Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy

As humans, we are frequently distracted from our primary emotions, present-moment experiences, and our true selves, by our daily life and social constructs regarding how we should feel or behave. This may result in us feeling disconnected and unsure of ourselves, resulting in the connection between our mind and body splitting to become two separate entities. Traditional room based therapeutic approaches tend to use cognitive based methods that focus on the mind, resulting in the client being able to remain ‘stuck in their head’. However, these approaches bypass the body where our emotions reside, particularly stuck and deeply buried ones. These mind focused approaches may help, but as they don’t consider the body’s sensations and relationships to feelings, healing at the core isn’t achieved, and clients are often left wondering why their issues keep resurfacing. Conversely, EFP provides a less intrusive and challenging environment than room-based therapy due the focus being placed on the client’s interactions and relationship with their chosen horse, as opposed to the dynamic between them and the therapist. Furthermore, the experiential nature of the therapy means that insights are often faster and longer lasting than in conventional talking therapies.