We are truly blessed to have 9 wonderful equine co-facilitators here at Stand InBalance. As sentient “truth detectors” they help us humans connect with the deepest parts of ourselves — particularly those aspects that have been silenced and denied. Lynn* (22 y.o.) was referred by her therapist for adjunctive help with self-harm behaviors. Her outgoing, “cheery” facade belied the depth of her pain and self-loathing. Following a sexual assault at age 19, Lynn started using self-harm as way to cope with the unmanageable aftermath.
In her second session, Lynn created an obstacle course that represented her current challenges and chose a low pole jump to represent her self-harm behaviors. She was adamant about wanting to “get over” them. Lynn and her horse had been walking around the arena without any difficulty for most of the session. […]