Therapy and horses

A few months ago I started therapy with a new therapist who specializes in equine therapy. I started therapy, terrified of horses, yes I knew what equine therapy was when I started. Previously, I have done several years of therapy with minimal to no change. I enjoyed my time with previous therapists and think they helped but I knew that I needed more. The reason I knew I needed more was because in the several years of therapy I had maybe cried 1 time and still continued to feel triggered by all the same issues, I felt like I was a broken record. On my first day with my new therapist, J, I bawled like a little baby. It wasn’t even a conscious decision, which normally I can control myself, in fact I’m really good at stopping myself from crying in front of people (one of the many things I’m working on in therapy). The tears, gushed out of me like the flood gates had opened. Of course that isn’t the only thing that has been different with this therapist, each session has been in a horse barn, with the most recent sessions out in the field with the horses. Ya, you read that right, I have been working with the horses. All I can say is WOW.
In the past few years I’ve become much more interested in the alternative healing methods, like chakra therapy. Lucky me, that is what these horses do. Chakras are the energy centers of the body, while many are present in each person there are the main 7 that align the spine. Root Chakra, Sacral Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra, Third Eye Chakra, and the Crown Chakra. Since horses vibrate on higher frequencies they are able to help balance, open and regulate anothers chakra just by being in close proximity. As I stated before, I was terrified of horses, you want me to stand still and let a horse move around me…and TRUST that they won’t hurt me?!
“yes, that is exactly what I need from you” – J
The first time I experienced it, Patches – an amazing horse who thinks he is actually a lap dog : ) walked around me stopping at various levels to work on various chakras, I melted. When he got to my heart chakra he and I were chest to chest. I can’t paint an intense enough scene for you to understand through the words on this page how life changing this moment was. I felt like I could get lost in the comfort of his touch. Like I could feel the light, even in the darkest of moments. Like I could reach a level of peace I had never imagined was possible. I didn’t want to leave that moment.
Lets take a moment to discuss what it looks like to have a horse walk around you and balance your chakras. For each chakra the horse tries to position their corresponding chakras close to yours, which means for the God Chakra/Crown Chakra the horses head is right on mine and for the Root Chakra the horses bum is the closest part to me. Sure, I’ve had to move my feet to avoid being stepped on a few times. Another interesting part is that as the participant you are asked to stand still, not touch the horse, just allow the horse to do their job. It’s been an interesting ride, one I’m so glad I am taking.
The second time I experienced it, Patches got onto the ground and rolled around on his back. J asked if I knew what that meant, I replied that I didn’t. She said “Patches feels safe enough and trusts you enough that he is willing to show you his vulnerable side, aka his belly.” Then, not 10 mins later one of her other horses, Luna, came over and did THE SAME THING! I hadn’t even worked with her before. It was so humbling and beautiful. As the two horses surrounded me, working on my chakras, I became overwhelmed with shame that I keep struggling with the same issues. I expressed how I felt to J and as we were discussing this, Luna stood leaning against my back, wrapped her head around me and began to hug me with her neck. J and I busted out laughing, “I’ve never seen her do this before, she knows that you need to laugh.” Luna almost lifted me off my feet a few times when she hugged me. The moment was so real, the comfort was unconditional and it was truly raw beauty.
I could talk for hours about my therapy, but I’ll save more stories for other blog posts. Stay tuned!