“I had a profoundly insightful and healing journey during my session with Eric and the horses at Tula Vida. The experience helped me with my healing processes, and clearly exposed aspects of my subconscious that allowed me to connect more deeply with, and trust in, my inner wisdom. Ultimately, I left with greater clarity, and feeling more confident and in touch with myself.

 

The session began with an introduction to equine therapy and the horses, and setting an intention – I chose to focus on releasing a resurfaced trauma. From the moment we began talking, I could already feel the effect of being in the horses’ presence – so much that I decided to change my intention from its “negative” focus on release of something “bad” that had happened, to a positive focus on stepping more into my empowered feminine. It was amazing to see – and experience – how the horses pick up on our emotions, how that in turn affects their behaviour, and so how they act as mirrors for us to look deeply into ourselves to observe how our thought and emotional patterns affect us. It also made me reflect deeply on the connection between “inner” and “outer” worlds: how we affect one another when relating, and the kinds of feedback loops that we generate – through body language, subtle expression, and energetic vibration.

 

An example of this was an exercise we did to “lead” the horse that had chosen to work with me (Mr Big) to various points around the site. I witnessed how he would not move when I either became anxiously fixated on the goal of reaching the destination, or when I had feelings of doubt and insecurity about arriving at that goal. In the first case, he picked up on my mental fixation, tendency to attach to and rush towards achieving outcomes, and impatience. In the second case, it was my lack of self-confidence and belief in my ability to “lead” him, and insecurity as I turned to look back at him, that inhibited our progression. These feelings I had went hand in hand: when I could not get Mr Big to “move”, I would find myself becoming doubtful and judgmental about my “failure”, and then “try” even harder in that detrimental, overly future-focussed way. In both cases, witnessing how Mr Big was reacting to my inner state, brought to the surface my tensions and mental/emotional tendencies, in a stark way that facilitated my self-examination and then release of the behavioural patterns which were no longer serving me.

 

As the session progressed, I found myself becoming more aware, present, and letting go of painful stories as well as judgments about myself. Horses know how to be so present in the here and now. I found myself identifying where I get stuck in stories from my past, and occasions where I allow things that have happened to me to inhibit how I relate in the present, due to fear of those cycles repeating. I left feeling more centred, peaceful, connected and ready to embrace my life and new opportunities in a fresh way – like I’d been through a big resetting process.

 

I’m very grateful for the experience, and to meet all the beautiful souls at Tula Vida – human, horses, and the vibrant nature around the farm. Thank you!”