ON MY TACKBOX WITH ADELE EDWARDS

Healing horses and humans using bio-energetics

ADELE EDWARDS came to an understanding of horse bodies via her work in the hospitality industry, a stint as a dental nurse, and her work as a natural therapist and energy practitioner. A reconnection to her passion for horses allowed a natural progression of healing modalities to emerge.

Over the last 100 years, western scientific achievements have been profound. Simultaneously, however, much ancient wisdom of the east has been forgotten or left behind. Through my experience in working with horses, one of the most important links that continues to show up is that of bioenergetics, and yet it still seems to be an overlooked therapy. Within the context of Equine Therapy, bio-energetics is the theory that a horse’s body is more than a collection of tissue, sinew, muscle and bone, but rather, these physical elements are part of a larger collective open dissipative system. From early childhood, I became aware that I experienced the world through a different lens to that of my conservative family background. Having a horse brought much comfort to me as a child. I could get lost in my own world and my equine companion never questioned my way of being. I couldn’t articulate it at the time, but the energetic connection that existed between us was unquestionable to me, and through many wonderful experiences, shared with my horse, I became inspired to delve deeper into natural health practices.

In exploration of the unseen, I studied Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture and body-work for human and horse - along with other energy healing modalities. This journey transformed my world and for the next 25 years I worked closely with people that had tried everything to shift their physical and emotional issues.

An eye-opening opportunity arose to work with an incredible doctor where I had much training and exposure in treating many serious issues from mental illness to physical dispositions and cancer. Witnessing many amazing recoveries from energy healing my desire to teach people how they could heal their life became my driving force. with horses, I found myself applying these same bio-energetic healing tools to my very sensitive, misunderstood horse. An extremely athletic individual with the potential to be explosive, I worked out quickly the trauma he was carrying needed attention. After only a few sessions the transformation was obvious and in a very short space of time he became more manageable and responsive.

Although our journey has been challenging, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have been able to pull together the different strands of my healing work, but still the most important steps in the healing process remains creating a connection.

Once the emotional connection is clear, I then tap into the horse’s innate energetic physiology, which is a nonverbal, non-logic based system, that exists below or outside the level of our normal everyday awareness. Though everyone has access to it, we just don’t use it, or we switch it off when we lock into or fixate on language, rationalism or logic.

When treating horses I look for disruptive energy patterns in their anatomy and reconfigure the energy back to its natural flow state. What then takes place is an unravelling within the horse’s energy, allowing them to find neutral ground, or to go back to homeostasis. This then helps the horse to find its natural rhythm and connection. It’s like hitting the reset button. Other factors also determine how quickly you see results. For example, feed, stress levels, training etc.

In a session the first step is listening and communication. Once the horse becomes aware that I understand their needs, the flow and connection becomes more established. For me this takes place as a conversation in my mind as if someone was sharing their story out loud.

‘ ‘ I became aware that I experienced the world through a different lens...

C D B

A: Adele working with her own horse. B: Adele first checks to see if a horse is in pain. C: Establishing emotional connection. D: Using alternative methods to free up energy meridians.

After gaining more understanding of the horse’s condition and emotional state I proceed with feeling the quality of energy in the horse’s organs, meridians and acupuncture points as well as gaining insight into past events that have been stored like a memory chip in the endocrine system. This assessment is performed in a non-tactile way.

To me, the disrupted energy patterns appear fragmented which can manifest as distress, physical pain and trauma. If energy disruption occurs for long periods, physical depositions will manifest. The treatment process is then to clear the blockages through an energy healing method I use with my hands. Working on local areas of imbalance is one thing but treating the horse as a whole system is paramount. I also accompany the treatment with acupuncture and body-work if required.

Every horse’s session is unique, determining how many treatments needed. Although significant changes can occur after the first session, in most cases three treatments, a week apart, seems to bring about the most effective change. This of course really depends on the severity of the situation. Sessions mainly run for an hour but can vary depending on the condition.

I believe there is more to life than the obvious and the relationship you have with your horse can be symptomatic of what is happening within you. When you help the horse release its stress you transform the dynamic between human and horse. All we need is a little openness, to test and validate our experience. From here we can draw our own conclusion - as the more flexibility we have within the greater our capacity is to make positive change.

For more information on Adele Edwards’ work go to: https://adeleedwards.com. au/ or find her on Facebook under https:// www.facebook.com/timelinehealing/ Adele runs an Alternative & Holistic Health Service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.