THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES: HEALING TOGETHER, HUMANS AND HORSES
As the creator of the Equine Experiential Coaching program at the Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary, I’m often asked if our coaching sessions are designed to be therapeutic for horses, or for people. It’s a favorite question because I can confidently say our program is therapeutic for both, and I believe that is one of the many factors that make it unique, empathetic, and profoundly effective, especially when partnered with other healing modalities.
The Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary was originally founded to help horses in dire need, and many of our horses have healed from serious injuries, severe neglect, or abuse. We are currently home to 32 horses, each with their own story of resilience and healing. As we helped rehabilitate and heal these horses and their predecessors, we discovered that they had a natural tendency to turn around and do the same for us. The horses became our teachers and therapists, and we often connected most with the ones whose stories touched upon our own. The natural and empathetic, “circle of healing” that we witnessed inspired us to create the Equine Experiential Coaching program, which is led and facilitated by myself, an Eagala trained equine specialist, and Dr. Sumer Aeed, a licensed psychologist with more than twenty years of experience.
Our individual and group coaching sessions are therapeutic and deeply effective for people because they give our clients a whole-body, somatic experience which allows them to uncover and examine their thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in a kinesthetic, multi-sensory way. In addition, as a client selects a horse to work with and describes what it is doing, they tend to give voice to their own story, and have an opportunity to watch and hear it “play out” as they create meaningful metaphors that parallel their everyday lives. While each session is unique, the somatic, experiential approach, provides clients with numerous opportunities to observe their current behaviors, and to practice or integrate new behaviors.
Our horses are particularly effective therapists because as prey animals, they are ultra- sensitive to their environment, live in the present moment, are authentically honest, and naturally act as an energetic “mirrors,” allowing clients to see what they are projecting out to others. As clients reflect on the ultra-sensitive nature of the horse and practice mindfulness exercises, many receive meaningful tools to reframe their own hyper-vigilance as they work on tuning into their feelings to strengthen their intuition.
Our coaching program is also distinctive in that each individual or group experience is designed to stand on its own, and it partners well with other forms of therapy. While many clients choose to book multiple coaching sessions, the amount and frequency is at their discretion. Each session empowers clients with an increased self-awareness that can be used to strengthen and enhance the results of their other therapeutic and healing strategies. Essentially, we help people make meaningful connections on the inside, in order to see them reflected on the outside.
Christine Badoux