Approach

Gestalt Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

"Gestalt Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is an existential and experiential psychotherapy where horses partner with people to facilitate our experience in the present moment. Awareness, relationship and healing are cultivated through the therapist-client-horse relationship, the exploration of self within the wilderness environment and the dynamics of contact."

- Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies

Why Horses?
Wilderness
Relationship
Body

Why Horses?

“Co-species connections can be mystical. They can be illuminating. They can be magical.”
- Allen Schoen

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a powerful means to support our healing process. Being in relationship with a horse allows us to experience an authentic relationship without being concerned with the mental and emotional baggage of another person. They allow us to feel seen, heard, appreciated and validated for who we truly are and not for our roles in society, within the context of our family structure or for our achievements. Horses' very survival depends on their strong sense of intuition and ability to perceive inauthenticity in their environment and to react decisively to perceived threat. Because of this, horses provide us with immediate reflection and feedback about how authenticly we walk through the world and, in turn, how we affect those with whom we come into contact.

Wilderness

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
- John Muir

We have looked to nature for teachings and healing throughout history. We have ventured into the wilderness in search of vision, clarity and connection. In today's world, technology and the complexity of our day-to-day existence insulates us from the wilderness and can cause us to forget our true nature. Returning to the wilderness helps us to slow down and move with mindfulness and self-awareness. It supports us in remembering our greater purpose and meaning. Reconnecting with the natural world imparts a strength and wisdom that we can internalize and apply to the challenges created by society, human relationships and career. Being in nature and in the company of horses allows us to tap into the deepest part of our selves and feel a connection to everything around us. We can then begin to truly be in relationship with our selves and others.

Relationship

“The essence of human life is contact, a meeting with various kinds of others.”
- Fritz Perls

Human life revolves around relationship and connection, its presence or absence, its success or failure, and the far reach of such effects into every feature of our lives. Our need to make connections is an essential component of being human. It is my belief that our wounds occur in relationship; therefore, we need to be in relationship in order to heal those wounds. I strive to create a safe environment in which to experience feelings and behaviors in the here and now while being in relationship with another, be they child, parent, partner, therapist or equine partner.

Body

“With yoga, no matter what crisis may appear to be insurmountable in the changing world around you, you will hold to the peaceful center that always is and always has been.”
- Rama Jyoto Vemon

Our bodies hold a wealth of information about who we are and where we’ve come from. As we become more aware of our bodily sensations, where we hold emotions and where we feel pain and tightness, we can begin to work through patterns and trauma that have been held as memory in the body.

Yoga means union. Through the use of yoga, I help guide you to experience the mind-body-spirit connection. By engaging in a combination of meditation, yoga asana (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), and equine assisted psychotherapy, you will become more deeply aware of your physical body, your emotions and your breath. In this way you will become more aware of your direct connection to and participation with the Divine.

Whether practicing yoga on the ground or on the back of a horse, it will allow you to ground and enhance awareness. It allows time to remember who you are and who you want to be. It is a time to reunite polarities, find balance in all aspects of your life, reconnect with your innate goodness and greatness, relieve physical and emotional pain and feel revitalized and nourished. You can then take what you learned on the ground or on the horse out into your real world. Far beyond a mere physical exercise, yoga goes straight to your heart and soul, opening the one while enhancing your appreciation of the other.