 Equine-Facilitated
Psychotherapy & Learning EFP/L |
October 2009
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What's New
Private Sessions Available
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Hello to our friends near and far!
The air is sharp with the mixed flavors of autumn here in the Northwest. I am happy that my friend and colleague Kathleen Barry Ingram is here in Washington, and we are sharing this week with soon-to-be graduates of the HEAL Facilitator Training (look for their profiles in our November Newsletter!) This month, you'll find out more about EFL. Read on for an article by Kathleen and for a link to her video interview presented by Horse Spirit Connections. On both personal and professional levels, Kathleen and I share a poignant sense of loss in the recent death of our wise old therapy horse Galant. We've included a tribute to him in this issue.
One of Galant's last messages to me was, "Don't be afraid of death or you'll be afraid of life." Last month's article Is Fear Contagious? struck a chord with many readers. Read Ramey Zamora's response in our Soul Work with Horses column. Ramey also gives HEAL readers an update on her program in our Nickers column.
It's not been an easy month, but even in meeting the challenges of life and death, I am so grateful for my husband and colleague David Young. Our operations manager, Ricki Martin, and barn/workshop staff, Khrista Englehardt and Kelcee Boone, are a close-knit crew and supported Galant and the rest of the herd through this difficult time.
We sincerely hope you enjoy this Newsletter and welcome your comments, suggestions and stories to share with all of our readers. Simply send them to news@humanequinealliance.org.
Many blessings,
Leigh
Leigh Shambo, MSW, LMHC
Human-Equine Alliances for Learning (HEAL)
360.266.0778
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In Loving Memory... Galant
Leigh Shambo, MSW, LMHC
 If you have been to HEAL in the past five years, you will probably remember our tall, kind and wise Thoroughbred gelding, Galant. I am deeply moved to report that Galant peacefully passed on Wednesday, September 30th, surrounded by his closest equine and human friends. He was 25 years old. A powerful teacher and healer even to his last moments, he is keenly missed. We are grateful to those people in our community who shared their support and memories of this great horse during our time of loss.
Here is a sampling of their comments:
"The world is a better place because he has been here...certainly mine has been."
"I am so grateful for having the experience of being with Gallant. Aren't you glad you agreed to give him a home? He has blessed so many of us and you gave him that opportunity."
"I will always remember him as the horse that helped me embrace my authentic self, and who taught me that I do possess a gentle strength."
"I see him loping through green pastures now." Galant loved his calling as a HEAL therapy horse and can be viewed dancing with an EFL workshop participant from this year in a lovely video on our HEAL website (click to watch). Our horses are more than just colleagues in our work, they also work their wonders directly upon us, and Galant has been instrumental in my personal development and the growth of HEAL in the five years he was with us.
Galant, thank you for your presence which is with us still!
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| Nickers... from Ramey Zamora
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Ramey is a long-time friend of HEAL who is associated with Heaven Can Wait, a non-profit organization dedicated to Equine Rescue, Rehabilitation and Sanctuary. Heaven Can Wait's HoPE program provides experiential activities with horses for patients and survivors of cancer. Here is Ramey's update on the program.
We continue to offer the HoPE program at Heaven Can Wait; so far the response has been very good with those who have participated. We notice that we must be doing a good job, because people will come once and get an enormous amount out of their session. We have more publicizing to do, spreading the word through our networks of doctors and surgeons (at our ages, Susan, myself and the other board members know plenty of them!). I'll be speaking to the Paso Robles Kiwanis Club Wednesday morning and will mention it there, also. It also appears as an "Ongoing service" in the Paso Robles Magazine each month.
I know the HoPE program will find its audience and go on to help enlarge many spirits. We will take some photos at our next session, whenever that is (we offer it on Wednesday and Saturday mornings) and I will send you an article at that point. We continue to work with both the horses and the visitors we get, and our beautiful volunteers are always practicing their HoPE skills...
The large, loving family residing at the Sanctuary is doing well, with the usual ups and downs as we treat a variety of issues that change all the time. There are now 26 equines sanctuaried with us! Each one is a treasure with a very special story.
Read more about Heaven Can Wait and HoPE at www.heaven-can-wait.net
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Soul Work with Horses
A Response to Is Fear Contagious? (September 2009)
Submitted by Ramey Zamora
I'm responding to your excellent article in the most recent HEAL newsletter describing how fear can be your friend. No small coincidence that I had occasion to use fear as a tool for learning just this morning!
 There is a new occupant in the field that borders our property and this morning when I went riding my mustang Rusty up to the fence line, both of us were surprised to meet him. He is a young steer, a very friendly and outgoing fellow, who spied us and came right up to say hello.
I had known for about 15 minutes before we even saw the steer that SOMETHING was out there (I thought it was deer) because I listen very carefully to what Rusty tells me with his body language and his vocalizations. There was no doubt the message this morning: watch out, Ramey! danger, danger and something spooky and I'm nervous about it!
