Autoethnography of Human-Animal Interaction and Mental Wellness

Abstract

While there have been existing studies that suggest Human-Animal Interaction helps improvement of people’s physical and mental health (Wauthier, et al. 2022; Poresky & Hendirix, 1990; Barlow, et al., 2012; Thayer & Stevens, 2022; Hoy-Gerlach, et al., 2022; Winsor, et al., 2022; Robino, et al., 2022; Wagner & Pina E Cunha, 2021), most of them were done clinically. This study discusses the lived experience of a Filipino individual who underwent anxiety and depression and his understanding on how nonverbal communication, through Human-Animal Interaction became a means to alleviate his mental health issues. This research uses autoethnography as a study, while the researcher draws on personal experience, all recorded and written as Vignettes, and analyzed using the Immersion-Reflection-Modeling (IRM) model to expound points.

Of note, this study includes hypersensitive or psychologically triggering and disturbing information as part of its narrative to understand the connection between Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) and its benefits on the mental wellness of humans.