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PIEDMONT, S.D. (AP) — Standing in the middle of a horse pen, one might wait a bit before being approached by one of the shy animals, but having patience is part of the healing process for people with troubled minds.
Learning to be patient, and that good things will come in time, is one of the messages delivered in a session Nov. 17 at the Lazy Y Arena in Piedmont, which uses equine-assisted psychotherapy to aid in healing people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Bridget Williams, a mental health professional with Red Horse Healing, swears by the therapy, saying it has helped people who have survived war, domestic violence, sexual assault and other trauma.
"Some say that horses mirror our behavior, which they do, sometimes," Williams told the Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/1jiAROq ). "But other times they help us learn or rediscover something about ourselves. PTSD makes us feel like we stand alone, and this bridges that connection in a gentle way."
The man in the center of the horse pen was Barry Bettelyoun, who, as the head of Warriors Healing Warriors, said that he brought veterans to the program Nov. 17 to "find their center again" through the equine therapy.
"That includes family," Bettelyoun said. "When a veteran is being treated, family goes through the same things as well, and the kids need someone or something to connect to and to listen."
Bettelyoun said that he broke horses as a child, and that he has long thought there is something inherently therapeutic about connecting to the animals.
"You get to know them, you get closer, and as they learn to trust you, they become real friends," Bettelyoun said.
Bettelyoun said he was prompted to help veterans and others with PTSD after his company, Native American Environmental, subcontracted with TetraTech to go to Iraq to deal with materials used in improvised explosive devices in a process called "capturing enemy ammunition."
The process was "a rush," according to Bettelyoun, who said that he overcame his own trauma through Native American traditions such as Inipi (or sweat lodge) and the Wiping of the Tears ceremony. Bettelyoun is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
But while forging connections is part of the process, learning patience is another. In the horse pen, Bettelyoun stood in the middle of the pen as five tethered horses were run around the ring, then allowed to roam free. The person in the center was to wait until a horse presented itself to them, unless it came to a point where they chose to make a move first. Bettelyoun eventually did approach the horse first, but only after an hour and 10 minutes of quiet perseverance.
Others who attended had their own special moments with the horses: another exercise saw a number of toys and stuffed animals with emotions written on them, such as "worry," or "anxious." Williams asked that attendees pick the emotions they felt they carried with them and, when they'd found them, bridle a horse. They did so in silence, forging connections with the animals.
One person, Talon Tucker, works with Williams and says that he has noticed children with PTSD grow more confident around the soulful animals.
"All of their fear and caution around people melt away," Tucker said. "My niece won't approach a dog, because she's afraid, but around this 6-foot animal, she has no trouble."
Williams, who has been holding these sessions for five years, said that she has seen many people find healing with the animals — from a man with trauma as a veteran and civilian who was able to cut down on his medication, to children who were victims of sexual assault who felt calmed.
"They're exposed to horrific things," Williams said. "And they find an ability to walk through healing and start trusting others again."
Williams said that she herself has benefited from the process. In 2009, she nearly lost her life to MERSA staph infection and lost part of her leg. The next year, her husband was shot and wounded in a home invasion, and her daughter suffered brain injuries both in attacks by bullies and in a car accident.
"This helped us move past it, helped us reconnect with a part of ourselves," Williams said. "I could not have survived without it."
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
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