“ My first experience of equine, therapy was as a child, having experienced a traumatic time in my teenage years. A local pony named Whiskey, became my friend. Whiskey was my confidant, my peace and with Whiskey I found trust, solace and true connection. I would spend hours with Whiskey, just being. Whiskey would stand with me quietly enjoying and being in the connection between us” Michaela
The Heard Therapy specialises in a personally developed approach to meet individual needs.
Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT)
What can I expect in a session?
Equine welfare and client welfare are central to the therapeutic process. At The Heard Therapy, the horses only engage through consent, and respect is given to their space and whether they are comfortable to be engaged with via touch.
We will be exploring equine behaviour and the communication of the horse, and how you as the individual receive and experience the communication. This is a two-way process, where we also explore how the horses meet us and how they experience our presence and communication. We explore these concepts with somatic experiencing techniques (an approach developed by Dr.Peter Levine) while also learning about our own individual nervous system responses within relational connection with the horse.
These techniques can help you to explore your own relationships to others and yourself, relationship being a fundamental part of human development and survival. You will develop knowledge and self-awareness of your own personal capacity for different life situations and how to safely manage triggers and stress, including trauma.
It has been known for a long time that the body holds past stress in the nervous system that wasn’t able to be resolved or completed. In the sessions we learn together how to listen to the information our body is giving us about our internal state and with this awareness and understanding, learn how to process past trauma and complete stress responses to restore the body back to a sense of equilibrium and regulation. This also will help to prevent stress stacking inside ourselves leading to chronic stress and stress related health problems.
Much of the work is reflective and experiential, activities with the horses are not always necessary as part of the therapy, meaning, you do not need any prior horse experience to engage with equine assisted therapy. The horse's choice and preference is always considered by reading their body language and provides many opportunities for self-exploration and reflection, working somatically and integratively.