Theory of Zootherapy

Hi James, I loved reading your book! I have been reading Alan Watts’, the Wisdom of Insecurity, and I think your zootherapy theory is similar. The human mind, largely because of language, can encompass a bigger range of ideas than the animal mind. I understand that this is a continuum, but we appear to be at one end of it. We therefore see opportunities that animals don’t. We also see many more possible sources of problems than do animal, so our insecurities are commensurately greater in number than those of animals. We have more ways of addressing those insecurities, but once we do so, that frees our minds to look for more insecurities. Which we do.

The intellect can understand all this. And some spiritual teachers emphasise the role of insight in apprehending this source of our alleged problems. Apprehension through insight, though,  doesn’t work for all people all the time.

So I believe your Zootherapy theory works because imagination, as in poetry, metaphor, music and literature can be a more powerful means of gaining insight than the intellect realising its own limitations. Imagining ourselves as animals, or seeing the world through animal eyes, as you put it, can help shrink the scope of our insecurities, back to the immediate dangers. What do you think?