On February 26th, 2016, SCV- CAMFT came together at Michael’s on Shoreline for yet another great lunch and wonderfully informative presentation. While feasting on delicious food, we had the pleasure to meet Beth Killough, MA, LMFT, and listen to her present on the topic of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Now, for those of you not familiar with this term, equine is a horse.

We’ve all heard of Animal Assisted Therapy, but most often it is in the context of dogs and cats and sometimes even dolphins. But we might not be as familiar with how horses factor into the therapeutic process. The questions that naturally come to mind include: Where does this type of therapy happen; Do you ride the horse? What if you are scared of horses? What can a horse teach me about myself?

After Beth’s presentation it all became crystal clear. Let’s begin with the basics. It happens at a barn, with horses (and your therapist) on the ground, for the purpose of learning about ourselves and possibly others through an interactive experience with a horse, in a way that takes away the client’s self report of symptoms and issues and allows for real time and objective observation of behavior and patterns as they emerge.

Phew, now let’s go into a little more detail...which is what Beth did so eloquently.

First, did you know that you have an animal body? As Beth pointed out, some people are not super comfortable with this idea, but the fact of the matter is that if you are alive, then you are an animal. Or a plant, but probably not.

As human animals that live in this world, we experience environmental factors such as noise, crowding, technology, time constraints, stress and general overstimulation. For many, overstimulation leads to a sense of pressure that ultimately can result in “pain.”

Horses are clear, honest, and congruent... they refuse to accept what is not true for them.

As an example, Beth shared her experience of simply driving from her peaceful and secluded ranch located in Morgan Hill to the heart of Silicon Valley for this particular luncheon.

As she turned the corner she was suddenly immersed in traffic and her senses are bombarded with sounds, sights, and smells that were not present moments before. Her instinct was to retreat, to run, to escape.

However, as human animals we have learned to conform to social rules, to not express our feelings, to not show our weakness

Beth Anstandig Killough, MA, LMFT and one of her equine therapy partners.

and to manage the onslaught of sensory overload. We have become accustomed to sitting in traffic, working in small offices, fighting crowds, and multi tasking.

In order to do this, most of us have learned to shut out certain inputs. We “shut down,” “numb out,” “suck it up,” “check out,” or simply “get through.” But when we are not honest with even ourselves about our experience of overwhelm, it begins
to build up and starts feeling like increasing pressure, often resulting
in physical symptoms such as anxiety and depression.

So what is the alternative? Instead of shutting down, we need to get honest with ourselves. In order to manage the pressure we need to acknowledge it’s there, understand where it’s coming from and address it.

And herein lies the lessons of the horses: You see, horses do not share our coping mechanisms. When they feel pressure, they in fact retreat, run, escape. They are clear, they are honest, and they are congruent, meaning their outside behavior matches their inside experience, and they refuse to accept what is not true for them. So when they feel pressure in their environment, whether from another horse, a predator, or a human, they respond accordingly.

As a prey animal, they have an acute awareness of their surroundings. They have the ability to read body language, smell adrenaline, sense your heart rate, detect eye dilation and they rely on these instincts for their survival.

If they feel pressure, they release it by moving away from it. In turn, they teach us that to release pressure for ourselves, we need to also be clear, honest, and congruent. But
we don’t necessarily need to run away from it. Human animals have the unique capacity to access our neocortex, which is the thinking and reasoning part of the brain.

So, on her drive up 101, Beth had to first notice the sense of pressure coming up in her chest, that tightening sensation, and that feeling of not having quite enough air to breathe. And Beth had to be honest that this was her experience, and then become congruent with ho`w she chose to manage it. She decided to breathe through it. She had to consciously bring air into that part of her body that was holding the stress; she needed to release the feelings of anxiety that were increasing. She needed to acknowledge that she was out of her comfort zone and reassure herself that she would be ok.

Utilizing this process we can learn to manage a myriad of different emotional experiences. Horses are great role models, offering real time feedback of how we are showing up and whether we are being honest or not. Through the horse's feedback, we are invited to dive deeper and gain more self awareness, as well as body awareness, acknowledge our feelings, stop stuffing our emotions, and make different choices. This ultimately leads to improved communication, deeper connections, and a more honest and authentic experience for us in our lives and our relationships with others.

So, to answer that last question... what can a horse teach me about myself? Everything!

Presented by: presented by Beth Anstandig Killough, MA, LMFT

Amy Hublou is a Licensed Marriage and Famliy Therapist and Co-founder of Gallop Ventures. She studied at Pepperdine University and has been licensed for 15 years, with 10 years of pre-licensed training. She provides traditional therapy as well as a variety of Nature Based Therapies with a spe- cial emphasis on Equine Assisted Psy- chotherapy through Gallop Ventures.