The Science of Unconditional Love

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”

—Gilda Radner

As we continue to feature those in our community who are using science to give back, we shift our focus towards pet therapy. In fact, we will be focusing on the work of local Pet Partner group Dogs on Call who is using the science of pet therapy to create change in our community. Enjoy!

Walking into the Pet Partners training room, I’m immediately greeted by a Golden Retriever who is eager meet me. His blonde, curly tail wags as I sit down beside him and instantly a friendship is formed. That’s the magic of dogs, no words are exchanged, no formal introductions are needed, they seem to know exactly who you are and what you need even before you do.  In fact, a dog’s uncanny ability to positively impact humans has been the focus of countless studies that have ultimately proved that our connection to dogs is not just based in love, but in science. For example, studies show that humans can experience a drop in blood pressure and an increase in oxytocin (i.e. happiness) by interacting with a dog for as little as five minutes (Urnäs-Moberg, 1998). Dogs have also been shown to decrease loneliness and depression while positively impacting the sympathetic nervous system (Friedmann, 1995, Katcher et al., 1983,).  These, and countless other studies, are a part of the reason that programs like Pet Partners are working hard to bring the healing benefits of dogs to those who need it most.

Founded in 1977, Pet Partners has become the national “leader in demonstrating and promoting positive human-animal therapy, activities and education.” From hospitals and nursing homes to courtrooms and schools, Pet Partners is the overarching branch that trains, certifies and insures pets that perform therapy, including those associated with the local Madison, WI pet therapy group Dogs on Call. In fact, all members of Dogs on Call, both human and canine, must participate in the certification process through Pet Partners which includes thorough training, a health screening and a team evaluation. Dogs on Call also trains those who wish to participate in the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program which provides therapy dogs to children who are learning to read. Dogs in both programs must be well-behaved and meet a number of criteria which can be found here, but ultimately the program is a way to share the unconditional love of dogs with those in need.

Karen Smith and Zombie demonstrate during a Pet Partner course in Madison, WI 

For Karen Smith, a Pet Partner trainer and a member of Dogs on Call and R.E.A.D, the programs were a natural fit for her Dutch Shepherds Zombie and Shaka. Members of a working breed, both dogs enjoy being active participants in flyball, agility and more, but Smith knew that each of them could contribute to pet therapy in a unique way.

For Zombie, it was his empathetic nature that led Smith to believe that he would find great joy in pet therapy.

“Zombie is rock solid,” Smith said. “He really loves people and seeks them out. He’s just very empathetic and has a sense of who needs him.”

For Shaka, Smith knew that his kind nature and love of affection would be beneficial for patients who were in need of joy.

“Shaka loves to be adored just as a dog with a royal name should,” said Smith, who explained that Shaka is named after one of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu kingdom. “People just get a kick out of him and his love of attention.”

Though Smith knew that both dogs would have a passion for pet therapy, she didn’t foresee the profound affect the program would have on her dogs, herself and the people they’ve helped.    

“I originally did it for my dogs so that they could have a fun job,” Smith said. “It was great to see them running to the door when I put on their Pet Partner vest, but I had no grand expectations. I had read about the incredible experiences people had while volunteering but I never thought that would happen to me.”

Smith soon found, however, that it could and that meaningful impact on others is what has kept Smith and her dogs volunteering with the program for more than seven years. Whether it is comforting a terminally ill patient, providing a bit of stress relief for students, providing companionship for a patient with Alzheimer’s or simply sitting with a child struggling to read, Smith has seen the profound impact her dogs have had on the lives of others.

“I’ve had those moments when I really feel like we’ve impacted someone’s life,” said Smith. “It seems strange that doing something so small can have such a big impact. But the dogs know, it’s all about finding that one person who needs it the most.”

Button models the Dogs on Call vest 

Gina, the mother/owner of Button, a ten-year-old beagle who works with Dogs on Call and R.E.A.D, agreed with Smith, stating that her favorite moments are when Button finds that one person who needs the unconditional love most.

“You go where the dog tells you,” said Gina. “It’s not about me, it’s about the dog and she knows exactly who to go to whether it is the patient, the spouse or the parents.”

To date the national Pet Partners organization has made over one million visits to those in need and Smith, Gina and other members of Dogs on Call are honored to continue working and training so that those in need can continue to experience the benefits of dog therapy.

“You know we have these small snapshots of people’s lives,” Gina said. “But, it’s in those moments that we see a million reasons why we do this.”

