EAP Session with Therapist

Service Description

Why horses? For their survival as prey animals, horses are highly intuitive to nonverbal messages and intentions. Because of this characteristic, horses may respond in ways to our presence that can reflect aspects of ourselves – bringing to the surface beliefs, attitudes, and unresolved trauma which may be impacting our relationships and mental health. This natural, unbiased feedback supports clients in learning and transforming in a safe and powerful way. Due to their size and presence, horses create a sense of awe, leading to an increase in emotional safety and engagement in the treatment process. As social animals, horses are a lot like humans. They have different personalities and hierarchies in their social structures, which includes at times challenging one another in those roles. They can be hypervigilant of their environment, which can be healthy or unhealthy. It is easy to resonate with the similarities horses have to our own lives, and which provides opportunities to learn from them that feels relevant to other life and relationship situations. Horses provide a safe and dynamic environment, where peace and healing comes through the relationship facilitated by trained professionals. How Does It Work? Despite their intimidating size, it is commonly reported by clients that they feel safe, connected and peaceful when in the presence of horses. It is through this, whether on the ground or riding, that horses help people regulate emotions. Horses don’t hold the biases that are common with humans. This non-judgmental experience provides an opportunity for relationship-building that can rewrite past trauma stories and provide present-moment connection. Interacting with horses provides an experiential process where clients can feel, see, hear, smell, and physically move in the change process. It is more than talk as the relationship with the horse provides real-time feedback and application of what is being learned. The relationship with the horse doesn’t change until we change ourselves. And conversely, as the horses move and change, clients move and change with them. These embodied experiences are engaging and memorable, creating long-lasting impact. The experiential and engaging aspect of this large animal can also benefit clients who tend to be non-verbal, resistant to therapy, or where traditional talk therapy is not as culturally supported.