http://blogs.psychcentral.com/equine-therapy/2011/04/equine-therapy-and-attachment-disorders-a-window-into-the-soul/
This article talks about attachment disorders and the research behind detecting what type of attachment style a person has by the reaction of a horse. This article mentions that a horse will back away from a person who has an insecure attachment style because the horse can detect that the person does not trust it. However, the horse will draw closer to someone who has a secure attachment style because it can sense that the person trusts it.
I had horses in Pennsylvania and this story exhibits truth about horses. They are able to sense things that we as humans cannot sense. It is strange, but incredible at the same time. My horse was able to tell if I was scared just by my physiological responses. Horses only trust us when they know we trust them. It is great that they are able to use horses' knowledge and sense to determine a person's attachment style. It's possible that a person is unaware of their attachment type and are not able to receive help until they do know, but now research shows that a horse may just be what this person needs in determining that attachment style!
This was a really interesting post and I can't help but wonder if interacting with horses would be a good therapeutic technique. As you said if they are able to perceive an individual's emotional state that individual can gain greater self-awareness by noting the horses response to them. Not to mention for those suffering from attachment disorders, learning how to give a receive trust may be learned best when the capacity for rejection is minimal, such as with a horse. Really interesting post!
ReplyDelete