What does it mean to be “grounded”? Literally, grounded means “connected to the earth”. Merriam-Webster online defines the term as “mentally and emotionally stable: admirably sensible, realistic, and unpretentious”. As a therapist, I use the term to mean: connected to the here and now; anchored in the present.
Frequently we allow our minds to carry us off to a future event that we are anxious about. We can also be transported back to a past experience or trauma. In cases of severe trauma, we can even re-experience the traumatic event as if it is happening to us now. Sometimes we may even feel like we “leave our bodies”. Whether mild, medium, or severe, each of the above examples takes us away from our present experience. If our minds are in the future or the past we cannot be fully experiencing the here and now of our present life.
Horses can help us to come back to earth and to stay grounded. Horses are connected to the earth by their four strong legs. Horses are very much connected to their bodies and their moment to moment experiences of being alive. They are deeply rooted in the here and now. Horses aren’t thinking about what happened a month ago or what is going to happen next week. They are focused on what is in front of them-whether they are safe or threatened, what there is to eat, where the next jump is- whatever is presented as the task at hand.
Our sensory experience of horses: their presence; their smell; the feel of their body; the sound of their breath; the crunching sound of eating grass; their beauty and grace; all bring us back into this moment and take us into the next. In case our minds start to wander, horses keep us here by gently or sometimes not so gently giving us feedback moment by moment. For people who are struggling to stay grounded and in the moment, horses can be a valuable aid. A veteran with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from an ambush in Iraq used his experiences with the horses to help him in between sessions when he was struggling with his traumatic memories. When he would flashback to the images of violence, he would think about his experience of grooming his horse, with the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of the animal, and he would become oriented in the present again.
A survivor of sexual abuse who became anxious when touched used the warm soft feeling of the horse’s back as a safe touch to bring her back to the present. She could share details of the trauma with her therapist when she was with the horse. If she became anxious or tearful, she would gently stroke the horse’s neck and back until she felt calmer and able to continue. She would end her difficult therapy session by leading her horse back to the barn, walking side by side with the large animal.
Even without acute trauma, many of us get carried away by our busy lives and miss key experiences in each moment. Spending time with horses can help. Allow the moments you are with the horses to keep you present and in the moment if only for 30 minutes of your day. The more time you spend with horses, the easier this will become. Then allow this experience to follow you home and transfer to other areas in your life. Call upon your experience of horse to remind you to come back to earth, to ground, to experience the present moment with your whole self and all your senses, so that you can feel fully alive.
Positive Intent 