A wound that goes unacknowledged is a wound that cannot heal.
John Elderidge
Specific benefits of EAP for Military & Veterans
Military personnel and veterans face unique challenges in transitioning from active duty to civilian life. The high rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety among this population require specialised therapeutic approaches.
Specific Benefits of EAP for Military Personnel and Veterans:
- Improved Emotional Regulation: Horses provide immediate, non-verbal feedback, which helps veterans recognize and manage their emotions in real-time. This can be especially beneficial for veterans who struggle with anger or emotional numbness.
- Building Trust and Connection: Many veterans find it difficult to trust others due to their traumatic experiences. Horses, being non-judgmental and intuitive, can create a safe space for veterans to rebuild trust in themselves and others.
- Reducing PTSD Symptoms: EAP has been shown to reduce PTSD symptoms by helping veterans process trauma in a way that feels less invasive than traditional talk therapy. The horses’ reactions help veterans experience emotional breakthroughs and gain insights into their trauma.
- Promoting Resilience and Coping Skills: Engaging with horses fosters personal growth, helping veterans build resilience and strengthen coping skills that are necessary for handling stress and difficult emotions.
- Improved Social Interaction: Horses require individuals to communicate and collaborate, which helps veterans improve their interpersonal relationships and social skills.
Horses and Military Personnel and Veterans: A Deep Connection in Healing and Recovery
The therapy herd at Connection Matters Counseling consists of retired racehorses who have transitioned into new roles, finding purpose as co-facilitators in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
The bond between horses and humans is powerful, not just through history, but in the ways our nervous systems react to stress, pressure, and trauma.
Much like military personal and veterans who have served in high-stress environments, racehorses too are often subjected to intense conditions that leave lasting impacts on their bodies and minds.
Equine-assisted psychotherapy offers a unique opportunity for both military personal, and veterans together with retired racehorses a path to find healing through trust, understanding, and connection.
Parallels in Survival Instincts
- Racehorses: Conditioned in high-pressure racing environments, they suppress their natural fear responses in order to perform under strict expectations.
- Military Personnel and Veterans: Those who have faced combat or stressful service often adapt by suppressing emotions, staying hyper-vigilant, and developing coping mechanisms that may not always serve them well in civilian life.
Hyperarousal and Nervous System Regulation
- Horses in Racing: Racehorses exist in a heightened state of arousal, constantly under stress from training, competition, and the pressure to perform. Their flight instincts are often triggered, but they learn to suppress them.
- Military Personnel and Veterans: Those who have experienced combat, live in a constant state of hyperarousal, where their nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight mode. This can make it hard to relax, even in everyday situations.
Performance Under Intense Pressure
- Horses in Racing: The pressure to perform under strict expectations defines their existence, and their ability to cope with stress impacts their success on the track.
- Military Personnel and Veterans: Much like racehorses, many military personnel and veterans are accustomed to performing under extreme pressure, whether in combat or high-stakes missions. However, the emotional and physical toll of this pressure can have lasting effects long after their service ends.
Spaces for Recovery
- Horses in Racing: Retired racehorses thrive when they have the freedom to move, form connections, and experience gentle, non-pressured interactions.
- Military Personnel and Veterans: Healing from trauma requires safe, supportive spaces—where military personnel and veterans can rebuild trust, regulate their nervous systems, and feel a sense of belonging outside of their service.
A Shared Journey of Healing
The relationship between military personnel, veterans and retired racehorses is a profound one. Both have experienced the physical and emotional toll of high-stress environments, and both carry the weight of their experiences. Equine-assisted psychotherapy creates a space where these parallel journeys intersect—offering a path toward trust, self-awareness, acceptance, and healing.
Through patience, understanding, and connection, healing can begin. In the presence of these majestic animals, military personnel and veterans are reminded that healing is possible—through safety, trust, and time.