Hounds 4 Healing Helping Ptsd

[Redsonic]

A nice story on ABC News:

Hounds4Healing

Hounds 4 Healing: Canine powers help old dogs of war deal with post-traumatic stress disorder

By Allyson Horn

Updated about 3 hours agoFri 7 Nov 2014, 10:03am

The love and loyalty of a pet dog is proving to be remarkably effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among former soldiers in north Queensland.

The Hounds 4 Healing group was set up by former soldier Matt Campbell.

He was wounded during tours of Afghanistan and was diagnosed with PTSD when he returned home.

"I sort of fell in a big black hole," he said.

"You don't want to go out of the house, you don't want to drive anywhere.

"I become angry with the world, I became angry with my family."

Mr Campbell said he turned to his dog Bobby to help with his recovery and found the change in his condition was remarkable.

"If I didn't have Bob I don't think I'd be here," he said.

"She allows me to get out and about and do stuff but if I start to have dramas, all I have to do is concentrate on her, even by hanging on to her collar or just by patting her, she'll just bring me back to there."

The Hounds 4 Healing program has linked rescued and street dogs with PTSD sufferers in Townsville.

The program's been supported by the trauma recovery centre run by the Townsville Mater Hospital.

Jane Keast from the centre said thousands of ex-soldiers suffered from mental illness.

"It's a big issue. The statistics that float around is between 5 and 12 per cent of people in the military will develop PTSD," she said.

"That may be a total underestimation as well."

Ms Keast said she had noticed the healing powers of the dogs.

She said the animals brought about a remarkable change in the recovery process.

"Not only do they help get people out into the community and doing things that they might not normally feel comfortable doing, they also help ground people," she said.

"If you just lean down, pat your dog and just connect with the dog, it's the reality of what's happening here and now.

"It takes you out of that hyper-aroused state which a lot of people with PTSD experience."

Mr Campbell and said he would like to see the program expanded across the country.

"On my darkest, darkest days Bob's been the only light in the tunnel," he said.

"If my dogs only change one person's life and stop them from falling in that big hole, well I've achieved something that I never ever thought I could achieve."

[sheena]

This is great . I live with a Vietnam Vet who suffers from PTSD & the best thing that has happened to him was to get involved in training/working & playing with his own dog :) He would recommend dogs for therapy to ALL Diggers.