|
|
 |
|
MarketPlaceEquine Therapy: Three Ways to Boost Your Mood, by Claire Dorotik
With the holidays progressing rapidly, and the state of the economy on a fast decline, finding ways to improve mood is now more important than ever. However, as with most things, when they are needed most is also when they are hardest to attain – e.g. the ones who are hardest to love need it the most. And while the truth is being around horses will certainly stop the difficult holiday reminders many people suffer, or in any way improve the economy (horse owners would attest to this point), but it just might make a person feel a little better in one of the following ways. 1. Physiological Calming: Neurochemicals can be cunning little things. They rise often without their host’s awareness, and can wreak havoc on all sorts of health factors. To be sure, stress and the physiological ramifications of it are now considered to be possibly even more predictive of a potential heart attack than levels of cholesterol or blood pressure. However, given the dangers of elevated levels of epinephrine, cortisol, and dampened levels of serotonin, most people struggle when it comes to just how to lower them. Well, being around any animal has been demonstrated to be an effective way of calming the physiological system, and often due to their size and power, horses can have an even more pronounced effect on a person than other types of animals. Equine Therapy: A Cure for Affluenza? by Claire Dorotik
As sinuous advertisers and marketing consultants cleverly concocted strategies encouraging the masses to flock to their respective stores in droves and spend unheard-of amounts of money, merge with consumers’ unabated appetites for the latest and greatest gadget, device or fashionable gift, the result is a prime example of what authors John de Graaf, David Wann, Thomas H. Naylor and David Horsey so sagaciously dubbed “Affluenza”. As the title of their book (http://www.amazon.com/Affluenza-All-Consuming-Epidemic-Bk-Currents/dp/1576753573/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322271876&sr=8-1) suggests, affluenza is a method of describing America’s proclivity for overspending as an actual disease, and one akin to an addiction. The authors further state that, like any disease, affluenza comes with a host of symptoms, from depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction, physical health problems, to a variety of stress-related conditions. Clearly, however, this disease is yet without a cure — that is unless you consider the current state of the economy a cure — and at the same time, one that desperately needs treatment. Is it possible then that equine therapy can be helpful in the treatment of affluenza? Equine Therapy for Weight Loss? by Claire Dorotik
Although equine therapy has been used for a wide variety of psychological and behavioral conditions, and weight loss has been attacked from seemingly every possible angle, is it possible that working with horses can somehow hold benefit for those struggling with weight? To be sure, losing weight is its own animal, and own that is not so easily tamed. Much of the reason for this is that it is a very complex psychological condition that is often addressed physically. Yet the strong emotional, cognitive and behavioral precursors and underpinnings of being heavy are often not so easily overcome. After all, it is much easier to swallow a pill, or follow a diet than actually figure why the weight may have come on in the first place. And yet the conditions of overeating and obesity do share several psychological factors that, in many ways, are prime subjects for equine therapy. Let’s look at these more closely. Equine Therapy and Addictions, by Claire Dorotik
When thinking about addictions, some things are quite obvious, while others are much more disguised. Clearly, those with substance abuse issues of any kind are still subject to a healthy dose of social stigma. Often this desire to hide what is not considered acceptable by the masses is what fuels the emergence of a multitude of “exclusive” addiction centers. For a sense of what these day spa like treatment centers look like, just Google “Malibu drug treatment.” Yet this avoidance of the problem also disguises a much larger issue. That is, that aside from the war in the Middle East, addiction issues — from prevention efforts to treatment, loss of work time, health claims, and addiction related incarcerations — claim the largest share of national spending. So it seems fitting then that treatment centers scramble for the latest and greatest way to treat this massive social problem. Of late, equine therapy has become one of these nascent methods for getting to the root of what causes a person to turn to the bottle, pill, or powder. Horses and addictions would seem strange bedfellows, but our four legged friends are actually quite well suited for this population. For one thing, addictions involve a great deal of denial. Denial not just of the problem, but of what one is actually feeling, thinking and doing. And this denial pervades beyond others, but to the self as well, leaving a person that has a very fractured understanding of himself. This detachment from the self can actually be a very prominent reason to drink. Can Equine Therapy Improve Sports Performance? by Claire Dorotik
While equine therapy has many fans and many purported benefits, is it possible that this alternative form of therapy can be used to improve sports performance? Looking to a “head guy” to help with the much sought after perfect golf shot, basketball game, or even ski run is nothing new; these mental specialists have only recently donned their breeches and boots and strode into the equine competition arena. As they have, psych strategies that have long been popular in other sports have made their way onto the back of a horse. Stress reduction strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and cognitive rehearsal have been among these. Now, even popular riders, such as Jane Savoie (www.janesavoie.com), employ the use of visualization techniques to cement the perfect ride. Yet with the emergence of sports psychology in the horse world, can our horses actually help us to improve our performance, and possibly ride them better? Equine Therapy for Somatic Disorders? by Claire Dorotik
