Some of us are convinced about the value of therapy dogs – even the sight of a stray canine makes us smile. The idea that dogs can provide affection and comfort in hospitals, senior homes, trauma centres, disaster areas and institutions fits perfectly into our world view because dogs are just that loving, loyal and empathetic. Now however, we are discovering the therapeutic value of many other animals as well. For instance did you know cow cuddling or horse hugging is therapeutic?
Hug therapy is a used to provide emotional comfort and may also promote healing according to some therapists. It may may actually trigger the secretion of certain hormones, say some experts. It certainly makes us feel warm and loved; helping alleviate loneliness and anxiety. The need for babies to held and cuddled is well established. This is vital even for adults. Hug therapy may be useful in stimulating oxytocin production, allaying age related loneliness, fear of death, lowering stress, shoring up the immune system and more.
Experts suggest that we all aim to give and receive ten hugs a day. Even if you're skeptical about the touted therapeutic benefits, there is absolutely no harm in ten hugs a day! Even if hugging isn’t as beneficial as they crack it up to be, you have nothing to lose and a world of joy and affection to gain. Hug your significant other first thing in the morning. Hug your babies as you wake them up. Hug them when they leave home and when they get back home. Cuddle up to watch movies, especially scary ones. On cold evenings, curl up together under a blanket and gaze at stars while sharing soup. Many excuses to hug; no reasons not to! The sheer joy of simple human contact cannot be overstated.
There are now locations such as the Mountain Horse Farm in upstate New York that offer the unique opportunity to cuddle with and spend time with horses and/or cows. The facility invites people to derive benefit from these gentle, affectionate and responsive creatures without ‘judgement, ego or agenda’. These are intuitive animals that pick up on body language and emotional problems of people and respond accordingly, says the farm website.
In Holland (Voorst) cow hugging or cuddling is presented as a remedy against stress and a way to increase mindfulness. They call it ‘cow-munication’ a cow cuddling workshop that is supposed to help trigger innovation and creativity among other benefits.
Some people claim that cows make great cuddle buddies because of their sensitive, calm nature. Cows typically have higher body temperatures and lower heart rates than humans. Proponents of cow cuddling say that both these aspects combine to create a warm and comforting environment for the human. Plus cows love cuddling too – the cows in this video are certainly not protesting!
There is a warm, gentle, affectionate, furry creature that seems to be enjoying it all as much as the human being there… What’s not to like! Some may be a bit wary of the smell and hair aspect of things, but I say this looks like fun! The pros would outweigh the cons in my book!
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