Coping with PTSD – How Dogs Can Help in the Rehabilitation Process
- Background
In Israel, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a daily reality for quite a few people, including combat soldiers, veterans, terror victims and trauma survivors.
Coping with PTSD can manifest in anxiety attacks, high alertness, sleep difficulties, difficulty in social and emotional functioning, and sometimes also depression or avoidance of everyday situations.
In recent years there has been growing attention to the contribution of dogs to rehabilitation processes and emotional support. A dog that is correctly matched to a person, and undergoes a suitable training process, can become a stabilizing, calming factor that greatly assists in daily coping.
- Explanation
What is the difference between animal-assisted therapy, an emotional support dog and a service dog?
It’s important to sort out several concepts that are sometimes confused with one another:
Animal-assisted therapy – a therapeutic process in which a professional uses a dog as part of an emotional, educational or rehabilitative therapeutic framework.
An emotional support dog – a dog that provides a calming presence, connection, comfort and a sense of security, but doesn’t necessarily undergo specific functional training.
A service dog – a dog that undergoes professional, focused training in order to assist a person in daily functioning, according to defined and clear needs.
In cases of PTSD, a dog can be a significant part of the support and rehabilitation system, but it doesn’t replace medical or psychological treatment, rather it complements it.
How can a dog help a person coping with PTSD?
The bond between the person and the dog can help on several levels:
- Creating a sense of security and a stable presence
A stable and balanced dog can provide a sense of security, especially in situations where the person feels tense, overwhelmed or disconnected from the environment.
- A daily routine
Caring for a dog introduces a clear daily schedule: outings, feeding, movement, responsibility and occupation.
For people coping with functional difficulty, such a routine can be very significant.
- Reducing loneliness and isolation
The bond with the dog creates an emotional anchor, and sometimes also helps the person gradually return to connection with the environment.
- Emotional regulation
Through touch, presence, connection and routine, dogs can help reduce high emotional arousal and contribute to calming.
- Improving daily functioning
When the dog is correctly matched and properly trained, it may help the person leave the house, cope with challenging situations and gradually return to more stable functioning.
- Continued
What does a PTSD service dog learn to do?
When it comes to a service dog that is dedicated, the training isn’t general but tailored to the person’s need.
Depending on the level and the goal, such a dog can learn, for example:
to stay close to the person in stressful situations
to provide calming touch on a signal or request
to identify fixed patterns of distress or arousal in the person it accompanies
to help create personal space in crowded places
to accompany the person in the daily routine with a calm and stable presence
The emphasis is always on personal customization, and not on “one solution that fits everyone”.
Not only PTSD – other situations in which dogs can help
Dogs also help in other situations, depending on the training and the matching:
accompanying people with physical disabilities
the blind or visually impaired
the deaf or hard of hearing
certain medical conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes
children and people with autism
emotional support in therapeutic, medical and educational settings
support for the elderly or for people coping with loneliness
Of course, the same type of dog isn’t suitable for every situation, and not every dog is suitable for every role.
Training service dogs – the key to success
In order for a dog to be able to support a person in a safe, stable and effective way, thorough and professional training is required.
The process usually includes:
basic and advanced obedience
building emotional stability and self-control
exposure to changing environments
learning dedicated tasks
precise work with the person it is going to accompany
a matching process between the dog and the person
Success in this field doesn’t depend only on the breed, but mainly on the dog’s character
neural stability
health
learning ability
level of sensitivity
suitability for the type of task and the specific person
- Summary
Which breeds are common in this field?
There are breeds that are used more thanks to their character and characteristics, for example:
Labrador Retriever
Poodle
and sometimes also other breeds according to personal needs
At the same time, it’s important to emphasize:
The breed alone doesn’t determine it. A quality service dog is chosen first of all according to character, stability, health and suitability for the role.
In summary
Dogs can be a very significant part of the rehabilitation and support process of people coping with PTSD.
They can provide a calming presence, routine, connection, a sense of security and sometimes also real functional assistance – all as part of a broader envelope of support and treatment.
When the choice, the training and the matching are done correctly, the dog can become a real anchor in the life of the person it accompanies.
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