Today, somatic disorders are readily affecting a significant percentage of the American population. The group of somatoform disorders have been called the most common psychiatric problems seen by general practice medical professionals.[1] A large scale study of over one thousand patients examined by their general practitioners, reported that 16 percent of patients met the criteria for severe somatoform disorders, and 22 percent could be diagnosed with mild impairment.[1] More telling even was that many of these patients also complained of depression and anxiety. In a further study, approximately 36 percent of hospital patients who met the criteria for any somatoform disorder also had other mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.[2] Looking internationally, a study in Belgium showed that somatization syndrome ranks as the third highest psychiatric disorder, with a prevalence rate of 8.9%.[3] So what is a somatoform disorder? Somatoform disorders are a group of disorders characterized by physical symptoms that might point to a medical disorder. Somatoform disorders are none the less psychiatric conditions because the physical symptoms that appear cannot be fully explained by a medical disorder, substance use, or another mental disorder. Therefore, somatoform disorders often mystify medical providers who must look past the physical complaints, in order to correctly diagnose the disorder. Bestselling Author and Dressage Rider Tami Hoag to Headline South Carolina Book and Author Event Tami Hoag is headed to South Carolina to speak at the South Carolina Book and Author Event. (Photo courtesy of JRPR) Wellington, FL (October 26, 2011) – Writer and rider Tami Hoag will be putting down the reins for a few days to head to Charleston, South Carolina, where the New York Times bestselling author will be featured as the headline speaker for the South Carolina Book and Author Event, an annual celebration of reading taking place at the Charleston Marriott. Hoag’s latest novel Secrets to the Grave is being released in paperback for the first time and her fans are eagerly expecting the third thriller in that series, Down the Darkest Road, which will go on sale on December 27th. A prolific author with a huge fan base, the South Carolina Book and Author Event is already sold out. During the event, over 700 of Hoag’s fans will get the chance for a sneak preview of Down the Darkest Road. “I really enjoy the chance to speak with my fans, especially when we are talking about a new book,” Hoag said. Hoag is known for her suspenseful page-turning novels and has 14 consecutive New York Times bestsellers to her credit with more than 35 million in print in more than 20 languages worldwide. She is also known for her skill in the dressage ring, and after the South Carolina event she will return to South Florida to prepare for the winter dressage season. Equine Therapy: Repetition Compulsion? by Claire Dorotik
For those who work in trauma, the concept of repetition compulsion — or the tendency to recreate traumatic experiences that are similar to the original trauma — is nothing new. However, foreigners to the world of trauma can often shake their heads at the seemingly bazaar habit of those around them to “keep doing the same thing, expecting different results.” From the inside, it makes perfect sense. Your brain is simply trying to maintain what is now normal — that is operating in trauma mode, complete with elevated epinephrine, norepinephrine, and lowered serotonin. Yet, it is understandable that this behavior can defy logic, and put those immersed in it at odds with friends. The good news is that trauma specialists are well equipped to manage this reaction to overwhelming and terrifying circumstances. The not so good news is that those who’ve had trauma can unknowingly recreate it in their lives through their many relationships — even those with horses. Think, for just a moment, of a friend or acquaintance that seems to always find himself/herself in the same dysfunctional, unhealthy, or even abusive, relationships. It seems that no matter what anyone says to this person about the “warning signs” she/he remains in denial, idealizing the new mate, and minimizing any risk. Yet, over and over again, the same thing happens. The rosy love affair ends in a nasty battle with sometimes legal consequences, and in worse cases, hostage children. Equine Therapy: A Pioneer, by Claire Dorotik
For those who are new to equine therapy, the work itself can seem groundbreaking. However, for those of us in the field, there are only a few true pioneers. It is these people who perform the imperative research with the devotion necessary to give validity to a therapeutic modality that is inherently hard to prove. For one thing, equine therapy is not as easy to define as say, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and further, practiced in much less structured ways. Combine this fact with traditional psychotherapy’s natural skepticism, and you have a research study that is very hard to publish. And yet there are those who have persevered. However, few among them rival the work of Dr. Kay Trotter. With a published twelve week treatment manual for equine therapy, and an article published in the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, a peer reviewed publication of the American Counseling Association, Trotter has set herself apart in not only the field of psychotherapy, but in equine assisted counseling as well. NO SECRET SO CLOSE excerpt #40, by Claire Dorotik
NO SECRET SO CLOSE is the story of a the most unthinkable betrayal humanly possible — at only 24 years old, Claire Dorotik’s father has been murdered, her mother arrested, and now, in a sinister twist of fate, Claire’s mother points the finger at Claire, accusing her of killing her own father. Battling the feelings of loss, abandonment, terror, and dissociation, and also learning about them, Claire struggles to stay in her master’s program for psychotherapy. However, when Claire’s brothers also betray her and side with her mother, Claire is left all alone to care for the 18 horses she and her mother owned. As the story unfolds, what is revealed is the horses’ amazing capacity for empathy in the face of human trauma, and the almost psychic ability to provide the author with what had been taken from her. Arising from these horrifying circumstances, the most unthinkable heroes — the horses — show Claire that life is still worth living. Excerpt #40 from NO SECRET SO CLOSE: But I wanted to believe that my mother was kind and loving. I’d see her with my brother’s friends, and think that she was a great mom. They’d all talk to her about what was going on with them, in a way every parent hopes their teenager will talk to them. She’d sit and listen for hours. And they’d all say that they wished they could talk to their own parents this way. I’d watch, just sitting around the edges, wondering why not me? Why can’t I be listened to like that? But maybe Dad was right; maybe I was the source of the family’s financial strain. Maybe we would’ve been better off without the horses. |
