One of the services we offer at Core Values Counseling is called Equine-assisted therapy. For those of you who’ve experienced it, you know the powerful impact it can have. But for those of you unfamiliar, it might seem a strange idea.
Horses? In therapy? Really?
I can understand the hesitation. After all, what do horses have to do with emotional well-being?
As it turns out, quite a lot.
Horses are herd animals. They live in community constantly; their very survival is based on it. This is true both in the wild and domestically; horses at their core are connection-based. This means that they are incredibly emotionally sensitive. You might be shocked at how well a horse can read you. They’re known to mirror emotions, and thus when you spend time with them — and you pay attention — they may reveal inner emotions you’re experiencing that you’re not even aware of. Equine-assisted therapy is really about that ‘paying attention’ part. We’re not asking anything of the horses; it’s not a performance, and you don’t ride them. We do ground work with the horses, interacting with them with a trained therapist as well as a horse specialist. Gently interacting with the horses in this context allows us, together, to observe and process.
Time and time again I have clients who are shocked by how much progress they make in equine-assisted therapy. Something unlocks that’s much more difficult to reach while sitting on a couch in an office — and we get to dig deeper and make greater progress than we ever thought possible.
If you’re interested in learning more about equine-assisted therapy, or booking a session, just fill out this simple form. We’d love to chat.
