Tellington Touch (TTouch) Therapy

What is it TTouch?

TTouch is a form of touch/massage therapy devised and popularised, since 1978, by Linda Tellington Jones. Linda is an equine therapist with a long-standing interest in massage, training, and physical therapy techniques. TTouch is a very simple light massage technique where a clockwise circular motion of the fingers is used on the skin of the patient. TTouch is thought to be a means of counteracting reflexive adverse behaviours like aggression, fear responses or timidity in animals. It was initially developed to facilitate the training of horses.

Certification in TTouch animal training approaches through books and specialised TTEAM courses are offered by Linda Tellington Jones’ organisation at www.tellingtontouch.com.  

The specific hand movement described above is considered by Tellington Jones to be a non-habitual stimulus to animals that raises the animal’s awareness of their immediate environment enough that they will cease to respond reflexively to the handler and be more amenable to learning new behaviours and tasks. Pilates for people is based on similar mechanisms. Developers of TTouch assert that this change of consciousness is produced and attended by a change in brain wave activity.

TTouch has become popular among nurse practitioners as a technique to calm patients down and promote relaxation. A study has recently been published in the scientific literature showing a statistically significant improvement in blood pressure, heart rate, and the perception of pain in 46 adult humans prior to venipuncture (taking blood from a vein), compared with 47 adult humans receiving no pre-procedural touch therapy. A fourteen-day joint study by Linda Tellington Jones and the K.I. Skyrabin Moscow Veterinary Academy in 1985 is reported to have demonstrated reduced adrenaline secretion in horses receiving TTouch relative to untouched controls. The horses receiving TTouch were later described as demonstrating enduring improvements in training and performance.

On which species of animals is TTouch practiced regularly?

TTouch was originally developed to address equine behaviour and training problems. Over the last 25 years, the improvements in horses has led practitioners to develop extensive programs for dogs and cats.

Who practices TTouch and do I need a referral?

Vets and lay people trained in TTouch offer this therapy. TTouch practitioners are certified through a specialised course offered only through Linda Tellington Jones, known as TTEAM.

What conditions are most often treated with TTouch?

Any behaviour problem can be considered a candidate for TTouch. The technique is especially designed to address anxieties, phobias, fear aggression, aversion to touch, and any other conditioned fear response such as fear of nail clipping or blood sampling.

How successful is TTouch?

TTouch is very successful in helping to overcome anxieties in many situations.

How safe is TTouch?

TTouch is very safe. There are no known side effects.

Can TTouch be combined with traditional or other forms of alternative veterinary medicine?

TTouch can be combined with any other alternative or conventional veterinary therapy used to assist in the management of anxiety related disorders in animals. 

Please feel free to talk to the vets or nurses with regard to this useful therapy.