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The Eagala method of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is not horseback riding or physical therapy. Instead, it uses horses to mirror your emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. The horses pick up on and display things that are hard for you to see in yourself. It is also easier for you to remember what you learn from a horse than from what was said during a normal therapy session. You find solutions through personal and physical experiences. Many clients have said they were able to change and grow more effectively and quickly than through traditional therapy methods.
The therapy session usually takes place in a corral or small pasture with a small number of horses. As you interact with the horses, you will be able to see if they turn toward you and are friendly and cooperative, or if they turn away from you and are standoffish and uncooperative. You will see them respond to how you feel and behave. By seeing how they interact with you, you become aware of how other people perceive you as well.
“When the focus is on the horses, it goes off of the individual and so the individual is more able to experience some kind of awareness for themselves or understanding in ways they weren’t able to before as they see the horses.”
This video explains the EAGALA method of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Watch for me in the blue jacket!