Dogs are a man’s best friend for a reason. They’re loyal, cuddly, protective, serving, and smart companions that instinctively know how to comfort you when you’re down or even rescue you in an emergency. Service dogs have been trained to help the blind or those who are disabled; cute, furry pets serve as adorable companions for the elderly to ease their loneliness and improve their overall well-being, and canines have been instrumental in helping law enforcement officials crack down on crime. Now, dogs – more specifically, wolves — have gained recognition for their ability to heal individuals who have turned to drug and alcohol abuse to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other co-occurring disorders.
Wolves understand you better than dogs can
Just when you thought dogs can understand you better than humans can, researchers have discovered that wolves are better at connecting with humans than their domesticated relatives. Scientists have established through DNA analysis that dogs descended from wolves, but what makes wolves better at healing is the absence of domestication. A study examining the difference between dogs and wolves was conducted to see whether both species could make use of communicative cues such as direct eye-contact and pointing gestures to make causal inferences in order to find hidden food. The results showed that wolves were able to understand cause and effect whereas the dogs could not, and domestication has an impact on socialized animals.
If you love dogs, you will love Wolf-Assisted Therapy!
At New Method Wellness, a premier dual diagnosis treatment center in San Juan Capistrano, wolf-assisted therapy is one of many holistic therapeutic modalities offered to our clients. Wolf-assisted therapy is used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. When traditional talk therapy doesn’t work, animal-assisted therapy such as wolf-assisted therapy will strengthen the therapeutic alliance between clients and their therapists, ultimately leading to improved treatment outcomes.
Is PTSD interrupting your job performance at work? Try Wolf-Assisted Therapy
If you have suffered trauma from combat, unresolved childhood issues, sexual domestic violence or other catastrophic events, anything can trigger you to have flashbacks, and triggers can come in any form. One of the most harmful effects of PTSD is the impact it has on your job when you dissociate from your physical environment during one of your flashbacks. Trauma survivors suffer from memory loss, cognitive impairment, anxiety disorders, poor relationships with colleagues, and poor physical health.
Wolf-Assisted Therapy has been proven especially effective with trauma-focused therapy. If you are an employer who suspects that an employee may be suffering from PTSD, or if you have a colleague may need some extra help because he or she is drinking to cope with symptoms associated with depression and anxiety, please reach out to New Method Wellness, one of the nation’s best centers for drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
To see why Dr. Phil recommends New Method Wellness, visit our website or call 866.951.1824 to speak with our Outreach Coordinator!
