26/12/2024
Extremely well said....it's how I work as well 💕
I use a number of approaches in my bodywork practice. One-thousand-plus hours of in-person, hands-on training supplemented by online learning. Anatomy, biomechanics, craniosacral therapy, myofacial release, nerve release, meridian work, bio-tensegrity, the list goes on. All of these are important because some combination of them helps every horse I work with.
What is the most constant component in every single session, the foundational element? Energy.
What does that mean? It means that I ground myself, I breathe, I clear my mind to connect to the horse more deeply; to open a doorway not only into their body, into their nervous system, but to a deeper level of trust through which they share experiences and emotions that are intertwined with the physical dysfunction. I look at the body and assess the best course of action - knowing that it could change from moment to moment depending on what I feel under my hands, see with my eyes and sense with my body. It’s a dance between physical analysis and a deeper sense of flow - or lack thereof.
I know bodyworkers and related equine professionals who eschew the “woo” (their word, not mine) in complete favor of manual, science-backed-only techniques and they are very good at what they do. Tapping into the energetic aspect of things isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine.
I have also spoken with many professional equine bodyworkers who absolutely get and work with the energetic side of things but they will never talk about it because they fear not being taken seriously by clients and particularly by other equine professionals.
Well, that’s a shame. Because two things can be true, two things (seemingly opposed) can work together at once. Oh, and we are all made of vibrating energy. And that’s science, too.
One can have a conversation about the biomechanics and physiology of disfunction and also talk about how a body holds trauma in chronic patterns. How physical release sometimes requires - or at least is enhanced by - emotional release. At least that’s been my experience.
I was recently part of a gathering of (mostly) bodyworkers who unanimously expressed the opinion that the work must always be 100% science based, that those of us who are talking about energy and “woo”-like approaches are, essentially, making it harder for everyone else to be taken seriously.
Here's the thing: I think results are what make people take other people seriously.
I’ve lost track of how many clients I’ve had that say something like “I don’t entirely understand how you do what you do, but I’m just so glad you do it, for my horse’s sake”. These include a number of those “science only” in orientation types - and they see the change in their horse. And, sometimes, in themselves. This, for me, is awesome to witness, to facilitate.. Because it can open a new door into their relationship with their horse.
I think we need to openly talk and explore more, not less, about energy. Animals are so keyed into it, it is at the essence of how they live, how they survive - and so it makes perfect sense to me to learn how to “speak” this language better (I believe we are born with greater fluency and lose it over time), not ignore it, in order to help them, help their bodies, and help our partnerships be more meaningful for everyone involved.
Maybe we are denying our core nature when we are all head and little or no heart/gut/spirit.
Maybe we need to think less, feel more, let the two dance together. At least that’s what the horses tell me.
Photo credit: Sue Wasserman
