Using Equine therapy and Equine Assisted Learning to help Veterans and horses to overcome physical and emotional issues.

EAP/EAL?

 

What is EAP/EAL  and how can it help me?

 

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) uses the unique and ancient bond between human and horse to break through the barriers often encountered in traditional therapeutic modalities. EAP is not about riding or horsemanship.  It is about personal growth and development.  In fact, 90+% of the activity takes place, not on horseback, but on the ground, with individuals who have never touched a horse before.

 

Each EAP session consists of pre-planned tasks for the patient to accomplish with the horse in which the patient has a specific objective to achieve. The EAP therapist designs each task/objective to address the patient’s particular psychological/emotional issues and problems. The patient’s attempts to accomplish the objective of the task reveals the patient’s characteristic dysfunctional and/or functional behavior patterns. The therapist then works with the patient to help him/her understand the problems that they are encountering with the horse. These discussions provide a bridge for the patient to develop insight into how this same dysfunctional behavior affects the patient’s day to day living.

 

 

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) involves experiential learning from activities done with a horse or horses. The activities, how you approach the tasks, and what surfaces for you in the process becomes a metaphor for other areas of your life.  The experiences with the horses can be used to

-Discover new things about yourself

-Solidify learning—experiential learning makes sure you don’t ever forget

-Develop to new strategies

-Learn flexibility

-Have fun in the process