Massage therapist thinks tigers, bears can help PTSD sufferers

Massage therapist thinks tigers, bears can help PTSD sufferers
Orlando Sentinel
By Jim Stratton
March 23, 2014

In rural Orange County, a massage therapist with no formal training in mental-health counseling believes he can help veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. And his approach relies on some of the fiercest predators on Earth.

Kevin Rose doesn't claim he can cure anyone, but he's convinced he can teach people to manage their stress.

"The animals," he says, "are fantastic assistants for that."

Those animals include a black bear, three tigers, a cougar and two Asian black leopards. Abandoned by owners, the menagerie now lives at the CARE Foundation, a wildlife center in Apopka that works with Rose and his fledgling business, Predatory Perceptions.

Rose escorts clients through the center, stopping at each pen. There, as Bal-shoy, a 600-pound Siberian tiger, paces inches away, or Lola the black bear scratches her back on the fence, he leads clients through a series of relaxation exercises. Rose hopes to one day find paying clients, but the experience, he said, will be free to combat veterans.

Some PTSD experts are cautious in assessing Rose's techniques. They may help people relax, said University of South Florida Professor David Diamond, but they shouldn't replace formal treatment.

"It appears benign, at best," said Diamond, a PTSD researcher. "It looks like someone without formal training in therapy who wants to help people with PTSD by using caged animals."
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