Efficacy of EFL Supported by Latest Brain Research
February 7, 2010 by Kathleen
Efficacy of EFL
Supported by Latest Brain Research
I can’t tell you how often I have witnessed a client coming out of a quiet session with a horse and heard them say, “It was magic! I felt like myself for the first time My heart just opened and these tears came flowing out—but they felt free, open —you know not jammed up in my throat”. I could go on and on about what people felt in the presence of the horse and what other people witnessed, but I think you get the point. Guess what, it is not magic but is a process scientists now can actually name which happens only in relationship. What the client and others felt, saw, and experienced is the limbic connection of two beings. Relationship does affect the revision of these pathways in the brain through the processes of limbic resonance, limbic regulation and limbic revision or restructuring. .
The book, A General Theory of Love is an excellent source for much of the research on this subject. Some of the information contained in this book about how a therapist’s relationship with a client is the determining factor in long term healing; this can be applied to how and why equine facilitated learning works.
Look at some of the direct quotes from this book about the limbic connection and see if you agree.“The first part of emotional healing is being limbically known [limbic resonance]—–having someone with a keen ear catch your melodic essence…a precise seer’s light can still split the night, illuminate treasures long lost, and dissolve many fearsome figures into shadows and dust. Limbic regulation happens through relationship.But people do not learn emotional modulation as they do geometry or the names of state capitals. These concepts are stored in the neocortical brain. People and animals absorb the skill from living in the presence of an adept external modulator [the horses with congruent and authentic facilitators], and they learn it implicitly.”[1]
I can’t begin to tell you how passionate I have become about some of the newest brain and body research and information coming from very reliable and dedicated scientists and clinicians. Most of my professional life, I have practiced as a clinician whether I am conducting a session as a psychotherapist, coach, mentor or teacher. The many “miracles” I have been a part of fills me with awe and hope for the ability of people to learn new things, change and have better lives. The work that I do with the horses has transferred to everything I do and teach since these brilliant beings are so good at helping people come back to their true selves. Leigh Shambo has coined the term we use consistently now called the “homerun”. A core value at HEAL is this “homerun”—the ability to immediately anchor increased connectivity human to human. This is actually what is often missed when someone has an experience with the horses and we believe that the limbic revision happens when the facilitator helps the client to fully embrace and integrate this new way of being into the human world, the “homerun”.
The book, The Brain That Changes Itself[2] has some of the best information on the neuroplasticity of the brain. Neuroplasticity of the brain is the term used to describe the capacity of our brain for creation of new neural connections and for growing new neurons in response to experience. In the process of experiential learning with the horses, the experience itself which is vey new for most people, i.e., being with a horse without doing anything can actually assist the client in forming and developing new neural connections. I often give a simple explanation like this: The horses help the humans to see, feel, and believe in the possibility that the old super highway way of being and responding to a familiar person, stimulus, thought or action can be replaced by a new path—much like the road less traveled. Most of us can visualize this and if we believe in change we can be open to this new neural connection and perhaps the old super highway—which helped people to survive but is keeping them from thriving will eventually become grass and dirt and the new path will become a newer, quicker highway to an expanded vision of life.
In Daniel Siegel’s latest book, Mindsight, he eloquently and factually supports the efficacy of experience in relationship to help people grow and change. He believes that most people come into the world with the brain potential to develop mindsight, but the neural circuits that underlie it need experiences to develop properly[3]. He describes mindsight as our seventh sense and tells a story of a ninety-two year old man who was able to overcome a painful childhood to emerge as what he calls a mindsight maven. Siegel believes, as do I, that it is never to late to stimulate of growth of neural fibers that enable mindsight to flourish. How exciting is that!
The horses and good facilitators both with listening hearts can really help people be open to the possibilities of change and with limbic revision guide them towards the probability of a new life. One of the consistent ways of doing this is what I call holding the sacred space of possibility.This is a space, nestled between two heart beats, where two beings breathing together co-create the possibility for lasting and sustainable change.
[1] “General Theory of Love” Lewis, Amini and Lannon
[2] “The Brain that Changes Itself” Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontier of Brain Science by Norman Doidge, M.D.
