"We are used to thinking of horses as helpful, noble, mysterious even; what is less commonly considered is that they are also embodiments of a deep wisdom. A horse will not judge those it encounters; it lives in the present; it cares nothing for status; its thoughts are private and opaque though one senses the thinking nevertheless. This helps to make the horse a remarkable animal in one respect in particular: they are for us humans supremely therapeutic. Observing and connecting with these animals allows us to connect with parts of ourselves which may have been neglected or unhelpfully split off. If you look at a horse for five minutes, a tiny part of its tranquil and noble soul takes root in you. All this is especially true for those who struggle with language; those who cannot easily connect the inside with the outside. In situations where the standard 'talking cure' won't work, perhaps with children with autism, teenagers, soldiers with PTSD, prisoners, and others, connection with horses provides a royal road into the unconscious and to the rediscovery and articulation of disavowed parts of oneself. The genius of equine therapy is that the horse at the centre of the therapy invites talk, but does not itself require it to communicate. This is a brilliant book for psychotherapists who may like horses but have never yet considered the role they can play in their profession; and it's a book for animal and horse lovers who knew that relationships with these creatures were therapeutic but had never quite found the words to express it." Alain de Botton, philosopher and author "The sections on working with alcohol dependent prisoners and bullying contain practical information that equine therapists can use." Temple Grandin, author, Animals in Translation "As a psychiatrist and psychotherapist I have seen first hand the power of equine-assisted psychotherapy on the patients in my care. The field is still poorly understood within wider mental health provision, and this book helpfully addresses this gap. The author introduces the reader to differing ways in which horses may be usefully involved in addressing problems of communication, relationships, addiction, challenging behaviour and other difficulties facing people presenting with mental health problems. I strongly recommend this book to anyone working in mental health or with an interest in training in this field." Dr Az Hakeem, Consultant Psychiatrist & Medical Psychotherapist

Autorentext

Andreas Liefooghe, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Leadership at Sasin, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, a psychologist at Birkbeck, University of London for the past two decades, and a psychotherapist in private practice. A life-long horseman, he founded Operation Centaur in 2005 with the aim of providing a sound theoretical and empirical base for the practice of using horses for therapeutic purposes.

Klappentext

Based on over a decade of sustained longitudinal research with a broad range of different user groups, On Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Coaching: An Evidence-Based Framework is an essential guide which offers both theoretical foundations and practical models for working with horses in psychotherapy and coaching.

Inhalt

List of figures

On equine-assisted psychotherapy and coaching: an introduction

Chapter One: Operation Centaur

Chapter Two: Real horse power

Chapter Three: Methodology

Chapter Four: The horse in the centre

Chapter Five: Interconnectivity

Chapter Six: Relations and roles

Chapter Seven: Work

Chapter Eight: The whole horse: a coda

References