Your relationship needs more playtime
Back when your love story began there likely were some sparky playful times. But those days of the two of you horsing around (literally, though perhaps figuratively too) are a faint memory. You want to deepen your connection but couples therapy is so…murky.
Play is purposeful
Our Horseplay for couples sessions and events are fun playful activities that help sculpt relationships. You and your partner will be able to try out new thoughts, behaviors, beliefs and patterns without threatening your emotional or physical well-being. Our playful approach will help to create a sense of safety so that you make new connections that find their way into your everyday life. Your relationships will be the focus of our observations.
No horse experience required. This is an unmounted event (meaning you’ll be hanging out with but not ON the horses).
Why horses?
Horses provide opportunities to develop assertiveness, communication, and healthy relationships. They are large and powerful beings, which creates a natural opportunity to overcome fear and develop confidence. Accomplishing tasks with horses creates confidence and provides for wonderful metaphors when dealing with other intimidating and challenging situations in life.
Horses are very much like humans in that they are social animals with defined roles within their herds. They have distinct personalities, attitudes, and moods. An approach that works with one horse does not necessarily work with another. In other words, horses provide vast opportunities for metaphorical learning.
Because the horse is sensitive to non-verbal communication, they respond to the messages the you and your partner share with them at the moment. Their responses may begin to feel very familiar — namely just like how your partner, children, and co-workers respond, or how your fears, dreams, etc. play out in your lives. The horses become very real symbols of your relationships and allow you the opportunity to work through how to change these aspects of your relationship in an experiential, in-the-moment and emotionally safe way.
The experiential learning process helps ease you back into connection with less threat of rejection or critique.
The Facilitators
The facilitators’ primary roles include ensuring physical and emotional safety, creating a stage for your experiences, posing your with new challenges to overcome together, setting boundaries, supporting you, and facilitating your learning process.
Rebecca Wong, relationship therapist and creator of Connectfulness is partnering with Cori Nichols, equine specialist and creator of HorsePlay to bring Equine Assisted Experiential Learning to couples in New York’s Hudson Valley. Cori Nichols is a lifelong horsewoman, riding instructor, and owner of Nichols Field Riding Club in Kerhonkson, NY, HorsePlay’s home-base. Nichols is a Certified Equine Specialist with EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) and for many years has been incorporating EA Learning into her riding and horsemanship instruction.
Our next Horseplay for Couples event will be held
mid-day on Sunday, May 15, 2016
$200/per couple — space is limited to 4 couples