 Horses as Therapists Journey to wholeness through horses Horses As Therapists (HAT) is a psychotherapy program facilitated by Guil Dudley, Ph.D., a Jungian analyst and Director of Equestrian Quest. Because of the size, nobility, and archetypal power of the horse, the interface between horse and client often brings breakthroughs more quickly than in traditional talk therapy. Whether the horse elicits projections of fear, acceptance, strength or vulnerability, these feelings usually are intense enough for the work to go straight to the core issues. Precisely how and why this happens is ultimately a mystery, according to Guil and other therapists who work with horses. HAT is unique in that it takes a Jungian approach to the therapy, focusing on archetypes from the collective unconscious. Jung’s psychology points to the opposites in the human psyche, and the importance of both separating and uniting these opposites. At times the horse separates from the client and at other times they unite, symbolizing the rhythm of separation and uniting that Jung took from the early Christian alchemists. At times the horse needs to withdraw its psychological force, to allow the client to differentiate herself from what the horse represents for her. At another time it is important for the opposites symbolized in the client and the horse to be joined in an experience of wholeness.  The opposites of predator and prey are easily constellated in the interface between
a client and a horse. At first the client will sometimes experience the horse
as the predator because of its greater size and power, and then gradually come
to realize that she is the predator. In marriage and relationships the archetypes
of predator and prey can also be the reverse of what they appear to be on the
surface.
For Further Information on the Horses As Therapy [HAT]: Contact Equestrian Quest directly:
Telephone:
(505) 685-4629
Fax: (505) 685-0587 Email: gdudley3@cybermesa.com Regular Postal Mail: Equestrian Quest P.O. Box 41 Medanales, New Mexico 87548 |
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P.O. Box 41, Medanales, NM 87548 • Ph: 505.685.4629 • Fx: 505.685.0587 wildernesspath@equestrianquest.com |
