Psychology like you’ve never seen it!

Another week starts and I have surprising psychology news to share with you… worthy of Psychology Today and that involves pets and people, in-laws becoming outlaws, a vicious croc and a great big green anaconda. I’m sure you’ll agree that personal psychology sure has changed!

The bond between pets and people continues to be explored and this story brings that study to an all-new level. While guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs for autistic children and therapeutic horse riding have been recent topics of this blog and our website (MillionDollarPetPix.com), little did I think we’d be writing about crocs and big green snakes as therapeutic interventions. Whew! Time to review those psychology books again.

The source of this psychological intrigue? A T.V. show about people’s in-laws potentially becoming outlaws and how to correct this situation. This program happened to be playing in the background as I was on the telephone. Needless to say, when these people arrived at a reptile center I politely interrupted the call, now glued to this show.

The situation? A young couple with two little kids were given reduced rent by the woman’s father fro which the couple agreed to do minor renovations to fix the place up. The father’s visits were a major contention as he was intent on checking out the property and badgering the son-in-law instead of just visiting the family, enjoyng the grand kids and encouraging the young couple to make the agreed-upon improvements.

This left the wife pulled in two directions and feeling the need to be the peace-maker. Her husband kept his cool, no matter how much badgering from the father. This was viewed as lack of communication. The father-in-law was high-test aggressive… a loud, in-your-face sarcastic and goading bully. I kept applauding the son-in-law for not decking him for once and for all after seven years of this over-the-top behavior. The final straw was when the wife actually defended her father. Too much!

The surprising solution? Wait for it!
The visiting psychologist (analyst?) was for the husband and wife to visit a reptile center. (Yup, this is where I jumped in saucer-eyed.) The couple were given two challenges. The first, to help capture a young crocodile (the fiercest and strongest breed on the planet) and to pick it up, turn it around and put it back into its little indoor pool.

Okay I know you’re with me here…
My mind strained like crazy for understanding. What could possibly be going on here? Overcoming fear maybe? Okay. Teamwork maybe? Perhaps. Just wild! These two were not happy but somehow they managed to do what was requested with the help of the place’s owner. I had guessed correctly. This bizarre exercise was to help the couple overcome their fears and to learn a some trust and teamwork.

The second challenge? These two, mostly on their own this time, had to pick a great big green anaconda snake out of a toolbox (I will forever after this show be very careful about even opening a toolbox… oh yikes, oh yikes!) and put it onto the floor beside them. Did I say oh yikes?

No amount of problems in my world could make me do any of this as a possible solution. Nothing! The flight factor is just way too high to entertain this option, ever.

The outcome? Besides wetting their drawers (which I am sure was the case but just not mentioned…) the couple actually accomplished the task. What was even more amazing was that it actually proved to be successful. The wife very quickly learned that she needed to and could trust her young husband. She gained a respect for his strength of character. He gained much more confidence as a result (yes, you could actually see this happen as they did the exercise… truly amazing!) which he was able to display in his next communication with the brazen over-the-top father-in-law.

The final test? Yes, they had to prove this strange therapy worked. The two men worked together on a building project with the younger man being made the project manager. He stepped up to the plate, communicated well and got the pre-fab kitchen island built for his wife.

The long and short of it all? These two guys agreed to listen to and give respect to one another. The antagonistic father calmed down and finally seemed to reset his priorities… family first, building second. The wife took her rightful place by her husband, while he stood tall with his new-found confidence, enjoying his wife’s display of support.

And to think… all it took to bring about this new-found focus was a vicious croc and a great big green anaconda!

Good for the people of this story… but now I’m left wondering how the croc and anaconda are getting on. What kind of psychological therapy are they going to need as a result of this extremely strange encounter with these people? Not to mention their extremely small and strange living (existing) quarters… a croc in a pool the size of a soaker tub and an anaconda in a toolbox. Maybe this reptile keeper needs a little challenge as well…