FOREST HILL, Md. — Traditional talk therapy can be scary and isn't right for everyone. There are plenty of alternatives to help improve your mental health.
A woman in Harford County is presenting a unique way of healing many may have not heard of.
Healing after a traumatic event takes time and traditional therapy isn't for everyone.
That's where Tricia Kiebler, a certified equine gestalt coach, opens the barn door to help.
"The word gestalt means wholeness. So, it's a German word that means bring together whole," said Kiebler.
It's through her healing program Saddle the Storm.
A unique therapy, she helps clients heal. Whether that's talking or yelling, they focus on past trauma, along with the assistance of a horse. She says it's a partnership.
"Maybe it was something in your past that you couldn't finish saying. Maybe you were eight years old and you were abused or maybe there was trauma when you were younger and you just didn't have the strength at that time at that age to say what you needed to say,” said Kiebler.
She said the horses can read you. Even if you say you're fine, but you're not, they'll pick up on that and help to deal with it, pulling the negative energy out.
"So, they are using their body to draw out that energy. They will stand with you, they will touch you. They may nudge you with their nose. They may lick your hands," said Kiebler.
Sessions are usually 90 minutes and can be with a group or by yourself at Rolling Acres farm in Forest Hill.
Through the connection, she said horses teach trust, love, and boundaries
"You leave your baggage in the dirt and we don't keep dragging it with us everywhere we go. And to be lighter and live every day fully," said Debbie Wilson, who completed the program.
It's a newfound feeling for Wilson after completing the program. She works at the same barn and was dealing with her own trauma she didn't realize she was holding in.
"Doing work on my grief with the horses involved just helped me get past and realize every day what I was going through that something might be bothering me, and I might not understand what it was, but it's the grief from losing my parents,” said Wilson, who is an Equine Gestalt client and coach.
She said rather than riding, it's interacting with the animal.
"The horses start on our left side, and they start at our feet, and they scan your body," said Wilson. “The horse brings out a calmness and peace I’ve never seen. They just bring it into the whole session."
She described the horses as complex animals looking out for our best interests.
