Thriving with Emotional Support Animals with Dan Maigler

Do you have an emotional support animal?

We live in a world where it can feel exceedingly difficult to connect. For some people that are struggling with things like depression or anxiety, animals provide a sense of love and connection that can actually be life-saving. 

In this episode of From Survivor to Thriver, we sat down with Dan Maigler to discuss the power of emotional support animals and how they can help you through your darkest times. 

Dan has seen firsthand how impactful these animals can be on the lives of anyone struggling and he is here to share some of the benefits of having emotional support animals as well as a great resource for anyone looking for their own emotional support animal. 

Dan Maigler is the mental health advisor for Paws for Patrick, host of the Not Allowed to Die Podcast, and a school social worker, and therapist in private practice.  He is a husband, a father to two boys and a 3 toothed Patterdale terrier named Mariska, and a podcast addict who is subscribed to over 100 podcasts including his obvious favorite, From Survivor to Thriver.  

In today’s episode, we cover: 

How there’s not one right way to heal your mental healthThe healing power of emotional support animalsWhat emotional support animals are and how they impact your mental healthThe bond that we form with animals and how it can improve our livesThe challenges you have to watch for with emotional support animalsWhy caring for another living being is so crucial for human existenceThe impact emotional support animals have on suicide ratesHow these animals help reduce the mental health stigma

We hope you enjoyed our conversation with Dan! If you’d like to learn more about him or Paws for Patrick, visit the website and check out his podcast here! 

Thanks again for tuning in. We are so grateful to each and every one of you. Please remember to leave a rating and review of our show. It helps us grow and reach those who need it. Also, make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

Links: 

Follow Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maigler/ 

 Follow Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notallowedtodiepod/ 

 Visit the Paws for Patrick website: https://www.pawsforpatrick.org 

Tune in to Dan’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-allowed-to-die/id1574038556 

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Get in touch: [email protected]

Quotes:

“There are those times when it feels like it's not worth it. And that emotional support animal can be the reason why we give it one more day.” -Dan 

“In my most recent journey back in the late fall and early winter of 2021 when I was in a really deep and dark place, my emotional support animal was there for me every step of the way.” -Erik

“There's no cleaner way for a human to find a little bit of meaning and love around themselves than to go help someone else.” -Marc