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Sheep are one of the most well-known fluffy animals, with many people having seen them or at least pictures of them. However, fewer people in the world have interacted closely with sheep, pet their woolly coats, or watched them graze.
It turns out that interacting with sheep can be highly therapeutic, according to Country Living. There are farms in the UK that offer various types of therapy — to improve people’s mental health and support people facing depression or bereavement — with the help of sheep.
From Horses to Sheep
For Grace Olsen, her journey of realizing the healing power of animals began as a child, with horses. Though her family didn’t have a lot of money growing up, her mother found the money to give her daughters horseback riding lessons. Throughout her life, after a bout of deep depression as a teenager, and while suffering from post-partum depression as an adult, Olsen found peace and comfort in the company of horses.
As a therapist, she first began treating patients with the help of horses, but by chance, she came into possession of two sheep and realized just how calm, intelligent, and peaceful they can be. Being around sheep can regulate the nervous system, and watching them chew the cud can be a form of meditation. Olsen says just hugging them can feel supportive, and it’s similar to wrapping yourself in fresh wool.
Distinct Personalities
Olsen’s five sheep all have distinct personalities. Galahad loves to cuddle, while Merlin is playful. According to Positive News, during a meeting with one of Olsen’s patients, a grieving widow, Merlin also showed just how perceptive he is. He pushed himself into the widow’s knee, and allowed himself to be cuddled. The client laughed after not having smiled for a year. Now, Olsen mostly treats people with cancer. The calm nature of sheep helps her patients to relax and open.
Humans and animals have coexisted as companions for thousands of years. So it is not surprising people may take comfort in the presence of animals. Though many people think of domesticated pets as the most therapeutic of animals, as Olsen and her work shows, even farm animals seem to evoke a sense of peace, calm, and trust in humans. In therapeutic settings, it is these emotions that allow people to start to heal.
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