The Sensory Side of Tellington TTouch 2

Hello and welcome to The Sensory Side of TTouch! This lesson will help you understand how the techniques and tools of the Tellington TTouch Method communicate information to and influence the nervous system, often resulting in profound changes in the animals we work with.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the function of the two branches of the autonomic nervous system.
• Understand the importance of brain plasticity as it relates to learning.
• Understand Polyvagal Theory and how it relates to animal stress responses.
• Identify the components of sensory processing.
• Understand the ways in which pressure touch and proprioception influence the nervous system.
• Describe the sensory effects of TTouch Bodywork, Wraps, and use of the Confidence Course.

About the Lesson:

I know no one wants to be reminded of sitting in a science class wishing you were outside playing with your dog or riding your horse!  The amazing complexity and capability of the nervous system is beyond the scope of this short lesson so I have presented the information in the spirit of making it easy to understand and apply.  The field of neuroscience has exploded over the past 20 years and exciting new discoveries have given us a much better picture of how the brain and body communicate, and the intricate connections that allow us to learn new behaviors which literally rewire our brains.   This lesson is designed to give you a framework for understanding the ways in which Tellington TTouch uses sensory input in the form of touch and movement (TTouch Bodywork, TTouch Bodywraps, and movement exercises in The Confidence Course) to help animals learn new behavioral and emotional responses. It also briefly describes Polyvagal Theory and how we can influence animals to come into that calm, steady state of social engagement and ability to trust.