Our emotions are one of the main things that make us human and yet the relationship that we humans have with our emotions tends to be tenuous at best. So often, we reject and avoid our emotions, especially those labeled as “negative”. We have learned that showing emotion is a sign of “weakness”, that we should remain in control of our emotions, that we shouldn’t show them, and quite possibly that we shouldn’t even have them. However, this type of condemning of our feelings does us much more harm than good.

Honoring and respecting our emotions leads not only to authenticity and balance, but to a sense of inner peace. When we allow our emotions the time and space they need to exist, we […]

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Matthew* came to Stand InBalance because he’d been battling addiction through most of his young adult life and he had heard that equine therapy could be a good compliment to traditional talk therapy.

In his first session, Matthew connected with Maybelline (a donkey) and was brushing her when Bubba (another donkey) walked over and promptly nudged Matthew pretty hard. Maybelline swiftly and effectively swung her head around, flattened her ears and motioned for Bubba to go away.  Bubba immediately moved away.  Matthew went back to brushing Maybelline and then several minutes later Bubba came back again and pushed Matthew. This startled Matthew and he immediately walked away from the donkeys exclaiming “that’s it! I’m done.” He went over to the shade, sat down and put his head in his hands. We asked what happened and he […]

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When Michelle* first came to Stand InBalance, at age 32, she had been working in sales for 5 years and wanted to transition into product development.  She often had great ideas but would go blank and lose her center whenever she tried to develop her ideas and share them with others. When Michelle entered the arena, she was very stiff and unsure how to connect with the horse she chose.  She became so constricted by trying to do what she thought was “right” that she was unable to trust her instincts, listen to her inner knowledge or follow through with her own ideas.  The more she doubted herself, the more agitated and less cooperative the horse became. After taking a break & checking in with herself, Michelle realized that she was still inhibited by adolescent experiences of being shamed for her ideas.  As she shared this realization, Michelle’s chosen horse walked up and stood next to her.

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“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” —Albert Einstein

You know what they say, perspective is everything, but I suppose that depends on how you look at it! What’s certain is that there is great power in perspective.

Shifting our perspective not only changes the way we think; it can also change the way we feel and act.  Having the ability to recognize, shift and change our vantage point gives us a liberating amount of control over the way we react to situations. Understanding and being able to access our perspective opens us up to more possibilities in all situations and therefore more possibility in life.

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Alex (25), had recently moved back into her family home after being away at college and was having a hard time adjusting to living with her parents after getting used to “doing her own thing”. Her biggest challenge was how difficult it was to be around her father.  Early on in her sessions at Stand InBalance, Alex identified one of the horses as being just like her father: “a mean, self-centered bully.” She often wanted to connect with this horse but ended up being tense and angry around him.  She stated, “I cannot accomplish anything with that horse, I’m sick of him!”

After a few weeks, the therapist asked Alex to pause and observe the horses in the arena. She encouraged her to center herself in […]

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