To learn more about Pet Partners please visit: https://petpartners.org/about-us/

To learn more about Dogs on Call or R.E.A.D. please visit: http://www.dogsoncall.org

Sources:

Odendaal, J. S., & Meintjes, R. A. (2003, May). Neurophysiological Correlates of Affiliative Behaviour between Humans and Dogs. Retrieved November 22, 2016, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002330200237X

The Science of Caregiving

As we enter the holiday season, it’s important to give thanks. That’s why this week, we will be focusing on a few of the people in our community who are using science to give back. Whether it is through dog therapy or holistic nursing, science is all around us and I’m so very thankful to those who are using their knowledge to make life a little better for those in our community.

Since November is National Caregivers Month and the theme for 2016 is “Take Care to Give Care,” we will start off the week with a special feature on Rita Stanton, a local nurse who is working to aid caregivers and patients by bridging the gap between holistic healing and Western medicine. 

“A healer's power stems not from any special ability, but from maintaining the courage and awareness to embody and express the universal healing power that every human being naturally possesses.”
― Eric Micha'el Leventhal

The Emotions of Caregiving:

                It’s been said that the more we share, the more we have, but for millions of caregivers compassion fatigue is a serious concern. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 53 percent of caregivers report that their health has worsened due to caregiving. While nurses, doctors and other professionals are a part of this group, more than 83 percent of caregivers are unpaid family members who have minimal training in self-care and coping skills. That’s why local nurse and holistic healer Rita Stanton and spiritual leader Joan Pape launched Integrative Holistic Professionals, a non-profit that “offers opportunities to caregivers by providing low-cost or no-cost instructional tools to empower them and the persons they care for.”

                Integrative Holistic Professionals primarily provides support to caregivers through training in energy-based healing methods such as Reiki and a workbook titled, The Emotions of Caregiving. Available on Amazon.com, the workbook combines spiritual, holistic healing methods and psychology to help caregivers mindfully process their emotions and recognize the importance of self-care. Specifically, the workbook helps caregivers to explore the Core Four Emotions including anger, guilt, grief and fear in ways that will help them to “lighten their load –emotionally, mentally and spiritually.”

In fact, after three decades in medicine, Stanton has become convinced that emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of healing are just as important as the medicinal. A home care and hospice nurse for most of her career, Stanton often felt helpless when Western medicine reached its limits.

“I started to see that traditional medicine didn’t have all of the answers,” said Stanton. “It was just too easy to give someone a pill and not deal with the underlying problem.”

That’s when Stanton began to explore alternative ways to help patients and caregivers to deal with the emotional and physical challenges of prolonged illness.  Stanton became certified in Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry (CHTSM) and Process Acupressure, a trained facilitator for grief support groups and caregiver support groups and a Reiki Master. Her work in these areas eventually inspired her own holistic practice, Healing Mind, Body and Spirit as well as her partnership with Pape and the creation of The Emotions of Caregiving workbook. 

Workbook by Stanton and Pape

 Healing Touch:

Though Stanton continues to utilize Western medicine, she noticed a difference in her patients and caregivers immediately after integrating holistic practices such as Reiki. Not only did the practices decrease patient pain and anxiety, but the caregivers also began to experience the benefits of these practices. Though alternative therapy may seem strange to some, there is actually a great deal of research being done into the psychological and pain management benefits of alternative therapies. In fact, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine showed that “Reiki results in a broad range of symptomatic benefits, including improvements in common cancer-related symptoms” (Marcus, Blazek-O'Neill, & Kopar, 2013). Additionally, a 2010 study in the Journal of Holistic Nursing showed that “practicing Reiki more often resulted in reduced perceived stress levels,” for nurses participating in the study. Together these and similar studies showcase the benefits of Reiki and energy-based therapy for both the patient and the caregiver.

 Healing Touch, a program in which Stanton is certified, is another example of an alternative therapy that has been become popular among researchers and professional nurses alike. According to the book Healing Touch: A Resource for Health Care Professionals, Healing Touch is an energy-based approach to healing. Though the idea is not necessarily to cure, nurses can utilize this program to provide pain management while reducing anxiety and stress among the patient and his or her caregiver. Though this program is specifically for nurses and endorsed by the American Holist Nurses Association, Reiki, another energy-based relaxation and healing method, is available to anyone willing to learn. That’s why Stanton has made it a point to integrate Healing Touch and Reiki into her practice while also offering Reiki training to caregivers as a part of the Integrative Professionals program. Stanton believes that proving caregivers with Reiki training gives them the tools to practice mindfulness as a part of their own self-care while also providing them with a technique that can help to ease their loved ones.

