By Elizabeth Hannah of Black Horse Therapies
I am a qualified psychotherapist who practises Equine Assisted Therapy near Castlemaine in Victoria. I am also a registered Acupuncturist. I find the therapy work with the horses to be effective with people who find verbal communication and talking about their feelings difficult, and who don’t feel comfortable in an office-based style of therapy.
I work with adults and children with diagnoses of FASD, ASD and ADHD, as well as those experiencing anxiety, depression and stress, and those with a history of trauma (PTSD).
What happens in a session?
Being outside with the horses in a peaceful natural environment helps people to relax and feel calm.
As participants spend time with the horses a sense of connection and trust develops between them. They might brush and pat them, lead them around and perform activities with them, or just sit with them. Enjoyment and having fun are important elements of the therapy.
Participants become aware of the signals the horses give us about how being with us makes them feel – they give us authentic and non-judgemental feedback. This helps people to be more aware of their own inner state and how this affects others, and assists with regulating their own emotions.
The horses also completely accept us. Being large (except for Pip) yet gentle and safe, they can help with building trust.
My approach is a person-centred one and I follow the participant’s lead as to what type of contact they have with the horse. I am very careful to avoid retraumatising them.
Equine Assisted Therapy and FASD
Sara McLean, Stewart McDougal & Vicki Russell say that for people with FASD, “verbally mediated environments” can be difficult due to language comprehension and production difficulties. This means that a conventional office counselling setting is not suitable for them. They also recommend that “highly abstract and verbal counselling approaches be replaced by concrete goals, set with the assistance of visual cues and explicit skills coaching.”.
This approach is provided at Black Horse Therapies. The activities with horses are hands-on and non-verbal, and are demonstrated as well as explained. Goals such as staying calm and managing emotions are practised in the horse yard.
Neuroplasticity
When the development of the brain has been inhibited by things such as exposure to alcohol or trauma, it has the capacity “for creating new neural connections and growing new neurons in response to experience”.
This is neuroplasticity.
It is believed that experiences with horses help to create new neural pathways.
Gentleness and Calm
Observations about what took place in the yard may be made at the end of the session. The focus is always on what the participant has achieved and “new stories of identity” may be created. This means that participants might discover qualities and strengths they (or their parents/carers) were previously unaware of. For example, they might be gentle and calm with the horse, or a strong and patient leader.
My experience in the horse yard with young people who have difficulty regulating their emotions and experience high anxiety levels has been consistent. They have almost always shown gentleness and been able to calm themselves in a way that has often surprised and moved their parents/carers.
The experiences with the horses flow over into other areas of the participant’s life. Increased calm and happiness and improved self-regulation at home and school are often reported by parents and caregivers.
Elizabeth and her horses are located on a beautiful 40-acre property in Walmer, Victoria – a 15-minute drive from Castlemaine, 30 minutes from Bendigo CBD, 35 minutes from Kyneton and 1 hour 20 minutes from Melbourne Airport.
NDIS funded ~ Sliding scale of fees
To find out more:
Web: blackhorsetherapies.ntpages.com.au
Email: blackhorsetherapies@gmail.com
Phone: 0403 75 3221
References:
McLean, S., McDougall S., & Russell, V: Supporting Children Living With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. (Australian Institute of Family Studies,2014).
Siegel, D., & Bryson, T.P: The Whole-Brain Child. (2011). (This book can be purchased from bookstores.)