TTEAM AND VETERINARY PRACTICE
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TTEAM AND VETERINARY PRACTICE |
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By Tom Beckett DVM and Marnie Reeder
NOTE: This paper was first prepared as a 'handout' to accompany a TTEAM/TTOUCH demonstration Marnie Reeder presented in Austin, Texas, before a group comprising veterinarians and officials with animal shelter, wildlife rehab, and animal sanctuary organizations.]
DEFINITION
TT.E.A.M. (the Tellington-Touch Equine Awareness Method ) is an easily taught system of fairly precise finger and hand TTOUCH, passive movements and guided exercises. It provides humans with gentle yet potent techniques to affect body mind functioning in animals. First developed for horses, it has proved to be equally effective with a wide range of mammals, birds and reptiles.
BACKGROUND
Linda Tellington Jones developed TTEAM after years of work with animals and intensive study of human mind body learning with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. Linda's dual background, hard work and creativity produced techniques, which provide ways to make inputs into the animal's inner environment of tissues, mind, body.
TTEAM hypothecates that many animal problems arise from the following sequence:
'Failure identity' leads to active efforts to avoid any similar situation/experience, further shutdown of awareness during similar experiences, and this produces a spiralling repetition of the cycle.
The products of this cycle are mal-adaptive responses repetitively employed because they are "programmed" as neural patterns, which exist below the level of awareness. This mind/body 'program' operating beneath the animal's awareness habitually repeats (or continues) an inherently 'bad' response or a response only appropriate in situation "A" long after the conditions of situation "A" no longer apply. TTEAM utilizes the insight that non-habitual touch and movement are inputs, which can bring such habitual responses to the level of awareness in non-threatening ways. At this aware level the mind/body can break up the old "program" and form new alternatives. Fortunately, the animal (or human) has an inherent system bias to 'reprogram' towards more efficient, healthful functioning, so modest guidance towards 'better' alternatives will produce good results once the animal is 'aware'. Linda took these basic insights and created for animals the touch and exercises, which would harness this potential for change. The benefits of aware functioning are wide ranging. Movement becomes more efficient and less stressful. Voluntary actions chosen are better suited to the "here and now". Life processes are altered so that self-healing is mobilized and a healthier homeostasis results. Improved functioning produces a happier, more confident animal. The mechanism behind these effects is sometimes understood and sometimes partly mystery. TTEAM does elicit these effects and they are repeatedly observable. TTEAM skills are readily transferable and hundreds of people in at least 17 countries regularly use TTEAM in their work with many species.
GENERAL FEATURES
As mentioned above, humans who use TTEAM also experience change. Brain wave patterns often mirror those attained in the animal. Effects noted include a calm focused state which favours communication, learning and creativity. Self-esteem/self confidence is enhanced. Awareness of self and animal is increased. These personal factors plus the systematic approach, structure and noticeable results, which TTEAM provides to serve to empower, direct and reward volunteers and other workers. Valuable TTEAM skills can be learned quickly. They can be included early in volunteer training to break through the powerless feeling many novices have. In many ways it is harder to define or explain TTEAM than it is to demonstrate TTEAM -- also harder to convince that TTEAM will work than it is to show that TTEAM DOES work.
What we hope you carry from this paper:
By Sarah Fisher
NOTE: This article first appeared in the BVNA Congress Times
The Tellington TTouch (TTEAM) is widely recognised as a unique training technique for horses and dogs that incorporates ground work and body work to improve focus, performance and behaviour. Developed over thirty years ago by world renowned animal expert Linda Tellington Jones, TTouch is now practised in 27 countries spanning six continents and its popularity continues to grow.
The Tellington TTouch recognises an inextricable link between posture and behaviour and uses a system of gentle, non-habitual movements of the animal's body, including the skin, to promote relaxation whilst improving awareness, physical balance and movement. The simple non-invasive TTouches elicit profound changes in an animal's emotional state and relieve tension and anxiety enabling the animal to move beyond its instinctive responses. The slow, considered ground work exercises have proved to be highly beneficial for both training and rehabilitating dogs and horses.
