LEVEL 3 - $350 / 7 Sessions
Three Medicines: Horse & Human Partnership
SUNDAYS @ 11AM
SESSION DATES: 1/15, 1/30. 2/12, 2/26, 3/12, 3/26, 4/9
CLASS NOW FORMING - Text Dr. T to Register 502.376.4367
CLASS OUTLINE - New for 2023!
Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership utilizes alternative healing modalities for mental and emotional -composure.
Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership also draws on the growing field of ecotherapy, or nature-based therapy. As part of stress reduction, the class also emphasizes emotional self-regulation and recovery from episodic extremes of emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness.
Being outdoors on the land is a radical departure from indoor office environments of steel, glass, computers and stale or recirculated air. Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership works with a herd of 30 horses who are gentle and well-socialized, but not overly conditioned to human expectations.
After circle-up, in which the person can talk about his or her stress in as much or as little detail as s/he cares to, we do our qigong exercises in preparation for going out among the horses. The exercises begin with awareness of what is going on in the body in that moment. Awareness without judgment is the first step. Then we perform simple breathing, grounding, and centering exercises, using principles from medical qigong, yoga, and positive peer interactions.
The remainder of the class is devoted to observing, meeting, touching, and breathing with the various horses who volunteer for the relationship on any given day. This will vary from day to day, horse to horse, and person to person. The horses have their own moods and rhythms and most have a sixth sense for whom to relate to and how.
Is there something special about horses that make them an especially useful aid for reducing stress?
Horses are ideal for teaching us how to live in our bodies. They are social creatures who readily and honestly respond to the challenges inherent in forming and sustaining relationships. Their survival as individuals and as a species has depended on their living in a constant state of heightened awareness while not holding on to emotions and tension after the immediate disturbance has subsided. Unlike our family cats and dogs, who evolved as predators and are now highly domesticated, horses evolved as prey animals and remain characteristically feral1 even in the captivity of our barns and pastures.
Two characteristics of horses stand out as contributing to the core teaching of Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership. Most importantly, when a perceived threat, often just a fluttering plastic bag, is removed, horses go back to grazing contentedly. “Back to grazing” — letting go of stress quickly — is a key principle of Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership and discussed at length in the syllabus. One of the qigong techniques we teach, a somatic exercise derived from Three Medicines Horse Human.
Partnership-assisted EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), is specifically designed to help participants go back to grazing.
Secondly, the horse’s physiology can directly affect the human body. Whereas an anxious human can have a heart rate of up to 100 or more, the resting heart rate of the horse is 40. In exercises called the dan tien (energy center, core) press and the dan tien hug, participants in physical contact with, or even just close proximity to, the horse can entrain to the horse’s lower heart rate. In the dan tien hug, the participant is also taught to breathe with the horse, who naturally breathes into her belly (dan tien, or diaphragmatic, breathing) and not high (forward) in her chest.
What kinds of results can a person expect from practicing the technique?
There is a great deal to be gained by stress management skills and practices. Stress reduction interventions have been proven to prevent and alleviate physical and mental illness.. Results include lowered blood pressure, decreased cortisol (a stress hormone), and improved scores on mental health measures of anxiety, depression, and cognitive function.
Anecdotally, students who have taken Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership report relief from stress that carries over from Kamp Kessa to everyday life at home, school, and community. They are also able to re-establish balance during times of emotional distress.
Is this technique better for some people than others, or can anyone benefit from it?
Three Medicines Human Horse Partnership involves moving meditation. It has special appeal for those who have difficulty becoming motionless and clearing.
Equine Assisted therapeutic modalities have been in existence for several decades. With Three Medicines Human Horse Partnership we have added a much needed somatic component so that we can assist our participants in recognizing and focusing on emotional congruence.
TO REGISTER - CONTACT DR. T via text (502) 376-4367
Three Medicines: Horse & Human Partnership
SUNDAYS @ 11AM
SESSION DATES: 1/15, 1/30. 2/12, 2/26, 3/12, 3/26, 4/9
CLASS NOW FORMING - Text Dr. T to Register 502.376.4367
CLASS OUTLINE - New for 2023!
Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership utilizes alternative healing modalities for mental and emotional -composure.
Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership also draws on the growing field of ecotherapy, or nature-based therapy. As part of stress reduction, the class also emphasizes emotional self-regulation and recovery from episodic extremes of emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness.
Being outdoors on the land is a radical departure from indoor office environments of steel, glass, computers and stale or recirculated air. Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership works with a herd of 30 horses who are gentle and well-socialized, but not overly conditioned to human expectations.
After circle-up, in which the person can talk about his or her stress in as much or as little detail as s/he cares to, we do our qigong exercises in preparation for going out among the horses. The exercises begin with awareness of what is going on in the body in that moment. Awareness without judgment is the first step. Then we perform simple breathing, grounding, and centering exercises, using principles from medical qigong, yoga, and positive peer interactions.
The remainder of the class is devoted to observing, meeting, touching, and breathing with the various horses who volunteer for the relationship on any given day. This will vary from day to day, horse to horse, and person to person. The horses have their own moods and rhythms and most have a sixth sense for whom to relate to and how.
Is there something special about horses that make them an especially useful aid for reducing stress?
Horses are ideal for teaching us how to live in our bodies. They are social creatures who readily and honestly respond to the challenges inherent in forming and sustaining relationships. Their survival as individuals and as a species has depended on their living in a constant state of heightened awareness while not holding on to emotions and tension after the immediate disturbance has subsided. Unlike our family cats and dogs, who evolved as predators and are now highly domesticated, horses evolved as prey animals and remain characteristically feral1 even in the captivity of our barns and pastures.
Two characteristics of horses stand out as contributing to the core teaching of Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership. Most importantly, when a perceived threat, often just a fluttering plastic bag, is removed, horses go back to grazing contentedly. “Back to grazing” — letting go of stress quickly — is a key principle of Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership and discussed at length in the syllabus. One of the qigong techniques we teach, a somatic exercise derived from Three Medicines Horse Human.
Partnership-assisted EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), is specifically designed to help participants go back to grazing.
Secondly, the horse’s physiology can directly affect the human body. Whereas an anxious human can have a heart rate of up to 100 or more, the resting heart rate of the horse is 40. In exercises called the dan tien (energy center, core) press and the dan tien hug, participants in physical contact with, or even just close proximity to, the horse can entrain to the horse’s lower heart rate. In the dan tien hug, the participant is also taught to breathe with the horse, who naturally breathes into her belly (dan tien, or diaphragmatic, breathing) and not high (forward) in her chest.
What kinds of results can a person expect from practicing the technique?
There is a great deal to be gained by stress management skills and practices. Stress reduction interventions have been proven to prevent and alleviate physical and mental illness.. Results include lowered blood pressure, decreased cortisol (a stress hormone), and improved scores on mental health measures of anxiety, depression, and cognitive function.
Anecdotally, students who have taken Three Medicines Horse Human Partnership report relief from stress that carries over from Kamp Kessa to everyday life at home, school, and community. They are also able to re-establish balance during times of emotional distress.
Is this technique better for some people than others, or can anyone benefit from it?
Three Medicines Human Horse Partnership involves moving meditation. It has special appeal for those who have difficulty becoming motionless and clearing.
Equine Assisted therapeutic modalities have been in existence for several decades. With Three Medicines Human Horse Partnership we have added a much needed somatic component so that we can assist our participants in recognizing and focusing on emotional congruence.
TO REGISTER - CONTACT DR. T via text (502) 376-4367