“Energy is there for everyone,” said Stanton. “There are no side effects or drugs, but channeling the right energy psychologically changes everything.”

So what is energy?:

Take a moment to rub your hands together as fast as you can. Do that for about thirty seconds and then slowly bring your hands apart. Do you feel that slight pulse between your hands? According to Stanton, that’s your energy, and according to the practice of Reiki and Healing Touch, that energy is all around you. The idea is that energy aligns with certain areas of your body called chakras. These areas include the root or coccygeal chakra, the sacral chakra, the solar plexus chakra, the heart chakra, the throat chakra, the brow or third eye chakra and the crown chakra. Through stress, sickness or other means, these chakras may become closed or out of balance and by correctly channeling that energy Reiki and Healing Touch can help to open or balance the chakras, easing pain, stress and anxiety.

“When the energy is running,” Stanton said, “The unconditional love is amazing.”

Healing Mind, Body and Spirit:

                From Reiki and Healing Touch to the caregiver workbook and caregiver training Stanton’s practice is based in the healing power of positive energy, good conversation and meaningful connections. That’s why every one of Stanton’s patient and caregiver meetings start with a conversation. She begins by asking about sleeping patterns, eating habits, exercise and how medications are impacting the situation. Stanton also gives every caregiver an appointment log, a medication log, an emotions log and a phone log that she created to help patients and caregivers to keep track of everything. Stanton then assess the situation and provides Healing Touch, Reiki, acupressure point therapy or other interventions as she sees necessary, but every appointment starts with a conversation.

“So often people don’t want to talk about emotions,” said Stanton. She explained that many of her clients want to remain tough for their family members but during these appointments the patient or caregiver has an opportunity to express how they are feeling and explore those emotions.

Seeing that need for a deeper connection, Stanton has also extended these conversations to senior centers, nursing homes and assisted living apartments where she hosts foot care clinics as a part of her practice, Healing Mind, Body and Spirit. During these foot clinics Stanton provides some much needed care for her clients soaking their feet, trimming their nails and massaging their feet using reflexology methods that sooth, but she also encourages conversation.  Stanton explained that many of her foot care clinic clients are ill or have a spouse with an ongoing illness, and this clinic provides them with a bit of self-care and a chance to speak with a professional about their concerns.  Stanton has received extremely positive feedback regarding these clinics with clients expressing their appreciation for the compassion and support they received during the session. 

Take Care to Give Care:

                For Stanton, aiding patients and their caregivers has become a mission and a passion. Whether it is through Western medicine, alternative therapies, workbooks or emotional support, Stanton believes in the power of the human connection.

“People need to be touched and they need to be heard,” Stanton said.

She also hopes that her work will empower caregivers to value themselves and the role they play in their family system. As a caregiver herself she believes in the power of positivity, self-care and exploring therapy and activities that speak to the individual. For her, Reiki and Healing Touch were most compelling but she continues to research and learn in hopes of finding more ways to aid the patients and caregivers in her life. 

“The more I learn, the more I want to learn,” said Stanton. “Perhaps most importantly, however, I’ve learned that caregiving is about learning to trust your intuition and what resonates.”

Rita Stanton of Healing Mind, Body and Spirit
Photo Courtesy of Rita Stanton 

To learn more about Stanton’s Healing Mind, Body & Spirit or to request her assistance, call 608-437-6959

To learn more about Integrative Holistic Professionals, Inc visit www.integrativeholisticprofessionals.org or email ihp.org@gmail.com

To purchase The Emotions of Caregiving visit: amazon.com

Note that all proceeds from the workbook help to keep Integrative Holistic Professionals services low or no-cost.  

Sources:

Marcus, D. A., MD, Blazek-O'Neill, B., MD, & Kopar, J., CAVS. (2013, March). Symptomatic Improvement Reported After Receiving Reiki at a Cancer Infusion Center. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://ajh.sagepub.com/content/30/2/216.short

Hover-Kramer, D., Mentgen, J., & Scandrett-Hibdon, S. (1996). Healing touch: A resource for health care professionals. New York: Delmar.

Cuneo, C. L., Curtis Cooper, M. R., Drew, C., Naoum-Heffernan, C., Sherman, T., Walz, K., & Janice Weinberg, J. (2010, August). The Effect of Reiki on Work-Related Stress of the Registered Nurse. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://jhn.sagepub.com/content/29/1/33.short