ABSTRACT
Members of the armed forces who suffer from combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differ from civilians who have experienced non-combat-related PTSD in specific structural components as well as required treatment. With the increasing number of equine-assisted mental health treatments being offered, it is imperative that clinicians working with this population are aware of those differences and facilitate sessions accordingly. This chapter summarizes the core principles of the psychodynamic equine-assisted traumatherapy. It describes how having equines as part of the treatment team can reduce typical treatment inhibiting factors. A case example illustrates how clients are being given the opportunity to connect with another being in a non-judgmental way, and thus are in a position to be able to process and re-integrate past experiences from a here-and-now perspective.
