Equine-assisted therapy is a proven technique
When a veteran or active military member comes to Courageous Hearts for therapy, it isn’t a sit-down conversation. In fact, there’s no conversation at all. The therapists stand by, observing the patients as they spend their time with horses. There are no guidelines, no expectations, just the shared energy between patient and animal.
On Sept. 26, Courageous Hearts, an equine-assisted psychotherapy and personal development program located in Lincoln, demonstrated exactly what they’re about: a therapeutic model that allows patients and horses to bond, helping patients with emotional support and learning. Since 2012, Courageous Hearts has been part of the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association’s military services, implementing the psychotherapy technique with veterans, active military members, and their families.
Military members’ mental health is crucial. There are 22 veteran suicides a day on average. Courageous Hearts Executive Director Rosemary Baughman expressed why mental health is overlooked in the military community and how important it is to the program. “We often talk about combat and wounds, not PTSD and emotional trauma. [Military members] learn how to survive but they don’t learn how to deal with that trauma. With EAGALA, we don’t have to talk at all. We take them out of the office and into the arena,” Baughman said. This arena is the pen in which the horses are kept, able to roam freely. Patients enter the area without any instruction or obligations. They’re there to experience whatever it is they need to experience.
The EAP is not about riding the horses. It’s entirely based on the ground. Patients are growing a bond with the animals, not attempting to control them. The horses are unnamed, but instead are used as metaphors for the patients. They can be named whatever the person wants them to be named. They can be any extension needed. The horses are not trained to act a certain way with people. Elena Fierro-Wise, an equine specialist at Courageous Hearts, touched on the horses being in their natural state with no therapeutic training. It’s important that the experience is entirely organic. She said, “We have been accused of training them to react in certain ways. This isn’t true. They’re entirely free and can do what they want to do. They don’t hide their feelings and emotions. They will mirror your emotions. If you’re happy, they’re happy. If you’re scared, they’re scared.”
Courageous Hearts shared a story of a patient. The veteran had been through three tours and was suffering with PTSD. He went out to be with the horses without any set intentions. When gunshots were heard in the distance, his first instinct was to panic, but seeing the horse remain calm helped him remain calm. This was something he had not felt before, feeling an emotion of tranquility through the nearby animal.
While the demonstration focused on military, it’s not all that Courageous Hearts does. The EAP program is available to anyone. In fact, Courageous Hearts began by working with traumatized children.
Courageous Hearts’ therapy technique is useful in its practicality. Not everyone wants to be forced into conversation about what’s troubling them. Sometimes it takes the bond of an animal, a bond with nature, to learn more about oneself. There are multiple ways to approach mental health, and EAP is a unique and freeing take.
For more information about Courageous Hearts and EAGALA, go to courageoushearts.us.
