As an Equine Assisted Psychotherapist, I’ve repeatedly witnessed the undeniable, energetic interconnection between humans and horses — AKA love.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is an experiential, horse-involved therapeutic treatment that helps clients discover things about themselves.
What things? Hidden issues, suppressed strengths, subconscious fears, untapped intuition, stuck patterns and more, all brought forth straight from the horse’s mouth.
It’s amazing to see what gets reflected to clients in the behavior of these four-legged ‘co-therapist.’ teachers.
How does it work?
As humans, we are made up of energy. Thus, we constantly, subconsciously, project energetic messages, especially about aspects of ourselves that we’ve pushed down.
Since we’re part of the ‘collective unconscious,’ others feel and react to those projections, responding by becoming the other side of an energetic see-saw.
It’s comparable to dogs instinctively growling at people holding unacknowledged anger or fear.
As we accept that energy can be felt, we start to hone our intuitive sensing. This can help us determine what’s really going on in ourselves, others and even the planet.
Horses, who have honed their sensing abilities, are particularly adept at sensing energetic messages. They’re expert at picking up those deeply subconscious ones, mirroring them back with brilliantly appropriate responses.
For example, during a recent EAP session, Scylla, one of my four-legged therapists, had a spontaneous reaction to my client. Instantly, he began nipping and forcefully nudging her, blatantly trying to transmit a message about issues she was clearly suppressing. Rather than ‘listening,’ she got annoyed and tried to push him away.
As her Equine Assisted Psychotherapist, I observed this scenario carefull. I asked what she thought the horse was trying to communicate with this behavior. She feigned cluelessness. Scylla knew better, trying to get this client off her high horse and recognize some blatant control issues going on.
Adding validation to this was working with the same horse two weeks later with a different client. This interaction was entirely different: Scylla was gentle, affectionate and comforting, mirroring precisely what she needed and who she was.
Horses are highly sensitive. Their communication is complex and subtle, easily bypassed without a tuned-in EAP practitioner’s assistance. They reflect a client’s experiences, repititious patterns and unhealed issues, instinctively guiding the therapy process wherever it needs to go. They always glean astounding results simply because of how pure, open, and authentic they are.
If EAP sounds intriguing, let’s set up a session! And, hold your horses — these wise creatures never horseplay around!
________________________________________________________________
Gayle Barklie, CCHT, MFC, has offered transpersonal hypnotherapy, past life regression, Life Between Lives, clinical art therapy, equine-assisted psychotherapy, and marriage and family counseling since 1991. Contact Soul Purpose Maui: 808.344.5688, www.soulpurposemaui.com.
