Some of you have wondered why I am not giving a step-by-step description of a Gestalt Session with a Horse on my website. The very nature of Gestalt is to be experiential. Gestalt and the Healing Power of Horses is to be experienced by every cell in your body. Each Equine Gestalt Coaching Session is unique. Below is my attempt at capturing one of them.
Higgins has not moved since Thalia entered the round pen where he has been standing. He has not moved an inch. His four feet are in full contact with the ground. He is present, the way horses naturally know to be.
Horses are drawn to us when we are congruent, that is, when our mind, soul and body are aligned. Higgins has been present throughout the session between Thalia and her coach. Thalia has opened up to her coach. Yet, Higgins has not made a move.
Thalia is walking alongside the railing. She is struggling in her relationship with her partner and her head is wrapped up in their daily fights. At one point, she stops across from Higgins. They are 60 feet away from each other. Thalia reaches deep inside herself. Higgins feels her heart and is drawn to it, like a magnet. He walks towards her, the beautiful, steady, balanced walk that belongs to horses. He is 10 feet away from her when he stops.
Stillness ensues before tears stream down Thalia’s face. The tears roll, a steady stream. Now she sees it. Clearly. In front of her. The Wall. The Wall in her relationship. The Wall that stops her partner from coming close to her. The Wall she has built as a shield. The very same shield that once protected her from being hurt is also stopping her from receiving love.
Higging stays still on his side of the Wall. Thalia fully lets her defenses down. Her heart melts. Higgins calmly walks the remaining 10 feet and puts his nose on Thalia’s heart.
No words from Thalia’s coach would have led her to fully grasping what is at play for her in her relationship. Experiencing it with the authentic, non-judgmental contact with the horse was the surest, if not the only way to breaking down the Wall and accessing the Truth that she was hiding from herself.
How does this resonate with you? Are you committed to taking the first step towards breaking down your own Wall and accessing your Truth?