Who can bring healing to psychopathic teenagers given up on by the psychiatric community? Who can help a sociopathic youth become a valued, trustworthy, productive member of society? Who can turn around the life of a murderous gang member? As therapists Adele and Deborah McCormick found, the answer lies not in the psychiatric clinic, but in the stable. In this fascinating book, readers will find that sometimes the best healers are not humans, but Peruvian Paso horses. Amazingly intuitive and responsive, these four-legged therapists bring healing where traditional therapy alone fails. The McCormicks tell the engrossing tale of how horses became their partners in the therapeutic process. Lively case histories and stunning photography bring to life the principles they discovered as the horses became both healers and teachers.In the final section on spirituality, the McCormicks describe how adults from all walks of life have learned from the horses a way to connect with their most deeply intuitive center, and how the horses nurture creativity, and then reveal the point at which we find oneness with God and with all creation.
Reviews
From Library Journal
Horses can teach us about trust and love and be part of a therapeutic healing process for troubled humans. The authors, both practicing psychotherapists, use horses in their treatment program with mentally disturbed patients, who often bond with their equine companions even when they are unable to relate to other people. The McCormicks explain how horses, quick to sense pretense, force people to rely on their instincts and to be honest with themselves. But riding is only a part of the authors' treatment program. Their clients establish close relationships with the animals by feeding and grooming them, cleaning their stalls and equipment, observing them at work and play, and learning about the long history of humanity's interaction with the horse. The healing process begins when clients learn to relate first to horses and then to their therapists. This is a fascinating book, though its appeal may be limited to those with an interest in psychotherapy or in the therapeutic use of animals. Recommended where interest warrants.Deborah Emerson, Monroe Community Coll. Lib., Rochester, N.Y.
