component in Natural Lifemanship used at Spirit Reins is Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (TF-EAP). TF-EAP was developed by Tim Jobe and Bettina Shultz-Jobe, the co-founders of Natural Lifemanship. TF-EAP is a comprehensive model of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy that employs both the physiology and the psychology of the horse to address specific therapeutic goals with children, adults, and families who suffer from trauma related mental health disorders. At its foundation are the beliefs that a good principle is a good principle regardless of where it is applied, and that all mental health issues result in dysfunction of intrapersonal and/or interpersonal relationships. Because TF-EAP is based on principles rather than techniques, clients are able to readily transfer their progress in therapy sessions to their daily lives. Likewise, family members of traumatized youth as well as other care giving professionals who work with them benefit by learning and applying the principles of TF-EAP, even if they never have the opportunity to work directly with a horse.
Trauma-informed is the term given to a new body of research that suggests that the negative effects of early childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, accidents, witnessing violence, and even certain medical conditions and procedures disrupts the brain’s normal development to the point that the ability to learn and to form healthy relationships is severely compromised.
By conservative estimates, about 40 percent of American children will have at least one potentially traumatizing experience by age 18. This includes the death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse, neglect, domestic violence or other violent crime, serious accident or natural disaster. Children growing up in chaos, neglect, and threat lack the developmental experiences and socialization to self-
regulate, relate, communicate and think. Consequently, these children are at great risk for emotional, behavioral, social, cognitive and physical health problems.
Within the past decade, research in the field of developmental neuropsychology has contributed much to our understanding of the effects of trauma on the developing brain. A tremendous amount of brain development occurs in the first four years of life. In fact, by age 4, a child’s brain is 90% adult size. Trauma significantly disrupts this development, causing disorganization and dysregulation in the core brain systems and impacting the stress response systems. Many traumatized children will experience conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), depression, anxiety and other personality disorders. Families struggle with the exhausting demands and challenges of the symptoms of these diagnoses. But the damage done to these young systems does not have to be permanent. By applying developmentally appropriate therapeutic interventions, a young person’s brain can actually heal itself.
disrupts this development, causing disorganization and dysregulation in the core brain systems and impacting the stress response systems. Many traumatized children will experience conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), depression, anxiety and other personality disorders. Families struggle with the
regulate, relate, communicate and think. Consequently, these children are at great risk for emotional, behavioral, social, cognitive and physical health problems.
Within the past decade, research in the field of developmental neuropsychology has contributed much to our understanding of the effects of trauma on the developing brain. A tremendous amount of brain development occurs in the first four years of life. In fact, by age 4, a child’s brain is 90% adult size. Trauma significantly disrupts this development, causing disorganization and dysregulation in the core brain systems and impacting the stress response systems. Many traumatized children will experience conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), depression, anxiety and other personality disorders. Families struggle with the exhausting demands and challenges of the symptoms of these diagnoses. But the damage done to these young systems does not have to be permanent. By applying developmentally appropriate therapeutic interventions, a young person’s brain can actually heal itself.
Working with the horses allows the kids (and their families) to see and feel how their actions and behaviors impact relationships
Nature therapy
Candace Craw-Goldman Photography