Somatic Healing with Horses

Somatic Healing is a method developed in the United States by Dr. Beverly Kane, from California, a physician who trained a great deal in riding and the Feldenkrais Method of ancient martial arts. Somatic healing with horses takes place in the healing center she runs in California.

The process involves connecting horses to people, in order to cure physical, emotional and spiritual-mental problems. The perception is that the body is one and whole and the somatic-physical reference of the body.

The holistic connection with the horses passes through the cells of the body.People are treated with Feldenkrais breathing exercises and exercises from ancient martial arts such as Tai -Chi while sitting on the horses or standing beside them, on the ground.

Somatic healing is mainly done on the ground, so it is suitable for physically handicapped people. After injury, during training with horses, the benefits of healing are learned by focusing on the physical aspects of our relationship with the horses, including how to communicate with the horse, to create and increase empathy and connect in relationships with ourselves and others. Learning to ground ourselves, in order to create space for a new and healthier body awareness.

Dr. Beverly brings a whole new look at the patient doctor relationship, as well as the relationship between patients and horses. The magical process of connecting people to their bodies and spirit starts the physical healing process, rejuvenating tissues and reconnecting to the body. The initial intention was to make people feel better this was the agenda that led the central idea. To her surprise there was also cell regeneration in the wounded, which led to another thought about the healing relationship between man and horse.

A concrete example of one of the techniques used in somatic therapy is the technique of breathing combined with a guided imagination – the connection of a person’s breathing rhythm to the horse’s breathing rhythm – a process that makes her patients feel wonderful even if they are not riding the horse but physically present.