Horses are consummate teachers of authenticity. Through their genuine interactions with each other, horses maintain the cooperation, teamwork, and loyalty that ensure the cohesion and prosperity of the herd. As prey animals with finely tuned senses, equines are experts at sensing in-congruence in their environment and they are powerful messengers that mirror back their direct experience of us humans — without judgment or bias.
When the horse Jenny* (31 y.o.) had chosen to work with dramatically backed away from her as she announced that she was “feeling really good”, he was making was a clear statement about her lack of authenticity. When Jenny finally acknowledged that she had been “putting on a happy face” for decades and that underneath she felt scared and uncertain about who she was and what she really felt, the horse walked up and stood right next to her. This was truly had a light-bulb moment for Jenny!
This powerful and visceral experience of shifting from in-authenticity to authenticity helped Jenny* break through the denial that had kept her in a vicious cycle of unhealthy relationships and drug addiction. Gradually, Jenny learned to trust her own senses so she could recognize when she was sliding into dishonesty with herself and others. As she became more confident about valuing her own thoughts and feelings, Jenny not only ended an unhealthy relationship, she also decided to leave a job she realized she truly hated – making room for personal and professional abundance.
For More about Jenny and Authenticity, check out Dr. Val’s TEDx Talk
*All names and identifying information have been changed.
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