[3] “Mindsight” The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.
Kathleen’s Youtube Interview 2009
January 4, 2010 by Kathleen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naryzMpIg8U
Watch this interview with Kathleen produced through Horse Spirit Connections, Toronto, Canada in February 2009.
Group Dynamics & Process Training: October 3-7,2010 Washington State
December 10, 2009 by Kathleen
Group Dynamics and Process: The Art, the Heart and the Science of Deep Listening
Leigh Shambo and Kathleen Barry Ingram
Sunday, October 3 through Thursday, October 7, 2010 at the HEAL Center in Chehalis, Washington* Professional counselors & therapists: CE hours through NASW-WA & BBS- CA
October 3-7, 2010
The HEAL Model™ of Equine-Facilitated Learning is the most clinically sophisticated and scientifically supported model for employing horses in human emotional healing.
This training is for…
People who are teaching and facilitating EFP/ EFL in groups, or who want to begin and feel they need additional training.The facilitators/instructors will share their expertise and experience leading groups and workshops with horses as esteemed colleagues and guides, and will provide solid, proven information, techniques and considerations for all types of groups,
We welcome… EFP/L facilitators from all walks of life, including…
professional counselors and therapists, teachers, life coaches and personal growth facilitators, specialists in leadership and corporate training, equestrian coaches, and others.Whether you work with adults or youth, closed or open groups, whether your scope of practice includes Psychotherapy or Learning—this training will give you valuable information and increase your confidence and skills in facilitating group process and understanding group dynamics.
You’ve heard of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) for mental health.Horses in particular are powerful partners for helping both young and mature clients learn emotional wellness skills.Exquisitely sensitive to tiny fluctuations in autonomic arousal, horses will amaze you with their ability to quietly regulate human emotion, and allow themselves to be soothed and regulated by the human as well.Horses are the therapy animal of choice for supporting humans to learn emotional self-regulation and modulation.
For full Program information: heal-group-process-flyer-10-pdf
Chehalis, Washington( south of Seattle)
Cost: $2,400 (includes material, lunch and snacks)
Contact: Ricki: ricki@humanequinealliance.org
Leigh and Kathleen in Washington
The Power of Horses- Dusseldorf, Germany June 18,19,20 2010
November 29, 2009 by Kathleen
Germany workshop Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20, 2010
“The Power of Horses”, a workshop in Mettmann (near Dusseldorf), is being hosted by Eva Balzer. Eva completed the HEAL Facilitator Training Program with Kathleen and Leigh Shambo in October 2009. This will be the first opportunity for the German audience to hear the latest psychological and scientifc research which backs up the experiential findings of the work with horses. Kathleen is very excited to introduce this and to share her experience and expertise with the German people.
Contact: Eva Balzer, www.evabalzer.de email: kontakt@evabalzer.de
phone: +49-1722320836
address: Eitelstrasse 47
40472 Duesseldorf
COST: 495€
Eva & Jola at home in Germany
Energy and Grace: July 23-25. 2010 Washington State
November 28, 2009 by Kathleen
Energy and Grace: Human and Horse
- Kathleen and Leigh 2009 graduation celebration
July 23-25, 2010, Chehalis, Washington
With Leigh Shambo and Kathleen Barry Ingram
This popular workshop goes indepth on the energetic aspects of building relationship with horses and ourselves. Learn energetic awarenes and practical energy management. You will learn about horse and human energy fields and boundaries, how to protect and clear yourself energetically and how to communicate with horses and people from this nonverbal place. We incorporate the ancient practice of QiGong and lots of horse play!
CE credits for counselors and therapists through NASW-WA and CA-B An Epona approved workshop
Full Brochure: eg-10-flyer-updated-510
Transitions: Moving Beyond Limiting Beliefs: Parker, Colorado : August 14 & 15
November 27, 2009 by Kathleen
Transitions: Moving Beyond Limiting Beliefs
Parker, Colorado
August 14 & 15, 2010
TRANSITIONS: MOVING BEYOND LIMITING BELIEFS
August 14-15, 2010
Parker, Colorado
Is it possible, I asked myself, that I am being summoned from some deep and holy place within? Am I being asked to enter a passage in the spiritual life- a journey from false self to true self? Am I being asked to dismantle old masks and patterns and unfold a deeper, more authentic self- the one God created me to be? Am I being compelled to disturb my inner universe in quest of the undiscovered being who clamors from within?
