Just like humans, horses too are exposed to the trials and tribulations of life that if left unaddressed can leave them with tension and stress in their bodies, anxiety and fear in their mind and a desire to avoid certain circumstances.
In 2010 when I trained in energy work for the pure bliss of it, I had little idea of how fundamental to my life it would become. As I progressed through my own healing journey I saw more and more applications for this approach to treating maladies, behavioural issues and acute trauma.
Beyond being my own client, my friends family and pets were obvious recipients of this free and safe intervention that cost only my time.
Our beautiful grey horse Dainty was the first horse to ram home how essential energy healing was in addressing trauma. Highly anxious when she arrived, our early interactions with her were almost solely healing sessions where for other horses it would have been training. Instead of a curriculum of learning how to respond to human cues she was instead training us humans how to respond to her physical and mental issues. Groundwork to become a ridden horse was replaced with listening sessions to bring consciousness to stuck emotions, unprocessed fears and worry about her safety.
Years passed this way, teaching us to let go of all expectations of convention, instead asking us to respond to the horse that was in front of us, instead of the horse we wanted her to be.
In time, the need for healing diminished and training could begin. Nothing fancy, but enough to show that her defiance in the early years was based on pain (physical and emotional) and a need for support. This heartening progress led to a virtuous circle of improvement to a level of ability far beyond our revised expectations. Whilst we no longer seek for her to be a competition horse like we first expected (though we're not ruling it out), she is now a contributing horse to the herd - which is no mean feat considering where she started this journey from.
Jim's input
However, it was our gelding Jim that encouraged me to see the connection between my energy work and how it contributed to my approach an Equine Facilitated Practitioner.
I have always made the horses foremost in the work, to the extent I was able. This looked like consulting them on their preferred approach, a choice of exercises to facilitate the clients learning and listening to their feedback. To prepare them before a client came I'd ensure they were in the best physical and mental shape possible and would check in with them after a session to check their was no lasting issues they needed help with.
What I hadn't appreciated was how much I used my energy healing skills to prepare myself, or hold a space for when the clients were here.
It was Jim that pointed out this crossover and I started to get curious if others were doing the same. Some were, and some wanted to - and this the Reiki For EFL/EAP course was born.
Taking the basic Reiki foundation training I'd been teaching for 6 years, I adapted it for people like myself that were working alongside horses to benefit people, pulling together all my expertise and experience. To date, I am the only practitioner I know offering this service and have enjoyed taking students through both the first and second levels of this training.
It's main win for me is that it combines being in the best possible place yourself, to support your herd so you all may have the greatest impact on your clients. Students leave with a toolkit of how to be centred and grounded for sessions, allow clients to take what they need and provide the horses with energetic support should they have any injuries or illnesses or find a client's trauma a lot to bear. Oh, and if you want to treat friends and family to help with their health and wellbeing, the course enables you to do that too!
The next course for Equine Practitioners is on 24th & 25th October. In it, we'll be looking at how the tools and techniques taught can be applied to yourself, your equines (and pets) and your clients. There's follow up support with in-person and online sessions and the chance to progress with your journey so you can offer energy healing professionally should you desire.
All course participants are invited to meet with me first to experience energy healing, ask any questions and see if we are a good fit.
It is a fun and memorable 2 days spent investing in yourself in a very cost effective way. If you have any questions, I would be delighted to answer them.