Equine therapy, or equine-assisted therapy, is an effective and increasingly popular mode of treatment for eating disorders. There is nothing mysterious about equine therapy; at it's core, it is teaching clients basic horsemanship -- grooming, leading and riding. In the context of therapy, this means communication between client and horse. Since communicating desires and emotions with people (including counselors) is difficult for those with anorexia or bulimia, equine therapy can help them develop new skills without the pressures of human contact. Therefore, many treatment centers now employ equine therapy to ease the communication burden, build skills, and speed recovery.
Horses Break Through the Control of Eating Disorders
It is often very important for a person with an eating disorder to have control over his or her environment. Someone with anorexia controls food intake. A person with bulimia or binge-eating disorder must control the settings they are in to ensure that binges (and possibly purges) can occur. A horse presents a healthy "problem" -- it's a very large animal that will not be controlled in demanding ways. Participants learn, however, that horses are very willing to be influenced.Equine Therapy Opens New Channels of "Talking"
Influencing a horse requires use of the body to communicate, rather than voice. Horses respond according to what they see and feel, and when a client is not communicating effectively, the horse will let her know. The influence on the horse is profound. The animal is always looking out for predators, so too much aggression will make the horse skittish. But horses also naturally wish to follow leaders. Too little assertiveness, and the horse won't know what to do.Experimentation for those in equine therapy eventually results in finding the right balance. This sense of balance is necessary for good interactions with other people.
Contact With Horses Reveals How We Behave
Equine therapy tends to force those who behave erratically (or dramatically) to slow down and be more conscious of what they are doing. Erratic behavior is common in bulimia, and it won't work with a horse. Building trust requires patience.But if a person is not demonstrative enough to communicate with the horse, the horse won't respond. This encourages those with anorexia, who are skilled at quiet hiding, to make their wishes known. Speaking their desires in this area can help them learn to express their desires in human relationships and other areas.
Equine Therapy Builds Healthy Tolerance of the Unpredictable
Interacting with horses teaches about relationships without the pressure of interacting with other people. A horse can be unpredictable, just as a friend or family member can. The animal feels a person's emotions and reacts to them, developing a bond with a person as the relationship develops. This can provide a huge sense of empowerment to those with eating disorders, whose fear of genuine relationship often leads to isolation.A Way to Awaken the Body and Heart
Eating disorder clients rarely have a safe context for feeling, either physically or emotionally. The only option is numbness, but equine therapy changes that. Lynda Brogdon, PhD, of the Canopy Cove treatment center in Florida, notes that those with eating disorders "are struggling to feel anything, in some cases displaying self-injurious behaviors in an attempt to feel something, even pain." Many feel the desire to interact with horses, but grooming a horse means some form of physical touch, and spending time with such an intuitive animal means some form of emotional contact. Choosing to be involved means feeling.Equine Therapy Provides Healing Paths for Eating Disorders
Equine therapy is an indirect and powerful form of healing. Working with eating disorders normally involves talk therapy, but there is little speech in therapy with horses. The natural desire of many people to interact with horses overcomes the hiddenness that comes with eating problems. To engage a horse, a person must be willing to communicate, to feel and become self-aware, and to be in relationship. These skills are exactly the kinds of skills needed in life.But it isn't simply a matter of consciously "taking what you've learned" and applying it to interactions with people. Having success with horses develops and affirms a person's sense of self. A person with an eating disorder rarely believes that she can impact her world without being harmed, and seeing her effect on a horse (and feeling the horse's gentle response) gives her undeniable evidence that she can, and does, matter.
Sources:
Avalon Hills Residential Eating Disorders Program. "Animal-assisted Therapy." Accessed 20 February 2008.
Brown, Julie. "Horse Therapy -- Changing Lives." Accessed 15 February 2008.
Canopy Cove Eating Disorder Treatment Center. Home page. Accessed 16 February 2008.
Liu, Aimee. Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders. New York: Warner Books; 2007.