Aside from the obvious benefits TTouch brings to an animals education and development, this quiet, gentle approach is a valuable tool for anyone working in a veterinary practice or handling animals in general.
'Providing comfort is not a matter of soft hearted sentimentality. The goal is to minimize counterproductive stress responses. TTEAM is useful in allowing us to treat without creating iatrogenic stress. Indeed, with TTEAM we have a potent method which permits handling to reduce existing stress rather than add more stress. The animal freed from stress can respond appropriately to us and to its disease; it can participate fully in its own healing.
TTEAM has reduced the need for chemical restraint drugs for minor procedures. These drugs are safe, effective and often very useful but several inconveniences attend their use. Most require time to take effect and require time for recovery. They tend to alter the patients condition and responses in ways which are inconvenient and confuse the clinical picture. At times they are contraindicated; there is always a slight chance of an adverse reaction. They generally dull learning processes so that it is difficult to train an animal to accept treatments which must be repetitive.
We have not reduced reliance on drugs, surgery or other conventional treatment. Neither have we lapsed into a sentimental or mystical view of human-animal relating. The fact remains that with TTEAM we can accomplish things that we could not accomplish before we used TTEAM. To a degree not experienced before, TTEAM gives the ability to effectively convey our healing intent to the animal and suggest to it ways in which it can help itself get well or function better.'
Tom Beckett DVM
The TTouches can be used on any animal regardless of age or species. They offer an alternative to forceful handling, which triggers more stress, and are relatively easy to learn. They can be used to aid both assessment and treatment and to help an animal recover more quickly from sedation, injury and surgery.
Even animals that do not naturally seek human contact (such as reptiles, feral cats or wildlife) settle more quickly when TTouch is applied making any examination or treatment a faster, more pleasant and successful experience for all concerned. When direct hand contact is threatening to an animal, TTouch uses feathers, dressage schooling sticks or long water colour paint brushes to stroke and calm the animal before it is handled and the chances of the animal making a full recovery are therefore greatly increased.
The Body work movements break down into three groups; circles, slides and lifts. Tension held in the animal's body increases reactive responses and the passive, non-invasive movements release tight muscles and skin. They help to establish trust between the handler/carer and the animal.
Circular TTouches
They can be done anywhere on the animal's body and can teach an animal to accept and enjoy contact. They also help to alter an animal's expectation of what hand contact might mean.
TTouch should not be confused with massage. In TTouch the skin is moved lightly in one and a quarter circles using the tips of the fingers. The majority of animals prefer the circles to be in a clock wise direction but occasionally a counter clockwise circle may be indicated. The pressure is light. The object is to simply move the skin, not press down into underlying tissue and the hand and finger position can be varied depending on the response of the animal and the area that is being worked. The animal learns, remembers the experience and accepts handling more quickly and easily the next time.
As well offering ways to approach, initiate contact, handle and manage the animal the Tellington TTouch can be used for specific situations.
Ear Slides
Gently stroking an animal's ears from the base to the tip lowers heart rate and respiration. It is calming and can prevent or reduce shock if the animal is traumatised or in pain and owners/carers can be easily instructed to work their animal's ears whilst waiting for the vet or on their way to the surgery. Working an animal's ears can also make examinations or treatments more tolerable and, provided it is safe to do so, can be done in most situations, even if forceful handling is necessary. It can also be used to help an animal that is fearful or under duress and can encourage a stressed or sick animal to eat. Ear Slides are also appropriate if an animal is struggling or unsettled when coming round from a general anaesthetic particularly if the natural response is for the animal to try to leap to its feet. If a horse becomes unsteady whilst sedated, Ear Slides can help to keep the horse more balanced on his feet.