When the Heart Waits Sue Monk Kidd
Come to this workshop and let Kathleen, Donna and her herd of horses’ help you remove obstacles standing in the way of YOUR best life.
For two days in beautiful Parker, Colorado we will engage with the horses, experience new ideas, share with each other, and encourage new behaviors and thoughts for lasting change. Every transition begins with an ending. If we can understand our old coping mechanisms, ones which helped us to survive but no longer help us thrive, and be in the present moment we can take the next step towards our full potential.
For more information, please contact Donna Martino www.SpiritoflifeLLC.com
Spirit of Life Inspiration Center: Parker, Colorado
Tel: 303-880-7144 Email: dsmartino@yahoo.com
Cost: $550
COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM-October 24-29,2010
November 20, 2009 by Kathleen
COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP TRAINING FOR EQUINE FACILITATE LEARNING
October 24-29, 2010
Eve B. Lee and Kathleen Barry Ingram, leaders in the field of Equine Facilitated Learning, invite you and your partner on a journey of self-discovery and mutual collaboration. Our work, separately and together as working Partners, has shown us that an alliance with the horses and a solid truthful Partnership can only be created and maintained by following the horses’ leadership and guidance. It is the love, respect and trust we have with the horses, that allow us to carry this work forward to other people and horses.
What makes a successful Partnership? What are the necessary ingredients underlying a dynamic relationship? What creates an authentic bond between partners that allows the best of both to emerge in the round pen? When partnerships aren’t working, what steps can be taken to re-establish rapport and encourage the personal growth of both partners?
We have found it our privilege and honor to work with people and horses to raise our consciousness and our personal awareness as humans living during these challenging times. Together, with the horses, we are making this offering of assistance to interested facilitators and their working Partners for the development, refinement, and implementation of a successful Equine Facilitated Learning Practice. This alliance is one of cooperation and collaboration with their equine colleagues which aims for synergy where each partner finds that the benefits of the alliance are greater than those found from individual efforts. A strategic alliance is a formal relationship between two or more parties (the horses) which is established to pursue a set of agreed upon goals to meet a specific need or demand. The program will offer guidance, teachings, practice, and insights on how this can be accomplished and maintained.
The program will emphasize the most recent research on the importance of relationships in learning, the limbic system, implicit knowing versus explicit knowledge, and the latest scientific information available to validate and affirm the intuitive knowing received from the horses.
Our work together is guided by The Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers (www.grandmotherscouncil.com) a group of women working together for the betterment of all of humanity. Their mission statement follows:
The grandmothers believe that only culture derived from nature’s laws will survive. Without a deep connection to nature, our consciousness and our politics will inevitably be flawed. But when we are connected to the natural world, we cannot help but see the beauty within ourselves and everywhere else. With the deluge of negative information in the world today, it is heartening to consider the possibility that opening ourselves to beauty, hope, and connection may be the most healing action we can take. (Utne Reader, November 2007)
We look forward to having you join us and the horses at Loghaven in this endeavor! www.equinemagic.com and www.sacredplaceofpossibility.com
For Full Program Description Read on:
FACILITATED BY: Kathleen Ingram and Eve B. Lee at Loghaven, Antioch Illinois www.equinemagic.com
Pre-requisite: Participation in an approved EFL workshop for those working with individuals practicing EFL.
COST: $1,500 (per participant)
After participation in an introductory workshop, persons applying for the Partnership Program are to complete a simple questionnaire obtainable from Kathleen kathygram@cox.net. Those passing this initial paper screening will be interviewed by Kathleen Ingram. www.sacredplaceofpossibility.com
The concept and idea for this program comes out of our desire to support partnership and collaboration for instructors/facilitators coming from approved EFL programs with their partners in business. Partners include individuals through marriage, significant relationships, and long term working relationships. The individuals applying for this program are interested in working with graduate facilitators and want to obtain more personal knowledge of the concepts and principles behind this approach to working with horses and people.
