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What is Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

  • Providing mental and behavioral health where individuals interact with a horse, or horses to increase their self-awareness and gain insight into behavioral and relational patterns that may impede their social and emotional health.
  • Sessions are held at a horse ranch outdoors with a treatment team that includes a licensed mental health professional certified in providing EAP, a horse professional, and a horse(s).
  • Some activities are mounted, and some are ground based.
  • Safety is always our first concern which is why a horse professional is part of every session. If riding the horse, wearing a helmet is required.

Why Use Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

  • Office counseling is not always successful in helping people.
  • Horses are socially motivated like humans and therefore often respond like another person would respond which offers the participant insight.
  • Interactions with the horse(s) provide opportunities for an individual to understand behavioral patterns that may not be beneficial in personal relationships.
  • Adverse experiences in early childhood often create an internal chaos of stress and hypervigilance. For the horse to appropriately control himself; the client must first be in control of his/her own thoughts, emotions, and actions. It is at this point participants learn to self-regulate the chaos within finding a state of calm and witnessing the horses’ response to their inner peace.
  • Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). For example:
    • experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect
    • witnessing violence in the home or community
    • having a family member attempt or die by suicide
      • Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with:
    • substance use problems
    • mental health problems
    • instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison

Reins of Freedom utilizes two models of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy as follows:

MODEL 1:  NATURAL LIFEMANSHIP PRINCIPALS USING

TRAUMA-FOCUSED EQUINE ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY

Natural Lifemanship (www.naturallifemanship.com) utilizes the aspects of natural horsemanship that are derived from sound principles of equine psychology. If the principle behind a natural horsemanship technique cannot effectively operate in the psychology of people, it is not a method employed in Natural Lifemanship. This model specifically teaches applied horse psychology that uses only principles that seamlessly transfer to human psychology. Historically, horses have been taught to do the right thing because they were afraid not to. Training techniques were based on fear and intimidation. Our goal is to use humane, psychological techniques to teach horses to do the right thing because they have come to believe that it is the right thing to do, whether from the ground or mounted. The principles used to teach this are applicable in a wide variety of human interactions. The changes people must make within themselves to be able to apply these principles also transfer to many life situations.

This model utilizes the neurological work of Bruce Perry (www.childtrauma.org). Using rhythmic riding has been found to increase neural pathways often obstructed by trauma allowing survivors to increase their emotional regulation and gain coherence.

The Horse is not a Mirror

The primary reason we use horses in EAP is because a horse will react or respond to a person’s behavior in much the same way that another person will. This is the dynamic that sets the use of horses apart from the use of other animals. A dog, for example, does not respond to our behaviors the way our friends, spouse, employees, employer, or family members will respond. A dog will ultimately demonstrate acceptance regardless of the client’s actions. It is this type of unconditional acceptance that makes dogs and other animals beneficial in many therapeutic settings. Horses are more honest in their responses, which allow the client to take responsibility for the relationship they build with a horse. A horse will not give love and acceptance until the client learns to build a relationship that fosters love and acceptance, the same way they must do in human relationships.

Intimacy

The most intimate and vulnerable a person will ever be in a relationship with a horse is on their back. Horseback riding requires a higher degree of trust than groundwork from both the human and horse. This is where the greatest potential for conflict in the relationship lies. The nature of relationships is that the place with the most potential for reward is also the place with the most potential for loss. With a horse, this place is on his back. When building a relationship with a horse, if this place of intimacy is forced before each party is ready, it will damage the relationship and have the potential for emotional and physical pain. However, healthy relationships are always moving forward in some way. If the horse and human reach the point where it is time to take the next step, and either party is unwilling, the relationship will suffer. When clients try to move toward this level of intimacy too quickly, there are consequences, and poignant therapeutic work abounds. The same opportunity exists when the client is unwilling or fearful of moving to this level of intimacy. In either situation this is a pattern that causes problems in their relationships. Therefore, riding, when it is appropriate, is a very important part of the therapeutic process.

Brain Mapping

Studies show that functionality of the brain in people who have experienced trauma such as abuse, neglect, combat, or natural disasters is often compromised due to disorganization of connections in the brain. These people often struggle with emotion and impulse control, which results in the inability to appropriately handle even minimal stress. EAP utilizes the rhythmic, patterned, repetitive movement inherent in riding a horse to increase and reorganize the connections in the brain, thereby increasing the brain’s ability for emotion and impulse control. The horse is able to provide the rhythm required to effectively heal the traumatized brain until the client is able to independently provide that rhythm. In effect, clients passively learn to self-regulate through the use of the rhythmic, patterned, repetitive movement of the horse.

In addition to providing the rhythm necessary to self-regulate, riding also provides a medium through which clients can learn the skills necessary to self-regulate. Riding is utilized to teach stress and emotion management skills and relaxation techniques. Many therapists teach these same skills in the context of a counseling session when the client is in a relative state of calm. They then discuss with the client how to use these same skills in more stressful situations. We work with horses to provide a safe, yet mildly stressful environment in which to practice these skills. Before the horse will appropriately control himself, the client must first be in control of his/her own thoughts, emotions, and actions. Many clients live in chaotic, dysfunctional environments, and riding helps them realize that in order to control the chaos around them, they must first control the chaos inside them. Many clients are unable to do deeper, insight-oriented therapeutic work until they are able to bring their level of arousal to a place that allows them to gain and retain insight, and benefit from higher-level learning. This level of regulation is most profoundly learned on the back of a horse.

 

MODEL: 2. EQUINE ASSISTED GROWTH AND LEARNING MODEL (EAGALA)

 This technique does not involve horseback riding. It provides an environment for the client to interact with the horse and observe the animal’s behavior. The horse may respond to the client as a person would. This approach is an excellent choice for children, youth and adults that may suffer from various mental health challenges. This therapeutic technique may be done individually, with a family unit, or groups. Your child will work with the licensed mental health professional and equine professional to assist them in identifying areas where they may struggle. Our weaknesses more easily surface when the child/youth tries to accomplish a task with the horse. Families participating in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) may experience an increase in communicating more positively which increases their ability to manage negative behavior within the family unit. Problem solving is another focus of EAP, which heightens self-esteem.

Since people and especially children are naturally attracted to animals their interaction with the horses helps them to feel less threatened when talking with a counselor about vulnerable subjects. This equine experience allows the child to communicate, learn, experience, and identify many aspects of their personality and behaviors while increasing their awareness and motives. Interacting with horses gives the client an opportunity to see how their behavior affects the horse. This demonstrates to the child or adult why human beings may react toward them positively or negatively. You can learn more at their website HERE.