EQUINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY
For individuals, couples and families.
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (E-AP), is a unique and powerful form of therapeutic intervention that harnesses the innate connection between humans and horses to promote emotional healing, personal growth, and improved well-being.
At its core, E-AP involves guided interactions between individuals and horses, and facilitated by trained therapists. The serene and non-judgmental presence of these majestic animals creates a conducive environment for individuals to explore their emotions, build trust, and develop essential life skills.
What might therapy with horses look like?
The therapy sessions take place in a controlled and safe setting, where participants engage in activities that involve grooming, feeding, leading, or simply being in the presence of the horses. These activities are carefully designed to encourage reflection, problem-solving, communication, and emotional regulation. Horses, with their heightened sensitivity to nonverbal cues, provide immediate feedback that reflects an individual’s emotional state, allowing participants to better understand their feelings and behaviors.
E-AP has shown effectiveness in a wide range of therapeutic contexts. It has been particularly impactful in addressing issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, and behavioral challenges. By working with horses, individuals often find a unique pathway to express themselves, work through past traumas, and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
In a world that can sometimes feel disconnected, equine therapy offers a profound opportunity to reconnect with nature, animals, and oneself. Through the genuine and non-verbal interactions with horses, individuals can discover newfound resilience, empathy, self-awareness, and a deeper understanding of their emotions. Equine therapy stands as a testament to the healing power that can emerge from the unspoken bond between humans and these magnificent creatures.
Couples therapy with horses
Getting along with an equine companion requires effective communication, including non-verbal communication and emotional connection. As a couple working with the herd, you will learn how your efforts to communicate effect a creature who “reads” you not from what you say, but from how you “feel.” The horse has a knack for identifying and breaking down relational barriers that you and your partner may have been noticing but could not find the words to describe, since there likely aren’t words, just a “feel.”
Individual and Group work
Either by yourself, or within a group, you will learn to identify emotional “restrictions” in yourself through noticing and becoming aware of the emotional “restrictions” in the horse. The horse will guide you through subtle cues how to connect first to yourself, and then to others. Horses “speak” softly to us, without judgement or criticism, when we are gently trying to understand the instinctual language that we as humans share with every other living creature. Without the limitations of words, you will learn a more effective way to communicate and engage with the world around you.