A HORSE STORY

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During healing sessions with horses using Equine Stress Control Therapy (ESCT), the equine psychotherapy I invented in 2002, horse owners would inevitably ask me, “Can you heal me like you heal my horse? Do you have a therapy for humans?” At that time, I didn’t yet have a tool to help people overcome their fears. I did know that horses feed off the energy of the humans with whom they interact, repulsed by negative energy and attracted by positive energy. This innate tendency moves them toward homeostasis, or healing, and most mammals will ultimately gravitate to that rather than suffer. It is instinctual. Humans, however, are willing to spend a lifetime suffering as they are controlled by their egos, the sum total of all their conditioning, thoughts and labeling. Letting go of the ego feels like giving up life to most humans - who would I be without my baggage?

The universe delivered a solution to me from Kentucky horse country in the person of John Skaggs, Ph.D., who contacted me about healing his wife’s spooky horse, a jumper she showed on a local circuit. I taught John ESCT and he taught me PEAT, Prime Energy Activation and Transcendence, a series of therapies invented by Zivorad Slavinski, a Serbian psychologist. I was so impressed with what John taught me, that I invited Zivorad to come to Colorado, where I was operating my horse rescue, to teach a 5-day seminar to our volunteers and interested friends and therapists. Learning from “Zivo” was life-changing for all of us. Since 2005, I was able to combine ESCT and PEAT to successfully create safer horse/human riding partnerships.

Then in 2010 I discovered the teachings of David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. (RIP). His books, “Truth vs. Falsehood,” “Power vs. Force” and especially “Letting Go,” led me to develop new therapies combining elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Spiritual Psychology, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and PEAT (Prime Energy Activation and Transcendence). These I called Equilibrium. They can help move the individual from dualistic to non-dualistic thinking, allowing the ego to function more like a servant instead of an imperious master.

In this book, I refer to challenges and issues instead of problems. This is so that the client and practitioner can approach each session with a less negative verbal affirmation statement. Problems carry negative weight by definition. Challenges and issues are less charged with negativity.

My hope is that we can all experience our lives as riders on well-trained horses, riding the ups and downs of existence centered in the saddle, well-balanced and ready for the next jump. It will come.

Some Colorado memories are recorded below.