ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, TRAUMA + HORSES

WRITTEN BY: APRIL DONA, LMFT

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) involves working with a licensed therapist who partners with a horse during a therapy session to improve mental health. Anxiety, depression, and trauma can all be addressed during an EAP session in a unique and powerful way to achieve therapeutic goals.   

“Working with horses has helped me to get out of my thinking brain and into my body, I feel connected to my intuition, I can talk about things all day, horses have brought me into the non-verbal.” – Session Participant

EMBODIED THERAPY

As prey animals horses live in a state of heightened awareness in their environment, constantly reading the bodies around them for cues of safety or danger. This makes them excellent providers of feedback, encouraging us to pay attention to what we are feeling and communicating non-verbally. In our often disembodied world, horses bring us back into our bodies, through them, we reconnect to nature and to ourselves. The experiences we have when working with them are integrated more deeply into our nervous system, going beyond just the cognitive and involving our whole self.

CONNECTING TO POWER

Horses are visually beautiful animals,  incredibly powerful from a physical standpoint. This combination of beauty and strength creates a potent draw, awe, and reverence for them.  Learning to partner with a horse is an empowering experience that leaves a lasting imprint on the nervous system. For those who have felt disempowered through trauma or relationships, it can be incredibly healing to have a voice and choice honored in a relationship with a powerful presence. 

CHALLENGING RELATIONAL PATTERNS

Horses are highly relational and provide a unique lens to view our relational patterns. For example one individual, upon meeting the horses during their first session, noticed how they were immediately drawn to the horse that showed the most interest in them, they realized “I just want the attention; I want to be liked” and noted how often they ignore their intuition and needs if it means getting the connection they desperately want. 

These relationship patterns surface quickly and can be held with less judgment. Participants can try a new way of being in a relationship, perhaps working on setting boundaries or becoming more vulnerable, and this can generalize to their relationships outside the sessions. 

DECREASING ANXIETY + PROCESSING TRAUMA 

Working with horses in this way can help to decrease anxiety. From a physiological standpoint, a horse’s heart is nine times the size of a human’s, and its heart beats at half the rate of ours.  Being in their presence soothes our nervous system and builds tolerance for calm. They also offer a safe presence for processing trauma, providing the grounding individuals need to step into difficult past experiences.  

A BRIDGE TO TRUST

Many people have been so wounded in relationships with people, that they struggle to trust anyone including a therapist. The horse is often the bridge of safety that creates the space for healing to begin. Building trust with a horse mirrors healthy relationship dynamics, such as clear communication, mutual respect, and consistency. These skills can then translate to improving relationships with humans. 

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy offers a unique and powerful approach to healing, leveraging the intuitive and embodied nature of horses. Through their presence, individuals can reconnect with their bodies, challenge relational patterns, and build trust in a supportive environment. Whether addressing anxiety, depression, or trauma, the partnership with horses facilitates deep and transformative therapeutic experiences, empowering individuals to find new paths to wellness and connection.