By Rebecca N. Cherry, M.D., with Ran D. Anbar, M.D.

A faculty member once told a group of us about ordering a beautiful certificate in hypnosis for his cat. Mr. Whiskers, I should add, was not a therapy animal. The anecdote was intended as a comment on the value of a mail-order credential.

But now, considering the story in another light, I've concluded that Mr. Whiskers (or was it Dr. Whiskers?) might really have been onto something.

Petting a cat or dog feels good. In addition to those subjective reactions, researchers have found that stroking a pet has beneficial physiological effects. Heart rate variability goes up, indicating stimulation of the parasympathetic "rest and digest" response, which is so central to hypnotic states. Cortisol levels go down (Petersson et al., 2017).

I didn't really get it myself until a few months into the COVID pandemic when our locked-down,........

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