An alternative approach to mental health needs
By Kastle Waserman
THERE’S NOTHING QUITE like the comforting connection between animals and humans. We know this from our pets. But when people need to heal from trauma, emotional or physical illness, addiction, or just simply personal development, animals can provide an experience unlike traditional therapy.
“Animals rely on their intuition to survive. They listen to it. Humans dilute their natural intuition with a lot of noise. Animals can sense when a person’s emotions do not match what they are saying. They can tell if we’re pretending,” says Nancy McKay, owner and coach at Women Empowered Recovery, who works with horses to conduct Equus life coaching sessions. She says she watches how a horse will respond to a client to know how to guide a session.
If the horse senses inconsistency between how a person is feeling and how they say they’re feeling, they won’t connect with the person. “They’ll back away,” describes McKay. “That’s when I know I have work to do.”
She says once a person starts to open up and become more authentic, a horse may become curious, come over, and offer support.
“I had one client who was afraid of horses. We got in the pen, and the horse kept his distance. She was going through a divorce and was really emotional. We began talking, and the horse came over and stood at her shoulders behind her as if he had her back. Then he reached his head around her shoulder as if hugging her. It was really beautiful.”
McKay discovered the healing power of horses while facing sobriety and cancer challenges.After experiencing equine-assisted coaching in 2017 and attending a Martha Beck retreat in 2018, she decided to pursue certifications in life and Equus coaching. She currently offers individual and group sessions at two equestrian centers: The Temple Grandin Equine Center near the National Western Complex and Half Moon Ranch in Castle Rock.
She says coaching is analogous to working with a personal trainer, while therapy is more like seeing a doctor. For those seeking professional therapists, Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado is a nonprofit community mental health center that combines professional psychotherapy with rescued animals.
According to Ellen Winston, a licensed professional counselor, interacting with animals has measurable physiological effects: oxytocin, the love hormone, increases and cortisol, the stress hormone, decreases, helping clients feel calmer and more open during sessions. They can offer an exchange of appropriate physical affection and interaction such as petting, licking, and sitting on laps, which can have positive effects.
“Clients are physically calmer when they’re in sessions with animals, which allows them to feel more comfortable and able to talk about difficult subjects, especially if they’re anxious about therapy,” says Winston, who co-founded the center in 2011 with Linda Chastman.
They currently operate a 3.5-acre ranch in Arvada and feature a variety of animal “co-therapists” from dogs to bunnies to ferrets and even millipedes.
Winston says different animals support different goals: Dogs are very social and can help with social anxiety and acceptance, while smaller animals are shy and can require the client toearn their trust. Animals can help with practicing patience and emotional regulation.
“If you’re in the room with a small animal and physically calming your body, the animal will respond to that and will probably come over to you. Sometimes our bunnies will hop on your lap. So, you get this very tangible reward,” Winston says.
Both Winston and McKay emphasize that animal safety matters as much as client care, so they limit the number of sessions animals participate in to avoid overstressing them. They agree, however, that animals offer an alternative for people who are uncomfortable with traditional therapy.
“Anyone can benefit from our services,” Winston says. “We work with a lot of people who don’t necessarily want the medical model of traditional therapy in an office setting.”
WOMEN EMPOWERED RECOVERY
womenempoweredrecovery.com
ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY PROGRAMS OF COLORADO
animalassistedtherapyprograms.org
