Richard
02-10-2014, 10:00
I saw this form of therapy work well with treating ED adolescents as well.
And so it goes...
Richard
Equine-assisted Therapy Helps Soldiers Deal With PTSD
S&S, 9 Feb 2014
It's not your typical therapist's office.
There's no chaise lounge. No corporate art. No receptionist.
But for a growing number of local soldiers suffering from the invisible wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a 20-acre farm north of Fayetteville has become a place of healing.
Horses That Heal is a local nonprofit organization that serves veterans and at-risk youth through equine-assisted psychotherapy at Avalon Farms on East Reeves Bridge Road.
At the farm, situated between Linden and Fayetteville, veterans find a world far from the rank and structure of Fort Bragg. The therapy isn't for everyone, officials caution, but some have found it more helpful than other treatments.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, anywhere from 11 to 20 percent of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
On the first Saturday of February, soldiers Ricky Derring and Corrie Gibson step into a muddy corral and place several plastic chairs into a small circle.
Derring and Gibson were strangers before they met at Horses That Heal.
But the two said they have a lot in common and want to encourage other veterans to seek help for their issues.
"We're asked to do things .," Derring said of his combat deployments. "You're going to come back with some issues."
During a typical therapy session, the soldiers would sit and talk about their issues. They would tell their war stories - their nightmares - and outline their goals for recovery.
On this day, Derring and Gibson talk instead about how Horses That Heal is helping them keep their lives together - how equine therapy is the only thing they've found that helps them.
As they talk, three horses silently wander from chair to chair. There is River, dark brown and the smallest of the trio. Sun is the lightest in color. Mark is large and dark.
At any moment, those sitting in the circle may feel the nose of a horse inspecting pockets or have one of the thousand-pound animals place its head on a shoulder.
Derring, a Green Beret and sergeant first class, said he has a lot in common with the horses.
After six combat deployments totaling more than four years, the Watertown, N.Y., soldier is jumpy. He's constantly looking for the next roadside bomb or ambush.
Mark also is alert and looking for potential threats. Unlike dogs or cats, a horse is a prey animal, said Deborah Foley, founder and president of Horses That Heal. It's built to be on constant alert for predators.
In the horses, Derring said he's found kindred spirits. Their heightened awareness matches his own. They connect, he said, on a warrior level.
Derring wasn't always so open about his PTSD.
"I've been in a lot of combat situations," he said, estimating that he's suffered from PTSD for the past four or five years. "I was hiding my symptoms for a while."
When Derring did seek help, he didn't find it effective.
It wasn't enough to meet with a therapist once a month, he said.
And other treatment, such as the military's virtual-reality exposure therapy, had him wondering if he could be helped at all.
"I left those throwing up and crying," Derring said.
But then he heard about Horses That Heal from a co-worker.
He was apprehensive at first.
"I didn't know what to expect," Derring said.
But now he's been attending therapy sessions at the farm for about three months and said he's making progress.
"It takes a while to heal from this," he said. "This has been a step in the right direction."
(Cont'd) http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/equine-assisted-therapy-helps-soldiers-deal-with-ptsd-1.266624
And so it goes...
Richard
Equine-assisted Therapy Helps Soldiers Deal With PTSD
S&S, 9 Feb 2014
It's not your typical therapist's office.
There's no chaise lounge. No corporate art. No receptionist.
But for a growing number of local soldiers suffering from the invisible wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a 20-acre farm north of Fayetteville has become a place of healing.
Horses That Heal is a local nonprofit organization that serves veterans and at-risk youth through equine-assisted psychotherapy at Avalon Farms on East Reeves Bridge Road.
At the farm, situated between Linden and Fayetteville, veterans find a world far from the rank and structure of Fort Bragg. The therapy isn't for everyone, officials caution, but some have found it more helpful than other treatments.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, anywhere from 11 to 20 percent of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
On the first Saturday of February, soldiers Ricky Derring and Corrie Gibson step into a muddy corral and place several plastic chairs into a small circle.
Derring and Gibson were strangers before they met at Horses That Heal.
But the two said they have a lot in common and want to encourage other veterans to seek help for their issues.
"We're asked to do things .," Derring said of his combat deployments. "You're going to come back with some issues."
During a typical therapy session, the soldiers would sit and talk about their issues. They would tell their war stories - their nightmares - and outline their goals for recovery.
On this day, Derring and Gibson talk instead about how Horses That Heal is helping them keep their lives together - how equine therapy is the only thing they've found that helps them.
As they talk, three horses silently wander from chair to chair. There is River, dark brown and the smallest of the trio. Sun is the lightest in color. Mark is large and dark.
At any moment, those sitting in the circle may feel the nose of a horse inspecting pockets or have one of the thousand-pound animals place its head on a shoulder.
Derring, a Green Beret and sergeant first class, said he has a lot in common with the horses.
After six combat deployments totaling more than four years, the Watertown, N.Y., soldier is jumpy. He's constantly looking for the next roadside bomb or ambush.
Mark also is alert and looking for potential threats. Unlike dogs or cats, a horse is a prey animal, said Deborah Foley, founder and president of Horses That Heal. It's built to be on constant alert for predators.
In the horses, Derring said he's found kindred spirits. Their heightened awareness matches his own. They connect, he said, on a warrior level.
Derring wasn't always so open about his PTSD.
"I've been in a lot of combat situations," he said, estimating that he's suffered from PTSD for the past four or five years. "I was hiding my symptoms for a while."
When Derring did seek help, he didn't find it effective.
It wasn't enough to meet with a therapist once a month, he said.
And other treatment, such as the military's virtual-reality exposure therapy, had him wondering if he could be helped at all.
"I left those throwing up and crying," Derring said.
But then he heard about Horses That Heal from a co-worker.
He was apprehensive at first.
"I didn't know what to expect," Derring said.
But now he's been attending therapy sessions at the farm for about three months and said he's making progress.
"It takes a while to heal from this," he said. "This has been a step in the right direction."
(Cont'd) http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/equine-assisted-therapy-helps-soldiers-deal-with-ptsd-1.266624