dog just stays. Her calm presence makes real therapy possible. Clients feel comfortable. They remain in treatment. They follow through with the program.

FYI service dogs and therapy dogs are different. Service dogs are trained to do specific tasks for one individual (i.e., waking someone from a nightmare). Therapy dogs work with many different clients directed by a licensed therapist. Both dogs provide service but in different capacities.

Why Dogs Work For Substance Recovery

Addiction recovery has its own set of challenges…

Shame. Loneliness. Rewiring your brain with drugs & alcohol to expect violence and instant gratification. Recovering from addiction is one of the most difficult things a human can accomplish.

This is where dogs come in.

Shame is one of the biggest obstacles to treatment. Clients are not wanting to reveal themselves because they feel like everyone is judging them. However, a dog isn't judging you. All they want is to be close to you.

That simple truth changes everything.

Studies even back this up. A 2016 study found that teen boys receiving inpatient treatment for substance abuse reported feeling less angry and sad after weekly meetings with a therapy dog. Less anger. Less depression. All from spending ONE HOUR A WEEK petting a dog.

Therapy dogs help people in recovery by:

• Reducing anxiety during group sessions

• Building trust with therapists faster

• Teaching healthy routines (feeding, walking, grooming)

• Giving a sense of purpose beyond the addiction

• Reducing loneliness in early sobriety

Speaking of which. That last one is important. Early recovery is the most depressing time of somebody's life. A dog provides companionship in a healthy way and gives that person something to nurture that isn't a chemical.

Dogs force clients to have structure (walks, feeding, play). Clients learn to incorporate structure into their own day. Daily routine is one of the biggest predictors of long-term sobriety.

What A Session Actually Looks Like

Wondering what goes on during a real session? It varies from client to client, but typically it goes something like this:

1. The client arrives and is greeted by the therapy dog

2. The therapist starts the session with the dog in the room

3. The client may pet, brush or walk the dog while talking

4. The therapist watches how the client responds to the dog

5. Deeper issues get worked through with the dog as a calming anchor

Occasionally the dog will sense a feeling before the client realizes it themselves. If a client begins feeling anxious the well-trained therapy dog may push in closer, place a paw on their leg or curl up across their feet.

It grounds them back into the here and now. Which trauma addicts and alcoholics desperately need.

Bringing It All Together

Dogs are not a miracle cure. They do not substitute for actual therapy, meds or effort.

But the science is pretty hard to ignore.

Low stress hormones. Increased bonding hormones. And the comforting non-judgment of your furry companion. All this equals a space where humans can FINALLY feel safe enough to recover. Feeling safe is where it all begins with PTSD and addiction recovery.

Quick recap:

• Animal-assisted therapy is a real, evidence-based treatment

• Dogs lower cortisol and raise oxytocin in the human body

• PTSD sufferers stay in treatment longer with a therapy dog present

• Substance recovery clients open up faster and feel less shame

• The dog is a bridge, not the cure

Does someone you love have issues with trauma or addiction? You should check into animal-assisted therapy. It could be the missing link.