As I move into an exciting period of expansion in my practice, one of the most recent developments I would like to announce is my new program ‘Reflections Equine Therapy’ with expert horse trainer and riding instructor Alison Ahrend.
Reflections Equine Therapy will be offering services to various addiction rehab programs, schools, non profit programs, individuals, couples and families. Please stay tuned for updates.
“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire” ~Sharon Ralls Lemon
Equine therapy is now known to be a potentially profound and effective method of therapy that assists a diverse group of clients from autistic and developmentally challenged children and adults to troubled families, and individuals overcoming addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety and more. Many rehab facilities incorporate equine therapy into their treatment programs, and equine therapy is also sometimes utilized in treating at risk youth and individuals on probation. There are profound physical and psychological benefits to interacting with horses.
The exercises that are enacted in Equine Therapy often provide a mirror of how an individual approaches the world, relationships, and how they cope. Moving through the experiential, structured exercises with the horse-therapist-equine specialist team can allow the individual to create greater self-awareness. For individuals overcoming addiction, these experiential exercises often allow them to access emotions that have previously been numbed due to self-medication with drugs and alcohol. Individuals may also learn how to set boundaries with others in their life, build communication, assertiveness and problem-solving skills, build self-worth, trust and confidence, overcome challenges, resolve maladaptive coping skills and build new and adaptive ones, create a sense of empowerment and begin to feel a sense of acceptance and healing. With autistic children, equine assisted therapy has also been shown to help them improve focus, motor, verbal and social skills, as well as assisting in relaxation and improved quality of life.
The horse is a powerful being that often times captures a person’s fear, control, aggressiveness, passivity, anxiety, disability, sadness or pain, and the horse responds accordingly, thereby often giving the individual a powerful picture or message about themselves that resonates so deeply that it cannot be ignored.
