Many veterans experience feelings of helplessness after returning to civilian life, which can make coping with it challenging without assistance from a qualified counselor.
Just outside New York City lies a 22-acre horse farm tucked under willow trees – home to an experiment in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Equine therapy has an unrivaled healing power which sets it apart from traditional therapeutic techniques.
Trauma-Sensitive Animals
Equine therapy (or Equine-assisted Therapy; EAT) entails interactions between humans and horses intended to improve physical and emotional well-being. Participants don’t always ride horses directly; rather, participants interact with horses by grooming, feeding, haltering, leading, talking with, playing with and/or grooming them instead.
These activities have proven highly successful at alleviating symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Their benefits are often instantly noticeable after just a few sessions, while many studies demonstrate lasting improvements over time, including veterans experiencing reduced avoidance, numbing, hyperarousal and avoidance behaviors.
Equinine therapy has proven an invaluable asset when dealing with mental health conditions like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reach out to Transformations Mending Fences now and discover more about equine therapy as a tool for combatting its symptom clusters, such as hyperarousal, numbing, and avoidance.
Innate Sensitivity
Horses possess an innate sense of danger and prey-based instincts which enable them to understand human emotions, actions and body language more accurately than most. Equine therapy utilizes this mirror effect effectively. Furthermore, horses are highly attuned to their herd’s emotional state as a collective unit and can quickly detect when humans become anxious or fearful.
Veterans learning how to control their emotions and behaviors around horses can improve the quality of relationships with family and friends, creating stronger ties among themselves and making connections easier to create bridges across barriers.
Freedom Reins, a non-profit located in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, offers two-hour equine-assisted therapy sessions which start off with a grounding exercise to focus on present moment awareness and physical sensations before teaming up with horses to engage in individual and group interactions; early phase treatment sessions typically include grooming, leading with a wand or halter, directing in a round pen, grooming the animal during individual interactions as well as grooming itself!
Bonding Experience
At his 22-acre, willow tree-shaded horse farm located a few exits up from Manhattan, Matthew Ryba has found a powerful healing force: Crafty Star (bay thoroughbred). While not riding Crafty Star directly, Matthew connects with him through non-mounted activities that foster trust and compassion between themselves that helps veterans overcome past traumas that have had such an effectful healing effect on them.
Ryba is participating in an equine therapy program as part of an innovative new study on PTSD-equine assisted psychotherapy conducted by former Israeli soldier Yuval Neria and has demonstrated significant reductions in symptoms without having to revisit traumas and talk openly about them.
Neria emphasizes the benefits of equine therapy as an effective form of treatment, without veterans needing to relive traumatic experiences, learn skills that help manage anger effectively, navigate real-life scenarios more successfully and foster better relationships.
Physical Health
Equine therapy not only assists veterans emotionally, but can also contribute to physical wellbeing of participants. Handling horses provides exercise which develops balance, coordination and strength – skills which can then be applied in daily life to overcome mental illness-induced obstacles.
Former service members often struggle with feelings of powerlessness in everyday life, having witnessed horrific events they cannot control or escape from, reinforcing this sense of helplessness in civilian life. Horses provide nonjudgmental companionship that can help former service members develop trusting relationships with humans around them and foster positive associations between horses and people.
Equine therapy helps veterans regain self-confidence and personal power through interaction with horses. They learn to communicate with them using respect, empathy, and patience, leading them to develop a greater insight into themselves which reflects back in how they interact with others.
