TAKE THE LEAD WITH HORSE POWER
equine assisted emdr
What is EQUINE ASSISTED emdr?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence based trauma treatment. Equine Assisted EMDR is the application of this therapy using the EquiLateral Protocol which was created by Sarah Jenkins, MS, LPC, CPsychol, an EMDRIA approved Consultant and Trainer.
EMDR with horses offers a uniquely specialized alternative or complement to traditional office-based therapy. This approach is fully customized to address each individual's specific trauma symptoms in a natural, outdoor setting. Clients consistently describe the process as supportive, safe, and naturally flowing.
Throughout all phases of treatment, you'll work with a collaborative team consisting of a therapist, an equine specialist, and our horses—all dedicated to supporting your healing process.
Empowering You to MOVE FORWARD
UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA
Trauma isn't just a bad memory. As psychiatrist Dr. Paul Conti explains, trauma is something that overwhelms our coping skills and changes how our brain functions – affecting mood, sleep, behavior, and how we move through the world.
The challenge with trauma is that our natural responses often work against healing. Guilt and shame cause us to avoid the very thing we need to confront. Our brain gets stuck trying to recreate the traumatic situation, attempting to "make it right" this time – what Dr. Conti calls repetition compulsion.
Why Traditional Talk Therapy Isn't Enough
When logic and emotion collide, emotion wins every time. Trauma lives in the body and the limbic system – the emotional center of the brain – not in the thinking mind. You can understand your trauma intellectually and still be controlled by it.
WHAT MAKES EQUINE THERAPY DIFFERENT
How Horses Create Breakthrough
Horses provide what trauma work requires: immediate, honest feedback that bypasses your thinking brain and speaks directly to your nervous system.
A horse doesn't care about your story. They respond to what's happening in your body right now – the tension you're holding, the breath you're not taking, the emotional state you're trying to control. They're 1,200-pound mirrors of your internal state, and they don't lie.
This creates the conditions for healing that therapy rooms often can't:
- Presence over avoidance – Horses demand you be here now, not lost in repetition compulsion
- Body-based processing – Trauma stored in the body gets accessed and released through movement and breath with the horse
- Safety without words – Connection happens before language, allowing processing that goes deeper than talk
- Immediate feedback – The horse shows you when you shift, offering real-time evidence of change
Equine Assisted EMDR
When we combine the power of EMDR – a proven trauma therapy – with the unique feedback horses provide, we create conditions for profound healing. EMDR helps reprocess traumatic memories while the horse's presence keeps you grounded in the present.
The Path Forward
Dr. Conti notes: "I have not seen one person who has addressed the trauma but become less functional." Healing doesn't make you weaker. It gives you back the energy you've been spending on survival.
Working with horses doesn't erase what happened. It changes your relationship to it. You walk in with the weight of what you've been carrying.
You walk out different.
EFFECTIVE TRAUMA TREATMENT
start your journey now!
Let us help you design a plan to reach your treatment goals and move toward a healthy, balanced life.