How Dogs Help People With PTSD

A new study finds that man’s best friend offers emotional support and reduces anxiety. 

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The invisible wounds of trauma can haunt people long after the initial shock has faded. For millions around the world, the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cast a shadow over daily life, turning ordinary moments into situations overwhelmed by anxiety and distress.

A recent study offers hope in the form of four-legged companions—attentive canines whose presence could significantly improve PTSD symptoms.

The Healing Power of Dogs

PTSD symptoms include hypervigilance, intense anxiety that can trigger panic, and a tendency for social isolation that tends to “shrink the life” of the affected person, Amanda Oliva, a clinical psychologist at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, who is unaffiliated with the study, told The Epoch Times.

While symptoms can resolve and patients can recover, the condition is unique because it stems from an experience that becomes a permanent part of the patient’s life story, Ms. Oliva said. However, with appropriate treatment, patients can change how they think about and integrate the traumatic event into their lives, she noted.

“Service and therapeutic dogs combat many of those exact symptoms by being trained to recognize and interrupt the experience of panic and the fight-or-flight stress response,” Ms. Oliva added. They’re also trained to initiate friendly social interactions, she noted.

A nonrandomized controlled trial published in June in JAMA Network Open compared 81 veterans who received service dogs with 75 veterans on a waiting list for trained dogs.

K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit organization, provided the dogs and matched them with veterans during a three-week group class. The dogs were trained to detect physical signs of distress in veterans and offer support, such as relieving anxiety and creating space for their stressed owners.

Psychology doctoral students, unaware of which participants had service dogs, measured the veterans’ PTSD symptoms throughout the study.

Three months after the class, all participants showed improvement in PTSD symptoms. However, veterans paired with dogs experienced greater improvement on average than those on the waiting list.

The study found that:

• Veterans with service dogs showed much less severe PTSD symptoms compared to those without dogs.
• Fewer veterans with dogs met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis (75 percent) compared to those without dogs (85 percent).
• Veterans with dogs exhibited lower depression and anxiety scores and were less likely to have mild depression or generalized anxiety disorder.
• Veterans with dogs reported feeling less socially isolated and had more companionship. However, they engaged in fewer social activities.
• Veterans with dogs showed better overall quality of life, including improved well-being, life satisfaction, resilience, and mental health. They also reported less anger.
• Both groups had some participants with suicidal thoughts, but the number decreased more in the group with dogs.

“Through treatment, including the addition of therapeutic animals, patients may experience great success in reconnecting with themselves and the world at large and eventually having many of their symptoms be in full remission,” Ms. Oliva said.

How Dogs Help Heal PTSD Trauma

Dogs play a significant role in healing trauma for those with PTSD, Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist and director of Comprehend the Mind in New York, told The Epoch Times.

“They provide emotional support and companionship, offering nonjudgmental, unconditional love that helps trauma survivors feel accepted and understood,” she said. “Their constant presence contributes to a sense of security and stability, reducing loneliness.”

Research published in 2019 in the journal Animals shows that physical contact with dogs increases oxytocin levels, promoting bonding and reducing stress hormones like cortisol. This helps individuals feel calmer and less anxious.

“Caring for a dog provides a routine, giving trauma survivors a sense of purpose and encouraging physical activity and exposure to nature, both of which are beneficial for mental health,” Ms. Hafeez noted.

She added that dogs also act as social catalysts, facilitating interactions between dog owners. This is particularly helpful for trauma survivors struggling with social anxiety.

Professional Therapy Still Crucial: Expert

Comprehensive PTSD treatment often requires professional therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), Ms. Hafeez said.

EMDR involves patients accessing trauma memories while focusing on a back-and-forth movement or sound. This helps the brain reprocess memories, potentially reducing the feeling of reliving the trauma and improving the management of related emotions.

For some people, medication may be necessary to manage severe symptoms. “This requires ongoing psychiatric evaluation and adjustment,” Ms. Hafeez noted.

Therapists provide crucial support that service animals cannot, including helping patients develop coping mechanisms and offering a safe space to process traumatic experiences, she said. “This is critical for long-term healing.”

She added that therapists can provide immediate intervention during acute onsets of symptoms, something a service animal alone cannot do.