Is it time to write a new chapter?

Just recently, we attended an online lecture on stigma. The guest speaker had spent their career looking after people living rough -often with significant health and mental issues. 

He referenced a quote from Carl Jung- the famous psychiatrist-   ‘Every human has a story and it is the denial of this story that leads to discord and confusion’.   He then added that for many people he encounters,  their internal sense of self-  their self-stigma,  is marked by the concept of failure and disempowerment.   As a result, he daily encounters people who constantly doubt their ability to be self-sufficient. ‘They talk low about themselves- before anyone else does.’

In our work with the horses, we often encounter clients who doubt their ability to be self-sufficient. Often their self-images are diminished to a point that- ‘being low’  is all they know.

When encountering one of our horses for the first time,  it’s not uncommon to see people physically shrink into themselves.   However,  once they observe  the horses from a  distance we see a sense of curiosity develop – as we highlight horse behaviours and they observe the herd dynamics.  A good horsey outbreath often lifts the mood!!

As people physically encounter the horses  (always at their own pace) – they start to perform simple tasks – which an hour previously they had never done before – and more importantly never believed they could perform. 

To pick up on Jung’s quote- what we see is people starting to write a new chapter in their personal story.  It is a chapter about personal growth and learning.  It’s a wonderful thing that the horses can be a powerful part of this.

If you would like to learn more about equine assisted learning please call Annie on 0411 549562 or e mail her on annie@hamerequine.com

You may also like to check out a short video about us that ran on TV in early August.