The program takes the partners through all of the processes we employ to build authenticity in community, develop and enhance horse skills, and introduce energy work. They will also learn about the underlying psychological principles as they apply to working with horses and teaching the reflective round pen experience. The benefits and the challenges of co-facilitating with another person and the horse will be thoroughly taught and practiced. This will include the dynamics of relationship and the principles and practices of collaborative partnership.
Eve Lee will take the participants through the basic teachings of shamanic practices and give them opportunities to journey through her guidance and direction.
Our purpose is to enhance the partnership for a thriving and successful equine facilitated learning practice.
DATES: October 24-29, 2010
TIMES: The program includes one day off as a Day of Integration. This day is for reflection and personal time. Each day will include 8 hours of instruction and practice.
PLACE: Loghaven, Antioch, Illinois (northwest of Chicago) www.equinemagic.com
MEALS: Lunch and healthy snacks are provided each program day.
ACCOMODATONS: Area lodging details will be sent upon acceptance into the program.
COST: $1500 for each participant
- Covers lecture materials, art supplies, handouts and daily, lunch, and snacks
- Lodging, transportation, breakfast and dinner and assigned books are not covered in the cost.
Persons participating must pay a $500 deposit to reserve space in the program.
The $1000 balance due October 1, 2010.
Checks or money orders are payable to Kathleen Barry Ingram, LLC
Note: If payments are not received by the scheduled due dates, a $25 late charge will be immediately due and payable. Additionally, a $25 fee is charged for any check returned from the bank. This is due when the party is notified of the return
HEAL 2009 FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM GRADUATES
November 2, 2009 by Kathleen
HEAL 2009 GRADUATES
HUMAN EQUINE ALLIANCE FOR LEARNING
9 Women graduated from the 2009 program and will be presenting the HEAL MODEL™ to a world-wide audience along with the 2008 graduating class. (look under 2008 Class in Events for information about these facilitators). Leigh, Kathleen and David Young are so pleased that the following individuals will be taking the work and facilitating people and horses towards a more fulfilled and satisfying life.
HEAL 2009 GRADUATING CLASS
EVA BALZER: Animal Healing & Coaching for Personal Development:Masters Degree in Business Administration GERMANY
Eva & Jola
Animal Healer: Acupuncture; Osteopathy; Animal Communication; Reiki I & II; Family Therapy
Contact Information: Germany Tel+491722320836;kontakt@evabalzer.de www.evabalzer.de www.zentaura.de
SANDRA BOE: Founder & Program Director, Boots ‘n Breeches Therapeutic Horsemanship; Advanced NARHA Instructor WASHINGTON STATE “As a therapeutic riding instructor, I have seen the amazing transformative power that happens when you connect in relationship with a horse. I have experienced it myself in my own personal journey as I have coped with multiple sclerosis since 1998. I know I am as well as I am because of my work with the horses. As an EFL practioner, I hope to offer the opportunity to engage in healing relationships with our equine partners.”
Sandra Boe
Contact Information: Tacoma, Washington
sreid@harbonet.com, www.bootsnbreeches.com
MATNEY COOK: TLC Horsemanship: Safe & Gentle coaching for both horses and humans who walk the path towards true connection through self-aware horsemanship. WASHINGTON STATE
“What were dreams for me a year ago are now a rality because of this life changing HEAL program. Not only have I learned the skills that enable me to step into my soul’s purpose, I’ve also gained the confidence to facilitate others on their journey to authenticity. I am so grateful to Leigh and Kathleen for helping me to hear the horses calling and learn to believe in my own magic.”
