In Search of a Jungian Approach to Equine Therapy

Abstract

Equine therapy is a form of psychotherapy that includes the presence of one or more horses in the therapeutic process. This article explores the possibility of using the presences of horses in Jungian analysis as a tool or “third” to facilitate the connection between the patient and the unconscious. A series of active imaginations with the Welsh Goddess Rhiannon and the author’s first horse bring forward the deep and historical connection between women, horses, the feminine, and the natural world. The author briefly explores her personal history and connection with horses before delving into how her preverbal experiences with hip dysplasia resurfaced through her own work with horses and led to an awareness of a pattern of abandoning herself and stepping out of the way to make room for others. The author sees equine therapy through a Jungian lens as utilizing an awareness of the individual, the body, the natural world, the unconscious, psyche, the inner child, and the transferential relationship between the individual and the horse. The experience of remothering is also present, as an intimate relationship with a horse can offer an experience of secure attachment that was missing in the original mother–child dyad.