Releasing Past Trauma

You know how you ‘feel’ when you’re starting to get sick and you start doing everything you know to stop it before it gets to you?

Well, I’ve been feeling this for about a week. I’ve upped my vitamin C, D, & Zinc intake, I’ve added more fruits, and have tried to take it easier for the last few days.

All the while hoping to beat it before it gets me. Well, no such luck. It finally delivered a big punch today and I lost the battle. I’m writing this blog from bed, curled up with my cats.

It’s nothing serious, just a bad cold. Every year at the change of season, fall to winter, I seem to catch a cold no matter what I do. And it’s always the same time, the last two weeks of October.

But I guess it’s just something my body has to go through every year. Somehow, my body must need to release the buildup of toxins and blockages, as well as the physical and emotional traumas from the past year.

It’s how my body takes time to pause, relax, refresh, and regenerate. I think when I get sick, it’s my body telling me I need to stop for a bit. I’m one of those people that is always busy doing something.

When I look at it this way, it makes me feel a little bit better about the sore throat, sinus headache, congestion, sneezing, coughing, sniffling, etc…that goes along with having a cold.

Instead of fighting it and being upset about getting sick, I am feeling ok about the situation.

Surprisingly!

I’ve accepted that my body needs to pause and that my body is talking to me, trying to tell me to take some time and rest.

By pausing and listening to my instincts, I am also listening to what my body is telling me – my cravings. I have been craving carbohydrates, which is very different for me.

But I’m listening… “Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever”.

I feel that if I relax, release into it, and allow it to run its course naturally (and listen to my body) that it will do what it needs to do, and the cold will be gone much quicker.

Have you heard the old expression, “Sometimes we have to get out of our own way”? Well, I’m going to allow my body to do what it needs to do, without getting in the way.

I’ll let nature take its course.

Working with horses has taught me so much about nature, about the way horses communicate with each other, about herd dynamics, about true love and friendship, and even a lot about myself.

Horses have also taught me to trust the way nature works, be more aware of my surroundings and my feelings, and to get in touch with and listen to my instincts.

They have also taught me one really important lesson –

That sometimes it is necessary to Pause.

The Results of Pausing:

• By taking the time to pause and hang out with your horse, it will deepen your connection and speed up your training.
• By taking the time to pause, it allows you to re-assess your progress so you can adjust in the moment.
• If something goes awry while you’re with your horse, you can stop and pause and be better able to evaluate what happened to fix the issue.
• When you pause to evaluate a situation, it gives you a new perspective and a broader overview to help you and your horse move forward organically.
• By taking the time to pause, you are allowing time to heal. That can be your healing and/or your horse’s healing.
• The more you pause, the more you will trust your instincts, and the more your horse will trust you.
• Pausing while you’re with your horse helps your horse to release fear memories and past traumas.

Many times, a horse can have fear memories and past traumas that are triggered by different situations that their owners are unaware of. This can especially be true when someone has a new horse.

When it comes to these unknown fears and traumas…

The Importance of Pausing:

• This is when you can reassess what just happened
• This is when you can stop whatever was causing your horse to be triggered
• This is where you can show your horse that you are listening
• This is where you can gain your horse’s trust
• This is where you can reassure your horse
• This is where you can help your horse release his fears and past traumas

How to Pause:

Taking the time to pause with your horse is very easy. It’s so easy, many people pass it over and don’t realize how much it can do for you and your horse.

1. When you feel something isn’t quite right, your horse reacts badly or unexpected, you get upset or frustrated, your horse seems anxious or frustrated, or your horse spooks – stop immediately.
2. Make sure you are in a safe spot or space. So, if your horse is acting up, running or rearing, or you’re too close to your horse, move and get to a safe area. Safety is #1
3. Then slow down and look at what just happened. Look at it as a third party, an outside observer, and assess the situation.
   – Ask yourself all the who, what, where, when, and why questions.
4. Adjust the program where you need it. Take a step back to right before the situation happened and start again. But this time, do it differently with the knowledge you learned during the pause.
5. If there are more issues, stop and pause again, adjust again and go a different route.

Baby steps will help you and your horse learn, progress, and develop a stronger partnership and friendship together.

I know if you are following my blogs that you want the best for your horse, and you will do whatever is necessary to help your horse.

Push the ‘Easy Button’…

The easiest and fastest way to help your horse recover emotionally from past traumas and fear memories is to use the pause correctly.

Try it and let me know the amazing things that come from it. I love to hear your success stories.