Matney Cook
Emma Dinnage & Charlie
Robin Krueger
Ann Glaze
Charmaine Lane
Donna Martino & Kah-Ching
Maaike, Tammy and Tanyka"This year has been life changing. I got to know myself a lot better and I became more whole. I learned to trust my intuition, my body and my inner wisdom. Horses are great healers and I leanred how to facilitate and hold the "sacred place of possibility" for others. I want to share the wisdom of the horse with others. Kathleen and Leigh created a safe place for everybody to open up and bloom. I learned so much and am really thankful for the place and the amazing people.Contact Information: PortugalQuinta do Colaco, PortugalTel: 00351275561538Tel: 00351916100048maaikeinportugal@mac.comwww.howdoyoudo.nlEmma & Charlie
Personal Mastery: The Missing Piece, Sussex, UK Sept 13-18, 2010
October 29, 2009 by Kathleen
with Kathleen Barry Ingram, Flo Magdalena and Sun Tui
Monday 13th – Saturday 18th September 2010
£1890
The researched evidence is that in order for therapeutic technique to be effective, it is essential that the therapist is fully present, empathetic and congruent.
This Personal Mastery Intensive offers opportunities to deepen awareness of personal issues, core feelings and areas of bodily tension that inhibit the ability for us to reach our true potential as authentic facilitators, teachers and healers. Elemental horse related activities, that include warm water pool work and sweat lodge set with in the AHHO herds woodland environment, are designed to explore and integrate an expansive, yet grounded mind set, capable of endless compassion, innovation, energetic adaptability and creativity. Studies will include unified fields and genomic counter stress changes to elicit authentic co-creative therapeutic relationships.
Kathleen Barry Ingram, co-founder of The Epona Approach™ is a Tucson-based life coach, consultant, lecturer and educator specializing in Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning(www.sacredplaceofpossibility.com)
Flo Magdalena is the founder and director of Soul Support Systems, and author of I Remember Union and Sunlight on Water. (www.soulsupportsystems.org) She teaches Soul Recognition, Circuitry Alignment, and Heart Touch. Sun Tui is the founder and director of AHHO and is an Advanced Epona Approach Instructor. She teaches Horse Way Tai Chi and is the founder of Integral Body Mind Therapy.
CONTACT: Suntui www.authentichorsehuman.org
Great Cansiron Farm House, Cansiron Lane, Hartfield, East Sussex, TN7 4LD
Tel: +44 1342 850330
Suntui & Lozen at home in England
October 2009 Horses are Challenging us to WAKE UP!
October 2, 2009 by Kathleen
Newsletter article for www.horsespiritconnections.com
Horse Spirit Connections present “The Way of the Horse” and interview with Kathleen Barry Ingram, see it on You Tube!
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. I began my journey with horses as therapists at Sierra Tucson, a hospital in Arizona specializing in addiction treatment, where Reed Smith hired Barbara Rector to engage equines in the treatment team for the new adolescent center in the early 1990’s. At the time I was the corporate director of marketing for this world renowned center and you can read more about this story in the article titled “Unexpected Grace”.
In 1992 I began my private practice in psychotherapy and I worked with Barbara Rector and Ann Alden, it was at one of their workshops that I met Linda Kohanov. Linda and I developed and taught the Epona Approach™ for eight years. We taught nine Epona apprenticeship classes together, many workshops, and experienced the incredible growth of this approach working with our equine colleagues. I have immense gratitude for all that Linda and I experienced, learned and developed over those years. What I lovingly call the “straw bale/ porta potty days” with our first workshops in late 1999 to Epona’s move to the magnificent facility at Apache Springs Ranch located in Gardner Canyon in Sonoita, Arizona; we met, taught and engaged with people and horses from all over the world.
In 2008 I began my current journey which has taken me to England, Ireland, Belgium, Vermont, Florida, New York State, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Canada. One of the most consistent observations I have had is that the horses world-wide are speaking to each other. Rupert Sheldrake’s concept of the morphogenetic field; Candace Pert’s research on the molecules of emotion; and Larry Dossey’s description of the nonlocal nature of mind has demonstrated that all of the horses are communicating with each other and are taking us to new levels of personal and interpersonal awareness. They are literally helping us to wake up!
