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Merging of the Unconscious and the Mystical:

Animals and Humans in Therapeutic Interaction
Chana Schneider (chooney1@gmail.com)
Graduate of: Program for the Therapeutic Interventions
with the Assistance of Animals.
Magid Institute, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel;
Private Practice

Introduction
In therapeutic work with children, animals serve as ‘adjunct therapists’
in the psychotherapeutic encounter. We feel that the therapist becomes
an ‘adjunct’ to the animal, because we see the animal as a major player
in the therapeutic relationship. The animal is sensitively attuned to the
emotions of the patient and helps the therapist tune-in to the underlying
dynamics. There is a mystical unconscious that hovers over the patient,
therapist and animal, and this unusual feeling helps move the therapeutic
process along in a very dramatic way.
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For the full paper, and/or a published paper on "Animal Assisted
Therapy with a Group of Young Children with Social Problems" please
contact the author at: chooney1@gmail.com

The Mystical Unconscious

Freud noted how the therapist "…must turn his own unconscious like a
receptive organ towards the transmitting unconscious of the patient"
(Freud, 1912, p.115). Modern psychoanalysts have termed this: "the
unthought known" (Bollas, 1987, p.9), "psychic presences" (Grotstein,
2000, p.xix), and "psychic susceptibility" (Schneider, 2003, p.81). In
animal assisted therapy, we can't really use the term unconscious when
referring to underlying 'unconscious' processes, because we cannot
describe these internal feelings in animals as an 'unconscious.' We
suggest the term 'mystical unconscious,' to refer to the 'in-the-air' quality
that is felt and sensed in the therapeutic encounter when animals are
involved in therapeutic interactions with patients and therapist. Animals
have emotions and can tune into their raw, base feelings on an instinctual,
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pre-cognitive level. "…animals don't have mixed emotions the way

normal people do. Animals aren't ambivalent…" (Grandin, 2005, p.88).
Animals are well-attuned to the emotional environment and respond
accordingly; oftentimes before humans are even aware of the feelings that
are subliminally perceived.

The Mirror Phase

Having an animal as co-therapist, or therapeutic adjunct (Levinson,
1969), serves as a mirroring object. The patient reacts (consciously and
unconsciously) to the animal's behavior and gestures. This, in turn, helps
in improving patient awareness and insight capabilities. It is easier for a
patient to allow 'identification' (both positive and negative) with an
animal, than with the therapist, "…having a pet with whom the child can
ally himself is very helpful as this frequently permits the therapist to play
an impartial role" (Levinson, 1969, p.90). The mirroring object, the
animal, serves also as a transitional object (Winnicott, 1953), the medium
or bridge that aids in developing, maintaining and enhancing the
therapeutic relationship

Animal Assisted Therapy

In animal assisted therapy, there are simultaneous, concurrent and spiralic
dyadic relationships: therapist-patient, animal-patient and therapist-
animal. There is also a triadic relationship: patient, therapist and animal,
with the therapist functioning as an adjunct therapist as the animal takes
on the functional therapist role. The human therapist needs to take a back -
seat in order to observe the interactive process unfolding between animal-
therapist and patient. Many of our patients have repressed or explosive
anger, therefore, a strong, reliable and consistent environmental
provision, will be able to give our patients a feeling of holding and
containment. This helps to develop trust. "We frequently find the
sadistic child discharging his cruel impulses toward his animal
associates…to accord to animals a consideration and reverence, even a
fondness, which their egoistic impulses deny to their own fellow" (Jelliffe
& Brink, 1917, p.261).

Transference
The patient forms a quicker transference relationship with the animal-
therapist. Animals "…represent a protector, a talisman against the fear of
death, which is first experienced as separation anxiety" (Heiman, 1956, p.
584). "The establishment of a beginning relationship with an animal is
less threatening and thus leads to the establishment of a comfortable, non -
threatening reality-oriented therapy with the child" (Levinson, 1969,
p.90). In groups, children develop a transferential relationship that
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mimics their own families – parents and siblings. In a highly structured

therapy group, young children worked with a chinchilla family (mother,
father and three baby chinchillas). The transference that occurred was
both within the group structure as well as symbolically represented by
transferential objects (the chinchilla family) (Schneider & Schneider,
2008).

Countertransference
There is the typical countertransference reaction where the therapist
'identifies' on an unconscious level with some aspect of the patient and is
emotionally 'moved' to feel or react in certain ways. And there is the
added complication of concern for the animal – that the patient should not
abuse or hurt the animal (Fine, 2000, p.204).

Projective Identification
The patient projects into the therapist feelings so that the therapist can
identify with his/her feeling tone and hopefully respond positively in
order to relieve the patient's hurt and pain. In a triadic relationship where
there are two therapists: a passive human therapist and an active animal-
therapist, which dyad is involved in projective identification? We feel
there is a dual type of projective identification.

References
Bollas, C. (1987). The Shadow of the Object. New York: Columbia University Press.
Fine, A.H. (2000). "Animals and Therapists: Incorporating Animals in Outpatient
Psychotherapy." In: A.H.Fine (ed), Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy. San
Diego, California: Academic Press.
Freud, S. (1912). "Recommendations to Physicians Practising Psycho-Analysis."
Standard Edition, vol. 12. London: Hogarth, 1981.
Grandin, T. (2005). Animals in Translation. New York: Scribner.
Grotstein, J.S. (2000). Who is the Dreamer Who Dreams the Dream? A Study of
Psychic Presences. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.
Heiman, M. (1956). "The Relationship Between Man and Dog." Psychoanalytic
Quarterly, 25:568-585.
Jelliffe, S.E. & Brink, L. (1917)."The Role of Animals in the Unconscious, with some
Remarks on Theriomorphic Symbolism as seen in Ovid." Psychoanalytic Review, 4:253-271.
Levinson, B.M. (1969). Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy. Springfield, Illinois:
Charles C. Thomas.
Schneider, S. (2003). "The Mystical and Spiritual in the Large Group." In: S.Schneider
& H.Weinberg (eds.), The Large Group Re-Visited. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Schneider, S. & Schneider, C. (2008). "Animal-Assisted Therapy with a Group of
Young Children with Social Problems." In: S.S.Fehr (ed.), 101 Interventions in
Group Therapy. New York: Haworth Press.
Winnicott, D.W. (1953). "Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena." In:
Playing and Reality. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1982.