Horses Help us with How we Think, Feel and Behave.
The path between what we think and what we do can be very fraught. Aaron Beck- widely accredited as the father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy said
“If our thinking is bogged down by distorted symbolic meanings, illogical reasoning and erroneous interpretations, we become, in truth, blind and deaf”.
Our thinking tends to dictate how we feel and in turn, how we feel tends to drive our behaviour. For example- if I think my school friends are talking behind my back it will make me feel angry. In turn the angrier I feel the more I’m likely to lash out at someone.
We’re all subject to negative thinking from time to time. Some people can really torment themselves in the world of what Beck called faulty thinking. There are several destructive thinking styles, many of them linked to self-image. When difficult thoughts come into our heads, we can get hooked on them and they tend to lead us to making dysfunctional assumptions- “Every time I try something new, I stuff it up. Therefore, I’m bound to stuff this up. I am measured by my failures.”
We know that horses can be traumatised and can be fearful of people and situations. However, horses don’t seem to experience self-critical thinking and, as a rule, because they live in the moment, they don’t have negative assumptions about what is happening for them. They take each situation on its merits, deal with it and then move on – go back to grazing!
As we observe a herd in operation, it is an opportunity to reflect on how our thinking styles help us. We can’t stop thoughts coming into our heads. But we can choose what to do with them. Do we get hooked on negative thoughts and dwell on them or like the horse, do we deal with them in the moment and then move on. If we can unhook ourselves from the thought by letting it pass by, then we stand more chance of it not leading us to negative feelings and behaviours. Author Germany Kent said
“Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for your life to begin and start making the most of the moment you are in.”
Equine Therapy helps us be in contact with ourselves in the present moment – dealing with issues in the here and now rather than dwelling on them and allowing them to drag us down.
If you can relate to any of the mentioned above, please fee free to Contact Us regarding our Sessions.