Rusty's fear and anxiety, so quickly and immediately recognized, allowed me to prepare myself with the counter measures I knew from experience and training would work: my first goal was to begin breathing slowly and deeply. That starts all the other relaxation cues.
I kept a delicate but definite presence on the reins, my hands steady and firm and kind. I spoke to Rusty with familiar words I use very consistently in all our training: you're okay, good boy, you can do this, you're fine.
My seat was deep and firm but not tight or squeezing; I let my back relax and move smoothly with Rusty's slightly excited steps, but countered his energy with my own damping movements - not allowing his motion to increase mine, nor mine to amplify his.
When we reached the fence line it was after a few back and forth parallel strolls, some stopping in between, the offering and accepting of two bits of carrot (our reward system is pretty simple), a few steps away from the fence line...I could feel Rusty still on the alert but the longer he watched the big steer and felt my deep breaths, the more confident he became. Before I even realized it, Rusty strolled over to the fence line and went nose to nose with our little friend (who, instantly realizing Rusty was not a cow after all, turned tail and went off in a hurry). Even the steer's abrupt departure didn't rattle my horse now. Another carrot, a kind stroke on his neck, and we went on about our ride.
Recognizing fear allows us to evaluate and counteract it, a valuable ability and one that grows easier as time goes by and we are faced with new and different situations. Whether on horseback or not, dealing effectively with fear's emotional effects allows us to make better choices in life.
Ramey Zamora
Heaven Can Wait Equine Rescue, Rehabilitation and Sanctuary
San Miguel, CA
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Insight - Equine-Facilitated Learning
by Kathleen Barry Ingram
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 Will Rogers said, "There is nothing better for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse". I would take this one step further and say also the insides and the outsides of a horse since they teach us so much about being in the present moment and coming from a congruent place in our hearts. My privilege for the past 10 years has been to learn from these consummate teachers about myself, life and relationships. One of the most consistent observations I have had is that the horses world-wide are speaking to each other. They are literally helping us to wake up!What would it be like to live in the Undivided Self, to use the power of the undivided self to create, to live and to participate fully in life? What would it be like to view all people and experiences as new opportunities to see with the heart and the mind? Living authentically from this soulful place is the way to true freedom.What I have noticed with my travels is that there is always one common thread. That thread is each horse's innate ability to take in and honor the essence of the individual exactly where they are in that present moment. We know that being in the present is really the only place where actual change can happen. We have also seen that experiences with horses allow the individual to "implicitly know" what is important for a full life and also gives them a glimmer of what that could look like. Seeing with the heart allows us to be in present moment awareness and to live from our authentic self. Your heart is an instrument made of extremely subtle energy. When you "feel" music, see the beauty of a flower, or bird song, you can hear it and see it, but the feeling comes through the filter of the heart. The heart controls the energy flow of opening and closing to others. The heart closes when stored energy, feelings, or unfinished business block the opening of the heart.We miss many opportunities to experience positive emotions by thinking too much about the past and the future, rather than being open to what is. "Living in my head got me through difficult times when I was younger and helped me become a great student. But I think it disconnected me from my heart", says Barbara Fredrickson, Professor of Psychology and principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I would encourage Barbara and others to join us in nature, to enjoy the present moment, and learn directly from the heart of the horses.Much more... Click here to read the full article.
To see a video interview with Kathleen, click here.
(c) 2009 Kathleen Barry Ingram
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Leigh Shambo, LMHC & David Young:
Offerings in Bishop, CA
 November 09' thru mid-February '10, Leigh and David (with horses Beau
and Dixsi) will be wintering in Bishop, California in the eastern high Sierra Mountains. Their
time will be mainly devoted to research, writing, *riding*, and SEEKING... and they are offering private workshops, continuing
education, and EFL personal growth intensives at their winter home. Leigh
is an approved provider of CE credits for health care professionals (through
the California Board of Behavioral Sciences). A perfect opportunity to learn from
two widely acclaimed EFL practitioners, in a sunny mountain location with
nearby skiing, hiking and other SEEKING opportunities!
Scheduling and formats are individualized; go to our website workshops page (scroll to bottom) or call our office (360)266-0778 for more
information!
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GoodSearch.com supports HEAL
Remember, you can support HEAL simply by searching the web using GoodSearch, a search engine that supports charitable organizations like HEAL. Each time you GoodSearch, it generates about $0.01 for HEAL. It adds up.
And as we get into the busy holiday shopping season try shopping your favorite online stores through GoodShop. They donate a portion of their sales to the selected charity; retailers such as Amazon, Avon and Ebay.
We appreciate the great work that GoodSearch sponsors and hope you'll take a look. Click here to check it out for yourself.
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All content is (c) 2009 Leigh Shambo unless otherwise noted. Thank you
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