A Seventh-day Adventist Boarding Academy Serving Native American Youth Since 1946
D
The Nature of Humanity and Horses
id you know that horses have twice as many mirror neurons as we do? This explains why they are capable of picking up on our emotions and why they respond in like manner. Horses have the ability to sense our energy and mood—be it anger, fear, sadness, pain, or depression. Horses are fight-or-flight animals, which causes them to be hyper aware of their surroundings. This is what makes horses an incredible therapeutic resource for hurting souls. During my time in graduate school, I pursued a master’s degree in social work. As I sought topics for my research papers, I discovered how horses are used in equineassisted psychotherapy (EAP) to help combat veterans recognize and process the trauma they have experienced during war. More often
38 Pacific Union Recorder
Holbrook Indian School
than not, veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their engagement in war. However, a more accurate term is “moral injury.” That is to say, at some point they were required to carry out an order or orders that went against their personal moral code. This causes deep emotional and mental pain to our servicemen and women. Often, after they leave the physical battlefield, they return home with an