Choose Equine Therapy First, Don’t Make it a Last Resort!
“Your greatest fears are created by your imagination. Don’t give in to them.”
Winston Churchill
Sometimes it is necessary for humans to seek therapy. Therapy being defined as “the treatment of mental or psychological disorders by psychological means”.
Our licensed mental health professionals (LPC, LMSW, PhD) partner with trained, experienced and certified equine professionals, to provide services to clients who are dealing with the symptoms of past traumas that often include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, attachment disorders, insomnia, GI issues, ADHD/ADD, nightmares, and situational stress.
Trauma is anything that leaves us feeling helpless or poses a real or perceived threat. This includes the loss of a loved one or pet, diagnosis of a serious disease, head injuries (TBI), divorce, job loss, chronic illness, automobile accident, birth/medical/dental event, war, domestic abuse, neglect or assault.
Equine Therapy, or Equine-Assisted Mental Health services are “real” therapy that is experiential, meaning that our clients actually experience safety in a natural setting that provides the opportunity for the creation of new nuero-pathways in the brain. Activities taking place during therapy sessions are specifically targeted to therapeutic goals which are set during intake sessions and are re-evaluated throughout the process. Most of the work we do is on the ground, and this is not hippotherapy or recreational riding.
No experience with horses is expected or required. Even those that are afraid of, or dislike horses, can benefit from these interactions.
All team members are trauma-informed and have experience with nature therapy, mindfulness and somatic experiencing.
Our facility is quiet, peaceful and clean, with opportunities to walk, experience nature and interact with horses that are experienced in this work environment. Our team is committed to safety for everyone, including our horses, and great care is taken to ensure that the horses needs are being met throughout the sessions.
Why Horses?
Horses clearly respond to requests from clients in an open and authentic way. Clients learn vital life skills such as setting boundaries, recognizing intention, clear communication, trusting intuition and emotional self-regulation. The horses are working at liberty, which means they do not have on a halter or a lead rope. They are not trained for this work; we rely on their natural instincts and do not want compliance from our equine partners. Cooperation just feels better!
Horses are hard-wired for healthy relationships which is why they are very well-suited to partner with our team for those seeking mental health support. They can engage in connected relationships based on trust, and not fear, and they can clearly demonstrate, without manipulation of any kind, whether the human is actually living in the present moment, or their minds are wandering into fear, doubt and worry. They are also able to teach how important it is to recognize emotions and validate them, instead of hiding them and stuffing them away. Clients are able to overcome that feeling of being stuck, and regain their voice. Emotional resilience and intelligence are important, and horses teach these traits very well.
The pure joy of working with a horse in the moment and having them authentically and willingly agree to engage in activities and feel safe and present provides the opportunity to “practice” and sustain safe attachment. Learning how to navigate through conflict, ask for needs to be met, build self-confidence, connect to a positive self-image and feel empowered to engage in life are results of this important work.
Meet our team.
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Click here to go to the contact page to make an appointment or speak to someone about our services.
“The True Self is not our creation, but God’s. It is the self we are in our depths. It is our capacity for divinity and transcendence.”
– Sue Monk Kidd
More on Trauma
When humans are stuck in the sympathetic nervous system commonly referred to as fight, flight or freeze, cortisol and adrenaline flow to provide stamina to survive the stressful situation, enable us to run away or go into a state of disassociation. We actually need our brains to do this in order to keep us alive and safe, however, there are times when the human brain gets stuck and we develop maladaptive, or unhealthy, coping mechanisms.
At the time we are experiencing trauma or stress, these reactions may be appropriate, but over time without intervention, they can inhibit and even ambush our ability to create sustained healthy connected relationships and keep our nervous systems in a constant fight/flight/freeze hyper-vigilant state.
Healing
“Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.” – Brene’ Brown
The good news is that the brain is incredibly malleable, referred to as neo plasticity. It can heal while learning better coping mechanisms and appropriate responses to stimulus. The brain can create new nuero-pathways that lead to healthier and more appropriate responses to stimulus in our environment, aid in creating and sustaining healthy relationships, re-connect to intuition and creativity and even develop the ability to allow our nervous systems to achieve calm awareness. This re-connection to self has been described as a light coming on and a sense of weight being lifted. The symptoms of anxiety and depression gradually lessen and eventually can disappear altogether.
The ability to live in the moment, recognize when triggers are causing a physical sensation and emotional reaction, then learning regulation, is vital to creating those new pathways. The horses are helpful for this process because they instantly react to humans living in the moment, being authentic and recognizing current emotion and energy.
Emotions and feelings are part of the makeup of the human nervous system, and so learning how to recognize what these sensations are communicating, is a skill that humans must have in order to learn the ability to self-regulate and appropriately respond to the stimulus. Slowing down and recognizing what is happening is the first step, then responding as needed, and finally going back to a state of calm. Without achieving this state of calm awareness it is almost impossible to relationally connect to other humans, think clearly and make decisions.
Mindfulness Relating to Healing
Mindfulness is defined as actively seeking an awareness of the present moment and acknowledging physical sensations, or bringing your brain into the same space as your body. The body can calm the brain, but the brain cannot calm the body. By bringing this real-time awareness into healing models, our facilitators and teams actively teach practices that can help clients gain self-regulation and emotional intelligence. Humans were created as intuitive beings with intellect, not the other way around. Developing this keen sense is vital to navigating the world in a calm and aware manner. Only when the brain perceives safety can it process through trauma.
Our practitioners are trained and certified through The Natural Lifemanship Institute. Want to know more about our team?
Go to our contact page to request additional information on our program.