We all make resolutions, and sadly, many of us will never realize these often lofty goals. And what do we do then? We wonder why. First, why did we make the resolution in the first place, and if we are the introspective type, what is it about us that prevented us from reaching our target? But to answer these questions, we’d probably have to have a window into our unconscious. And really, we may just not have the time or patience for psychoanalysis. But maybe, just maybe, we can learn something about ourselves through time spent with a horse. So, in honor of resolutions, here are five reasons to try equine assisted therapy.

1.       Horses are novel. For the majority of people, meeting a horse is an entirely new experience. While we may have some idea how self-exploration will go, we really have no idea how we will react, or more importantly, how the horse will react to us. This is the perfect environment then in which to learn about the self.

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The client shifts around nervously in her chair, her darting eyes revealing a weak defense system. As she searches for a disguised response to an honest question, I wonder to myself, ‘Why must this be so difficult?’ The truth is, she is only doing what she knows — hiding. The problem, however, is that she is also uniquely attached to her only familiarity, and it — her unconscious desire to remain a victim, perpetrated upon by a long line of offenders — is killing her. And again, I wonder to myself, ‘I wish there were a way for me to show her this’. It is at this time that I wish for a horse.

Horses, unlike people, don’t disguise much, if anything. So a person’s unconscious wish to remain a victim doesn’t go unnoticed. Neither does the anger behind it. Because at some point in this person’s history, she was truly a victim, and what should have happened simply didn’t. So now she must replay this history with new relationships — and sometimes old ones — hoping to finally be cared for. However, unfortunately, the kindness that is now proffered to her doesn’t make up for what was missed, and naturally, she is angry about this. But this is a hopeless cycle, because her anger now pushes away the kindness that she needs so much.

Continue reading Equine Therapy: Travels in the Equine World, 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.

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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?

Continue reading Equine Therapy: A Cure for Affluenza? by Claire Dorotik →