Anna* had felt very confident in life and in her role as a teacher, but when her relationship of 5 years ended she found that she frequently doubted herself and had difficulty asserting herself with both her family and her students. In the arena, it was hard for Anna to connect with her energy and confidence. When asked to move a horse from one end of the round pen to the other without a lead rope, Anna moved quickly and made big gestures in an attempt to get the horse to move away from her – the horse wouldn’t budge.
What became apparent was that while Anna would start off with a sense of confidence, she quickly dropped her energy. Upon exploration, it became clear that this was an unconscious, embodied habit from her childhood. During our sessions together, the mare she was working with gave her clear feedback each time she “dropped” her confidence, the horse simply wouldn’t respond. She was equally clear about each time Anna embodied Core Confidence. The mare would move respectfully and without fear in response to Anna’s confident direction. As a result, Anna began to connect more consciously and clearly with her Core Confidence. Between sessions, Anna was able to take the lessons from her mare and practice embodying confidence in new ways at home and in the classroom. The real test came when an angry and abusive man confronted Anna in the parking lot of the shopping mall. Instead of becoming filled with anxiety and backing down, Anna was able to calmly assert herself and she left the situation feeling proud and confident!
*All names and identifying information have been changed.
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