15/03/2024
At a school in Lynchburg, Va. there are two special teddy bear mascots that move about classrooms and administrative offices. The “Thera-Bears” do more than just look cute: inside each of them is a wireless unit called a Thera-Tree which emits a gentle infrared energy field that reaches about 12 feet around the bear. It also helps mitigate the effects of exposure to blue light from computers, Smart Boards, and Wi-Fi.
The Thera-Tree technology, originally developed for horses, has been used worldwide for the last 8 years as a therapeutic device to calm anxiety and decrease tension, pain and muscle soreness. The device optimizes hydration, which supports overall cell functioning in the body. The combined effects result in an overall increased focus and willingness during horses’ training sessions. Over the past few years many horse trainers who are also around the electromagnetic field while using this device in their stables report less pain, tension, and anxiety, to the point that they take the Thera-Tree home with them at night to support their own wellness. They have also noticed that it has been helpful with comforting pets who are anxious or unwell. Human cancer patients find comfort being around it as well.
The Thera-Bears have this exact technology inside them. They come to the school by way of a parent who is a professional horse trainer and sees correlations between horses and neurodivergent kids as highly sensitive creatures. She has witnessed the benefits of this technology in the stable where she works and has a device at home as well. A few years ago, when her daughter said “Mommy it makes me feel peaceful,” she shared this feedback with the inventor, Tad Coffin, who is an Olympic gold medalist, saddle maker, and highly esteemed horseman based near Charlottesville, Va. Tad has gotten enough similar feedback to make a prototype teddy bear, now dubbed the Thera-Bear.
This school is lucky enough to be one of a few non-equine programs to be trying them out. One Thera-Bear came at the end of the school year last year and was in such demand that another joined in last fall. The Bears are available to be around the kids whenever they want them; sometimes they join upper school classrooms during test-taking, or hang out with elementary classes in reading circle, or just wait in the principal’s office to help with problem solving. Sometimes kids seek them out and then return to their work when they are feeling better. The Thera-Bears are simple to have around because the unit inside it is not an electronic device, needs no batteries and doesn't ever need to be recharged.
The interesting thing Jenn Fessler reports from using the device around the stable is that “I have never seen a horse not positively embrace being in the electromagnetic field of this device. The spectrum of light is the same as what is beneficial about being in early morning sun. It feels comforting, and so very subtle that I have never seen or heard of even the most sensitive of animals seem unhappy about being around it. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. When one horse is wearing the Thera-Tree, other horses want to hang out with that horse because it feels good for them to be peaceful together, sharing the field. I think it could be the same for the kids, and this is an interesting opportunity to see what benefits this could bring to a school community.”
The science behind this technology is connected to the work of University of Washington researcher, Professor Gerald Pollack. His research has shown that water has a fourth phase, a liquid crystalline, in between a liquid and a solid that has distinct properties, one of which is the separation into positively and negatively charged zones. He believes that the water in our bodies is predominantly fourth phase water and the charge differential is a 'water battery' that drives much of our biology. It plays a fundamental role in the movement of fluids, the delivery of oxygen, the distribution of nutrients and the removal of waste. The fourth phase 'water battery' is recharged with light, particularly in the infrared spectrum. Dr. Pollack's been nominated for a Nobel Prize and his books and many videos on YouTube are excellent references for those interested in a deeper dive into his research.
If you’re curious to read feedback from other programs and individuals who have used this technology to help reduce stress, check out www.tadcoffinsaddles.com/thera-bear. There has been an informal study done at Brookhill Farm, in which the kids demonstrated a lowering of heart rate across the board in 95% of human participants when in the field of the Thera-Tree technology. That data is available on Tad Coffin’s website, too, along with an independent study by a veterinarian that proved a lowering of heart rates and faster recovery after exercise in horses as well.
If you have questions about this unique technology, or are interested in exploring what a Thera-Bear might do in a community you know, please give Tad Coffin a call at (434) 989-3229.
