Human beings have always found comfort and love when they are among animals. The benefits of having cats and dogs as pets are known to everybody. However, there are other animals whose companionship can benefit your mental health significantly. Horses are among such animals. Multiple forms of equine therapy programs in Tennessee are being used to treat people’s mental health disorders and addictions.
Here is what you need to know about equine therapy.
What is equine therapy?
Equine therapy is an experimental treatment where the bond between horses and humans facilitates physical and emotional healing. There are mainly three forms of equine-related treatments. They are:
- Equine-assisted psychotherapy focuses on mental health problems, substance abuse, and cognitive disorders. During this therapy, the patient works with horses, and mental health professionals help them process their emotions during the sessions.
- Hippotherapy is a physical and occupational therapy that helps patients suffering from neuromuscular disorders improve their balance, coordination, and body control.
- Therapeutic riding is more like equine-assisted therapy that helps children heal from trauma.
What are the benefits of equine-assisted therapy?
There are several benefits of equine therapy. The most prominent ones are:
- Identifying and coping with feelings
Dealing with one’s emotions is quite challenging when struggling with mental health, and people often face difficulty. Most people take drugs to deal with their feelings. Equine therapy is beneficial for such people as it gives them an outlet to express and understand their emotions.
- Improves communication and interpersonal skills
People with mental health problems have difficulty expressing emotions, causing strains in their relationships. On the other hand, horses are intelligent herd animals and excel at non-verbal communication. Spending time with them helps them learn how to respect others—being aware of non-verbal cues during conversations helps people know whether others are genuine or fake. People talk about their feelings during equine therapy, and the therapists help them understand how to process them.
- Setting boundaries
People with mental health problems find it difficult to set boundaries and accept them in some cases. Horses are intelligent animals who help them understand how boundaries work as they don’t allow people to cross their boundaries.
- Overcoming fears
Horses are large animals, and going near them can trigger various negative emotions in people who have undergone traumatic experiences. However, horses react differently to fear, and people learn to cope with them at their own pace.
- Building trust
Horses are kind, loyal animals, and working with them helps people trust them without worrying about lies and manipulations. Their gentle presence helps people open up quickly and trust them.
About Magnolia Ranch Recovery Addiction Treatment Center
Treating substance abuse is essential to save yourself from the damaging effects of drugs and alcohol addiction. At Magnolia Ranch Recovery, we offer premium addiction treatment services to our clients and assist them with drug rehabilitation and treatment for co-occurring disorders. Our team of trained therapists aims to provide supportive and compassionate care to those suffering from drug abuse. Our clients choose us for our personalized inpatient programs, drug recovery programs, residential treatment, and individually designed treatment options. For more information about us, contact 888-992-7955 or write to info@magnoliaranchrecovery.com. You can also fill out our contact form to get a call back from us.
