Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on Patients With Severe Disorders of Consciousness

The study investigates the effects of animal-assisted therapy on patients with severe disorders of consciousness. The focus lies on the short-term biopsychosocial effects that occur when animals are present during therapy sessions in comparison to therapy sessions without animals, observing a group of 10 patients during 16 therapy sessions. While half of the sessions are held in presence of an animal and half without, they are as comparable as possible with respect to content and setting. In this study, patients in a minimal conscious state are recruited.