Why not a leash?
Leashmaking brings Veterans, Veteran caregivers, Veteran families, and community members together to build strong communities of support—one leash at a time.
Making a leash is the thing that brings us together: to laugh, to cry, to support one another, and to allow the communities we live in to meet and support us.
Really, it could be anything, but, for us, it’s a leash. And we have no shortage of Veterans who want one, so we keep making them. To us, it does it matter why it works, just that it works.
The Science
Bilateral Brain Stimulation
Our leashes are made using a cobra knot. To complete one cobra knot, the leashmaker changes from right hand to left hand, tying a simple knot (the one you use to tie your shoe). After a few knots, your hands drop out of focus, but they are doing something amazing in your brain—bi-lateral brain stimulation.
In a study by the National Institute of Health (NIH), The Role of Alternating Bilateral Stimulation in Establishing Positive Cognition in EMDR Therapy: A Multi-Channel Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study, researchers measured changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration, oxy-Hb while test subjects experienced tactile BLS (touch rather than eye movement). During this change in oxy-Hb, subjects experienced a reduction of stress and an increase in pleasant memories. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5061320/
Veterans isolate by choice, and veteran caregivers isolate due to the nature of the job. Bilateral brain stimulation, in our case leashmaking, slows the amygdala, which reduces the fight-or-flight response. By the time you are 15 – 20 minutes into tying a leash, conversation feels a lot more comfortable. Leashmaking is not a clinical program, but it naturally lessens barriers to conversation.
Our goal is a conversation
Our goal is to initiate conversations, not make leashes.
The leash is the byproduct of those conversations—not the goal—so we give the leashes to Veterans, service dogs, retiring military dogs, & first responders.
We never sell our leashes, but we do allow you to keep the first one you make.
Join us!
Together we will build strong communities of support, one leash at a time!