by Barbara Janelle & Eugenie Chopin
The TTouch Body Wrap : Good news all the way around
Fear can limit our sense of well-being. For horses, it might be fear of things behind them; for dogs, it could be fear of loud noises. For any animal, insecurity can contribute to shyness or aggression and can limit awareness of where their body is in space. The TTouch Body Wrap is a tool to give an animal a better connection and feel for his body and to increase his confidence.
The Body Wrap helps fearful, and/or hyperactive animals feel more secure about their bodies. When animals are nervous or concerned about things behind them, the impulses which send and receive messages from the brain are inhibited by the tension. Therefore it is like the animal doesn’t feel his body as well as he could.
The Body Wrap acts to reconnect the entire body and help animals feel how much space they take up. The sense of self-image is improved which increases self-confidence, self-awareness and self-control.
Once the animal has experienced a different way of “being,” the old way of acting is released which is why a few sessions of the body wrap can make permanent changes in behavior.
The main thing is that we know it works. One of our instructors, Debra Potts, often says: “Can’t hurt, might help, try it.”
“I see our TTEAM/TTouch wrapping as offering another layer of connective tissue that allows more information to pass through the body while at the same time keeping an animal in contact with its body. It offers connection, increased information flow and the reassurance of a hug. I often describe the wrap as a “Giant Hug.”
Barbara Janelle, Practitioner-3
How Does the Body Wrap Work?
“I’m not sure if there is a definitive answer to that question, but think of a swaddling blanket on a baby. Women have known for years that a fractious baby can often be calmed by being wrapped in a blanket. I often think of the African women in this country who carry babies and children on their backs. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one crying! I’m sure it happens, but not often. The body wrap seems to give a sense of security or being held.
“I’ll never forget the time I came home from my first TTouch Training. I had been working with a dog trainer on being able to walk my dog Danilo around the neighbourhood without him going for every dog behind every gate! We had had some success, but it was random and never consistent. The next session we did I put Danilo in a Body Wrap and although he perked up at every gate where he knew there was a dog, he didn’t once go for one! He still looked, but seemed to be quite happy to go by without altercation. I was gob smacked! It actually took me awhile for the light bulb to go on: He had on a Wrap! Was it really possible for it to make such a difference? Indeed it was and is! After that I used body wrap on him and after a time I didn’t even need that. I could see when he’d start to stiffen those back legs and I simply did a few leg circles to remind his body how to relax and off we’d go past the dog or gate.”
Eugenie Chopin, TTouch Practitioner 3, South Africa