Can Horses Help Humans Heal?

Some mental health professionals have integrated interaction with horses into practice. Learn how equine therapy works in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/coping/horse-therapy.htm

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff. Lauren bol Obam here ever, wonder how, of course,
could help you pope with grief, trauma, and emotional pain.
It turns out that horses may possess an evolutionary advantage
that enables them to pick up on our most subtle

(00:22):
emotions while at the same time not being judgmental and
even uncovering emotional blind spots. That means that they may
be an ideal tool for teaching people how to deal
with everything from a life ending diagnosis and physical death
of a loved one to miscarriage, divorce, and much more.

(00:42):
For the article this episode is based on, Has to Work,
spoke via email with Gail Carruthers, an equine guided learning
teacher who founded and owns sky Blue Acres Farm in
Pustl in Ontario, Canada, where she operates a non clinical
equine learning center called the Equine Intelligence Agency that helps
clients manage grief and major life losses. She said, as

(01:06):
a prey animal, horses don't rely on vocalization to communicate
because using sound would give away their position to a predator.
Horses instead have developed a sophisticated silent method of communication
that's built upon sensing energy by using their body language, stance,
and position. A mere twitch of an ear, rise of
a shoulder, or shift in the hips is enough to

(01:27):
convey life sustaining information to the entire herd simply by
being able to detect the ripple of energy. House to
Works also spoke by email with Lissa Corcoran, founder and
executive director of the Atlanta based Flying Change Equine Therapy,
which also helps clients process grief and loss. She said,
I think equine therapy is especially effective as it pertains

(01:50):
to grief and loss because grief is a relational experience.
We are missing a communication with someone we love, so
a new relationship with a horse can soothe that ache.
Equine learning or therapy offers people the chance to interact
with horses via exercises such as coaxing them to come,
picking up and cleaning their feet, or walking them through

(02:11):
an obstacle. Course and equine therapist observes how a person
interacts with the horse, then helps shed light on issues
that might need to be worked through. The Caruther's adds
that many unrecognized emotions that might have been ignored or
even forgotten from past situations can become prominent when a
person passes away. She said, While the loved one was alive, resentment, anger,

(02:35):
and the inability to forgive could have been managed, but
once a person passes away, the opportunity to find resolution
is over, and people can feel profound guilt and or
anger from past unresolved situations. Horses can feel this energy,
mirror it back, and provide a safe container for the
grieving individual to release the emotion. The release can be

(02:57):
a simple acknowledgment of that anger or in a response
of forgiveness as the anger is expressed and mourning can
start to heal the emotional pain. Working with animals and
getting fresh air and exercise are all generally considered to
be good for us, but is equine therapy scientifically proven.

(03:18):
Dr Hallie She'd, a licensed professional counselor and founder of
Texas based Equine Connection Counseling, explains on her organization's website
that a horse's mirror neurons might provide an answer as
to how the animal can reflect a client's in our
world back to them. Mirror neurons are type of brain
cell that some researchers think help humans and other animals.

(03:41):
Recognize and empathize with emotions in other living things. She
wrote that some people believe that horses have substantially more
mirror neurons than humans, which could make them experts at
understanding nonverbal communication. Also, while horses have a similar limbic system,
the region of the brain responsible for feelings and emotions

(04:04):
as humans do, horses also have a smaller neo cortex,
that's the area of the brain responsible for thinking and
analytical thought. This limited analytical capacity, paired with refined nonverbal communication,
maybe part of what endears horses to people. Horses react
to us but render no judgment, and we have their

(04:26):
undivided attention when we're in their presence. Corchoran said, we
have seen clients of all ages and backgrounds motivated by
the guidance, acceptance, and love of a horse to grow
into happier, healthier, more peaceful, and more loving people. Of course,
there are lots of different therapies and types of intervention

(04:46):
out there, and every person who seeks treatment will have
different needs, goals, and responses. But as an experiential psychotherapy,
ecoined therapy has sometimes assisted in cases where traditional modes
of therapy like talk therapy seemed to come up short.
It offers a different experience by bringing people outdoors into

(05:06):
a non threatening and inviting atmosphere and offering them a
chance to use all their senses while learning and processing
through emotional challenges. It can also be more expensive than
traditional therapies and may not be covered by insurance benefits.
If you have insurance, you should contact your insurance provider
to discuss the details in advance. As with any therapy,

(05:33):
today's episode is based on the article courses have an
Extraordinary ability to help Humans on how stuff Works dot Com,
written by Wendy Bowman. Brain Sufface production of I Heart
Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com and
is produced by Tyler Klein. Four more podcasts from my
heart Radio visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Two