Tennessee Farm Offers unique Therapy: Turkey Cuddles
A Tennessee farm is gaining attention for an unconventional approach to mental wellness: offering guests the chance to cuddle with turkeys. The Gentle Barn, located in Christiana, Tennessee, is hosting regular “cuddle sessions” with its rescued turkeys, providing a surprising source of comfort and anxiety relief for visitors.
As rates of depression and anxiety continue to rise, The Gentle barn is tapping into the therapeutic power of animal interaction. Founder Jayce Laks created the farm as a sanctuary for both animals and people, believing in the profound connection between the two. The farm’s unique offering comes at a time when individuals are increasingly seeking choice and holistic methods for managing their mental health, and Laks hopes the experience will remind people of our shared need for connection and unconditional love.
Volunteer Sarah Downs discovered the cuddle sessions after searching for ways to manage her anxiety. “It has become my kind of go-to grounding space for if I’m having an anxiety attack,” Downs said. “We have so many things available to us now that we can put in our toolkit, but this is by far the best.” She described the experience as “therapy that you didn’t know you needed until you do it, and then you’re like, Where was this all my life?”
Laks emphasizes the farm’s role as a safe haven. “As depression and anxiety come to an all time rise,I would invite people to come out to the gentle barn and find the love and nurturing here,” she said.”we need each other, and we need the animals, and they’re here for us.”
the Gentle Barn will host a “Gentle Thanksgiving” event on Thursday,dedicated to connecting with and cuddling the turkeys. Laks’ ultimate hope is that visitors will recognize a essential truth: “There’s just so much unconditional love and gentleness,and I don’t know,there’s not a lot of that in the world today,so sometimes you have to get it from a turkey.”