Mouth Work
Stroking or touching the muzzle area can trigger a stressed animal to bite. Working gently around the jaw using the tips of the fingers to move the skin in small one and a quarter circles prior to oral examinations can release tension from the mouth and can be combined with the Ear Slides. If the animal is concerned, small, light circular movements can be made with the knuckles. Mouth Work is also valuable for animals that are reluctant to eat and soft paintbrushes or cotton buds can be used for very small animals. If there is a chance that the animal may bite a fake hand on a long wooden stick can be used.
A high skill level is not always necessary to initiate change. Whilst teaching at a cat workshop at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home a veterinary nurse asked me if TTouch could help a small dog in her care that had not eaten for a couple of days following surgery. The nurse had offered a variety of foods to the dog but the animal remained disinterested. I explained how to do the mouth work and when we resumed the afternoon session the nurse was thrilled to report that after trying the Mouth Work for no more than a few minutes in her lunch hour, the dog had wolfed down all the food she had been ignoring in the bowl. The dog continued to eat and was moved back to the Sales block shortly after.
TTouch also encourages an increased awareness of the animal's posture and therefore his likely responses. Tension through the neck can make injections and micro chipping uncomfortable and is often present in dogs that are threatened by contact on the collar. Tension through the hindquarters is common in animals that are noise sensitive, have difficulties in the car and react to having their tail or hind legs handled. Tension in the tail will naturally make an animal react to having its temperature taken or to being examined internally. A few gentle slides, circles and lifts are often enough to achieve a happy conclusion and the calming work can usually be done on the animal in the time that it takes to explain the procedure to the client.
TTouch influences the nervous system and the changes often continue after the animal has left the surgery. Teresa Oliver, a veterinary nurse in a practice on the outskirts of Bath worked with a feral kitten that had been brought into the surgery by Cats Protection for a course of antibiotics. Staff had initially had to trap the kitten in the kennel, scruff her and administer the injections and the kitten was naturally becoming increasingly defensive and alarmed. When Teresa was on duty, she worked the kitten's ears and used light TTouches around the head and neck before sliding the needle under the skin. Within two days the kitten was running to the door of the kennel when she saw Teresa approaching much to the amazement of the other members of staff. After making a full recovery the kitten was returned to Cats Protection and they too were astounded at the change. The kitten was no longer a furious, hissing, spitting ball of fur and instead of being returned to the feral colony was placed in a home as a domestic pet.
These changes are not uncommon even in older animals with a history of reactive behaviour. Marie Miller, a TTouch Practitioner, works at the Hollycroft Veterinary Centre in Hinckley, Leics and took her elderly cat, Cassie, into the surgery for treatment. Having bitten one of the vets badly on a previous visit, and being exceedingly quick to strike, Marie spent a few moments with Cassie prior to the consultation. She took the lid off the cat carrier and covered Cassie with a towel. She used the TTouches through the towel and Cassie not only remained calm but voluntarily poked her head out of the carrier. She even started to purr.
Shortly afterwards she had blood taken from her jugular, two injections and a few staples to a couple of wounds. No struggling, no fuss and no biting or scratching. The vet and nurse were restraining and treating her medically but Marie continued with TTouch to quietly reassure her cat.
'TTouch at the veterinary clinic gives the staff an easy, proactive, peaceful option for dealing with difficult and potentially difficult situations. It can keep a pet that is on the verge of being upset and out of control from going over the edge and dragging me and my staff into that frustrating ravine. It helps us to win the bad dog/bad cat battle psychologically and physically. When you accomplish a medical event peacefully, quietly and pleasantly, it is much more rewarding than accomplishments accompanied by scratches, bites, sweat, poop and tears. TTouch is not a replacement for anaesthesia or chemical restraint but it is a wonderful tool for animals that don't understand that we just need to this little, easy nail trim/wrap change/injection/exam and it will be over. And it makes the people feel good when we don't have to engage in a small war.'
Sandra Vahsholtz DVM
For more information on TTouch visit the UK website at www.ttouchtteam.co.uk