EQUINE FACILITATED PSYCHOTHERAPY
In Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP), clients and horse(s) work together in a wide range of healing experiences to promote emotional well being and to alleviate psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, confusion, depression, dissociation and disorganization. EFP is an appropriate modality for people experiencing grief and loss, issues related to abuse, trauma, fractured family systems, and/or relationship difficulties at home or work. Safety, boundary setting, appreciating the messages behind emotion and emotional agility skills are core components to heal and develop new patterns. Interacting with horses in a natural setting can be immensely helpful for the mind, body, and spirit. Refocusing and refining skills to manage the imbalances and stressors of modern life are at the forefront of EFP. Sessions may incorporate a number of mutually respectful equine activities such as handling, grooming, lunging, riding and vaulting as well as use of art materials, journaling and music.
Equine Facilitated Learning
The basis of Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) centers on the equine/human interaction as a guide to initiate desired change through insight, practice, and skill acquisition. EFL promotes personal exploration of feelings and behaviors in an educational and experiential format. Emotional agility skills, learning about emotional messages, boundary setting skills, and a mindful approach to limiting belief patterns are explored in hands-on, horse-related activities. EFL is an appropriate service for individuals interested in developing personal skills in managing emotions and redefining self beliefs, as a compliment to traditional psychotherapy work, and for clients or groups interested in honing skills around power and leadership, problem solving and communication skills.
Horses as herd animals form deep and profound bonds. Their survival depends on the vitality of their relationship within the herd. Like horses, humans' ability to thrive rests on the inner dynamics of our relationships, be it within the family, community or societal structure. Working in collaboration with horses is a powerful gateway to accessing authentic relationships, awareness of self in relation to others, and a return to nature as a means of developing health, contentment and vitality.
In the wild horses thrive as migrating, non-predatory herbivores through a refined sense of awareness. They respond to stimuli in accordance with the energy it emits. A lion can share the waterhole with the zebra herd if the intention is to drink. If the lion's intention is hunger, the zebra herd senses the hunt mentality and moves to safety. This refined sense of awareness is in essence a sophisticated practice of mindfulness. As a healing and growth modality, working with horses supports humans to develop their own sense of awareness in managing and thriving in the face of significant stressors. What are our hungry hunting lion stressors, and how do they impact our desire to thrive? More importantly, identifying, developing and refining our awareness in the face of the stressors of modern life is much of what we seek. Horses are powerful teachers in this foray.
Awareness, boundaries, non-judgment and the emotional agility to move through obstacles are all a part of what the horses may teach us.