I have been conducting advanced workshops with others, some of whom were my students, and also am teaming up with people like Wendy and Andre and teaching what I call the psychological/spiritual/scientific foundations underlying equine facilitated learning in various training programs. What I have noticed as a theme is the people I am teaching and training are asking for guidance and direction for their life work based on their own intuition, self-awareness, and personal knowledge gleaned from life challenges; and turning possibilities into probabilities. Some come as students to learn this work with horses and people in advanced human development, others come for their own personal growth, and some come as a group to learn leadership from a collaborative point of view. The horses, as always, infuse people with wisdom, courage, vision and strength. As our role models, they teach us to offer support when appropriate, wait for the right moment to intervene and not take anything too personally.
One of the key components developed at Epona is something Linda created called the “Emotional Message Chart”. Horses teach us to use emotion as information and that no emotion is good or bad. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson’s ground breaking book, “Positivity”defines, records and validates her research and findings over a period of 20 years regarding the importance of balancing Positive Emotions with Negative Emotions. She has found that a ration of 3:1 positive to negative is needed to balance our emotions. She says, “Negative emotions are necessary for us to flourish, and positive emotions are by nature subtle and fleeting; the secret is not to deny their transience but to find ways to increase their quantity. Without a balance of positive to negative emotions, she has found that people get pulled into a downward spiral, their behavior becomes lifeless, rigid, and predictable and they begin to feel burdened. It is also important to note that she is not advocating suppression of any emotions but rather balancing them. All positive emotions have one thing is common, which is they are reactions to our current circumstances and are not a permanent state. Why is this so important to note and remember? Positive emotions tend to be more fleeting than negative emotions and happiness is the overall outcome of many positive emotions. She says that positive emotions are triggered by our interpretations of our current circumstances and are felt not only in the body but also tell us what we need emotionally and mentally for the future. This helps us to broaden our minds and outlook and to build what she calls the “broaden and build effect”. Positive emotions are a narrower band of feelings and not an overall judgment about life. A study cited in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in November 2008 called “Open Hearts Build Lives” looked at the effects of loving-kindness meditation on people’s resources and attributed the benefits not to learning loving-kindness meditation but to the daily increase in positive emotions that the participants got from this and they concluded that over time positive emotions literally change who we are. I often refer to the psychological concept of a “corrective emotional experience” which happens consistently in the work with horses. When the identity of the facilitator/horse is confused with past figures from childhood, the horses help correct negative thoughts and feelings about certain circumstances or memories by responding positively in the present. This experience helps the client to develop new “neural pathways” in the brain with positive emotions which eventually replace the “super highway” reaction based on past experiences.
We and the herd of horses at Horse Spirit Connection invite you to take this journey with us and begin to live from your true essence. We are often asked how does this work with horses enhance and develop us as Spiritual beings. Michael Singer’s book, “The Untethered Soul” gives one of the best definitions of Spirituality I have seen:
Spirituality begins when you decide that you’ll never stop trying. Spirituality is the commitment to go beyond, no matter what it takes. It’s an infinite journey based upon going beyond yourself every minute of the day for the rest of your life. If you’re truly going beyond you are always at your limits. You’re never back in the comfort zone. A spiritual being feels as though they are always against the edge, and they are constantly being pushed through it. (p 124) “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer
The essence of spirituality is letting go of this false sense of self, this façade, and this need to have others behave predictably. It is being in the vulnerable, unknowing part of you. It is taking the risk to Chart Your Own Course. You decide to take the journey by constantly letting go, not clinging, and being a witness to your thoughts, your feelings, and your state of mind. Living authentically from this soulful place is the way to true freedom.
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 and to Chart Your Own Course? What would it be like to view all people and experiences as new opportunities to see with the heart and the mind?
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 the experiences with horses allows 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. Barbara Fredrickson and Marty Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association and founder of positive psychology, among others have taken the scientific rigor developed in traditional psychology, based on the medical model and directed it towards understanding human potential Seligman challenged the field to look at what makes a person healthy rather that what makes them sick. Fredrickson says that one way to increase positivity is to be aware of the present moment, because she says most moments are positive. She says 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”. 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.
Kathleen Barry Ingram, MA
September 2009 ©