Am I Being Abused?
Am I Being Abused?
Occasional disagreements and arguments are a part of every relationship. We tend to hurt people close to us at some point in our lives and regret the same.
Be that as it may, physical abuse, verbal abuse, domestic abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, or psychological abuse is not acceptable and not at all a one-off incident. It is a behavioural pattern. It isn’t always violent, but it is always heavy-handed and controlling. Equine-assisted therapy can help you overcome such kind of emotional instability with the help of our ever-loving horses.
How do I know if I am being abused?
It can be hard to know if the person is abusive in a close-knit relationship. Especially, when your other half gives you all the attention, expresses their love for you, or takes care of the expenses. Abusive people often act loving and show their support to keep you hooked in the relationship.
Any form of abuse can be harsh for our mental and emotional well-being. Look out for the obvious signs and patterns of your partner’s behaviour.
Types of Abuse
Verbal Abuse
Includes humiliation, nullification, and constant criticism. For instance, calling you with names, belittling pet names, character assassination, yelling, making fun of your appearance, or undermining your accomplishments. These are the tactics used by the abuser to sabotage your self-esteem.
Psychological/Emotional Abuse
Includes attempts by the person to control you or isolate you. It will be evident in the actions, words, and behaviours. It does not matter who the abuser is, it does not matter if your spouse, friend, business partner, parent, or caretaker, no one deserves it and you are not at fault.
The acts include emotionally neglecting and isolating you, keeping you from socialising, spying on you, blaming you for their problems.
Domestic abuse
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone despite their gender. The act includes harassment, physical or sexual abuse, genital mutilation, forced marriage, stalking, physical abuse, economic abuse, financial control, or coercive behaviour. Any kind of domestic abuse is a criminal offence and it is important to get out of the toxic relationship.
Even after successful separation from the abusive partner or relationship, overcoming the mental trauma is not an easy process. Not everyone feels good about sharing their misery with a stranger inside a closed chamber with a therapist. Equine therapy is best suited for helping abuse victims with the help of loving horses.
If you have been a victim of abusive behaviors and are struggling with dealing with your emotions afterward you may need to reach out for help. You may not know straight away that you are emotionally affected once the abuse has stopped but being abused can have long-lasting emotional scarring or PTSD.
What is equine-assisted therapy?
Equine-assisted therapy is a unique experiential therapy that involves engaging in equine activities along with the horse to promote physical, and emotional growth in people having emotional difficulties. Equine activities include feeding, grooming, haltering, and leading a horse while being monitored by a mental health professional and an expert horse handler.
More often than not, abuse survivors succumb to societal proclivity. Even after getting away from the abusive relationship, society makes it hard to overcome it with their insensitive judgements.
Equine therapy can be a turnabout for people who are disparaged and are going through emotional difficulties.
Why consider equine therapy over regular counselling?
More often than not, people fail to their relationship problems with people with the fear that other person may not reciprocate in the right way or with the fear of being judged or turned down. In cases like this, abuse victims wouldn’t feel okay in sharing their personal life miseries with a stranger.
Whereas, in equine-therapy, communicating and bonding with the horse becomes a comfortable and facile process. Horses are instinctive, empathetic, and unbiased animals. They are incredibly tolerant and act according to the way one treats them. Interacting with horses helps emotionally affected people enhance their quality of life and overall wellbeing.
The equine-therapy helps people create a foundation for self-respect, self-acceptance, and move ahead in life.
Unlike other psychological therapies, equine therapy sessions at Healing Hearts and Minds are undertaken in an open space in a farm amidst the greenery, fresh air, and loving horses. This helps the person to relax and encourage overcome emotional instabilities in a better way
The psychotherapist sets specific tasks to complete. Upon successful completion of each task, the person shares the insightful takeaways.
In the case of abuse victims, any relevance in nature or looks to their abuser can trigger them. Equine-therapy can help them healthily overcome fear and anger and lead a better life.
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How do horses respond to emotions?
Horses have the ability to sense human emotions and have the potential to allow people to develop self-confidence. Based on the way the horse responds to the person, the mental health professional can understand help get past their emotional difficulties. One can delude a human with well-woven words and sugar-coated talks, but not a horse as their only way of communication is based on emotions.
Horses pick up on human emotion and behaviour and respond to the same. For instance, if a person feels irritated or is angry, the horse may become obstinate and react in a similar way. If a person is nervous and uncomfortable, the horse may get skittish.
What are the benefits of equine therapy?
Equine therapy helps traumatized victims regain confidence and learn to trust again as they bond with the horses. Equine activities help them build trust and bond with the horse. This helps them in improving their relationships with others.
The therapy helps the person recognize their perception and overcome the issues that keep them from trusting other people in their lives.
In addition to this, equine therapy also helps people deal with mental health disorders including anxiety, behavioural difficulties, depression and mental illnesses, and other life-changing events including divorce, loss, or environmental changes.
Equine-assisted therapy at Healing Hearts and Minds will help abuse victims develop a greater sense of self-love and confidence, whilst strengthening their ability to cope with the new life.
Visit Healing Hearts and Minds to open a new dimension in life and experience the healing power of the horse.
