Benefits of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)

Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is a form of therapeutic intervention in which the company of the horse is used to work various physical and mental disorders. It could be said that the fundamental objective of this technique is to improve the personal well-being and quality of life of the participants.

The capacities that horses have bring benefits to children with autism, hyperactivity, Down syndrome, adolescents with behavioral problems and even help in the rehabilitation of addictions.

What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?

Horses are a great ally for therapy since due to their intelligence and generosity, they are capable of perceive the mood and non-verbal language of the person, thus establishing a unique link with the patient. In addition, they are a crucial tool for learning and working on values ​​and attitudes related to emotional intelligence and personal growth. We cannot ignore that if you add to all this that the therapies are carried out outdoors, significantly favors attention and participation to achieve therapeutic goals.

Of course, the activities carried out in equine-assisted psychotherapy are designed, directed and supervised by a Specialist Technician in Animal Assisted Therapy. This technician is always the person in charge of the sessions and the correct handling of the animals. Therefore, everything that happens during the session will be your responsibility. In addition, you must know how to work as a team with other professionals and it is your job to understand the work of those who form part of the multidisciplinary team, such as psychologists, speech therapists, educators, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, etc

In today's article, we will talk in depth about this original technique that is paying off and we will focus on the benefits it has for the patient. Read on to discover the answers.

• Related article: "What is psychotherapy? Main characteristics of this process"

Benefits of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

The fact of working with horses brings with it a series of benefits that we list below:

• Develops perceptive capacity and empathy. By interacting with the animal, people learn to interpret its mood and act appropriately on it.
• Improve communication. As we mentioned in the previous point, people learn to communicate with the horse in a non-verbal way.
• They learn to have a good attitude. Being so close to an extraordinarily sensitive animal that flees from any threat, they develop the ability to maintain a calm and friendly attitude when talking to horses.
• increase the self control and respect for safety regulations for being with an animal that is vulnerable and depends on them.
• It helps to feel accepted. The horse is receptive to our attention and care and accepts us as we are. He is not prejudiced or discriminates against anyone and therefore patients feel that they can be themselves with him.
• The real me comes out. The therapy focuses mainly on the horse, therefore, the individual lowers his defenses and acts unconsciously.
• Help to manage emotions. When the person is angry, nervous, stunned, the horse senses it and acts in the same way. However, if the individual is calm, calm and happy, the horse imitates him.
• Overcome fears. Establishing a bond with the animal helps to overcome phobias and fears.
• Helps to relax. Horses have the power to relax people and help them handle moments of stress more appropriately.
• Improve trust, security and self-esteem. As the sessions go by, the person little by little learns to gallop, interact, understand the animal and therefore manages to handle itself better in its presence. This makes you start to feel better about yourself.

Who can benefit from this new technique?

Although horses are wonderful co-therapists and equine-assisted therapy has various benefits, we want to clarify that the desire and the solution is always within oneself. Being aware of this is the first step to be able to achieve the established therapeutic objectives.

As we mentioned at the beginning, there are various groups that can benefit from this technique. However, here we leave some of them:

• People with a bad management of emotions.
• Low self-esteem.
• Lack of self confidence.
• Individuals with anxious or depressive symptoms.
• Eating disorder.
• Inadequate stress management.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorders.
• Social skills deficit.
• People with addictions.
• Poor interpersonal relationships (family, partner, friends, co-workers, etc.)
• Fears or phobias

How are the equine-assisted therapy interventions?

First of all, the Animal Assisted Interventions Technician has to prepare an action plan in which the therapeutic objectives to be achieved are clearly defined. This step is extremely important since all subsequent activities will be focused on achieving these objectives. Besides, the technician must supervise the exercises in order to guarantee the safety of the animal itself and, of course, that of the participants.

It is worth mentioning that most of the exercises are on land, that is, without riding, and they are usually brief so as not to upset the horse. Likewise, they do not pose a risk to the patient and no prior experience with horses is required. Finally, the professional is in charge of taking the animal to the vet to verify that it has all its vaccinations up to date and that it does not suffer from health problems.

How are the horses of psychotherapy?

For the therapy to work, the protagonists must have a series of specific characteristics:

• Horses must be very social with people.
• They cannot be aggressive.
• His energy must have a medium level. Too much energy or little does not work.
• Have a balanced character and be docile.

Are you interested in benefiting from Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?

In APPOINTMENT CLINICS We offer a psychological intervention program with horses in our residential facilities for the treatment of addictions in Dosrius (Mataró). Contact us for more information.