We all have a story to tell...including our equine friends. It's important to share our stories, both good and bad, to grow and move forward...and it just so happens that horses make great listeners!
Here is a picture medley I created just for fun. Hope you enjoy!
What is Emotional Congruence?
An emotionally congruent person is someone who is mentally aware of the emotions they are feeling at the moment they are feeling them. They are then able to use their mental reasoning when an emotional event happens. This is extremely important to have healthy relationships.
We all know someone, or even whole families, that practice emotional incongruence. This may even be you. In fact, many people live their entire lives this way. The incongruence becomes a problem when the person overreacts emotionally instead of using reasoning. We often refer to this person as "dramatic" or "emotional." Sometimes we just call them "liars." An example of this is when someone hears bad news and causes property damage to cope such as when a teen male punches a hole in the wall. This person usually feels and appears out of control to those of us who are emotionally congruent. Overall, relationships usually become strained when dealing with an emotionally incongruent person.
What does this have to do with horses? Well, horses know whether or not we are emotionally congruent...and they dislike it when we are not. Yes, they actually react to Our incongruence. They feel that if we can't control our emotions, then we can't be trusted...and horses don't want to be around anyone who can not be trusted.
In EAP, the horse/human relationship helps the human restrain their over reactivity when emotionally charged. The human then translates those healthier skills to other human relationships in their lives. It becomes a win-win situation. The horse feels better about trusting us...and the human feels better about their ability to control themselves and have healthy relationships.
We all know someone, or even whole families, that practice emotional incongruence. This may even be you. In fact, many people live their entire lives this way. The incongruence becomes a problem when the person overreacts emotionally instead of using reasoning. We often refer to this person as "dramatic" or "emotional." Sometimes we just call them "liars." An example of this is when someone hears bad news and causes property damage to cope such as when a teen male punches a hole in the wall. This person usually feels and appears out of control to those of us who are emotionally congruent. Overall, relationships usually become strained when dealing with an emotionally incongruent person.
What does this have to do with horses? Well, horses know whether or not we are emotionally congruent...and they dislike it when we are not. Yes, they actually react to Our incongruence. They feel that if we can't control our emotions, then we can't be trusted...and horses don't want to be around anyone who can not be trusted.
In EAP, the horse/human relationship helps the human restrain their over reactivity when emotionally charged. The human then translates those healthier skills to other human relationships in their lives. It becomes a win-win situation. The horse feels better about trusting us...and the human feels better about their ability to control themselves and have healthy relationships.
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