ABSTRACT
This chapter contains theory and rationale for using an equine-assisted therapy technique within a tri-phasic trauma treatment framework for clients seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) arising from a motor vehicle accident. Advances in the field of neuroscience, highlighted by trauma researchers and experts Ruth Lanius, James Hopper, Bessel van der Kolk, Daniel Siegel, and Pat Ogden, among others, support the notion that effective trauma treatment includes both somatically and cognitively focused components. The task in the first phase of treatment, helping the client to understand the nature of trauma and the functionality of their responses within the context of an overwhelming experience, including orienting and defense activation, along with building skills to stabilize and guide both the mind and the body, can be done effectively in the equine-assisted mental health setting and is demonstrated in the text. This chapter includes a case example with a step-by-step description of the intervention used, together with a client–therapist transcript and analysis.
