10/05/2026
Movement. How can body movements help us with trapped emotion?
Dr. Bessel Van De Kolk (author. The Body Keeps Score), has researched and worked with PTSD and other trapped emotion symptoms since 1970.
His message is one of understanding the body reactions, learning from your body and working with movement to be empowered.
How does this relate to our work at EquineCoach?
Everything we do is based on lessons from the horses.
Horses work in their body constantly, as prey animals, energeticly and physically to respond and manage their emotional and instinctual responses.
I have some lovely excersises that clients work through that demonstrate how movement can change the feelings in our body and our emotional response.
These excersises include observing the horses and how they change energeticly by changing their movement.
Today's post was inspired by 2 client sessions this week where this was the theme.
Because every person will feel and hold emotions differently in their body, this work is totally unique to the individual.
Our first client was introduced to this concept by first feeling how their body felt and the sensations they had when walking as they normally would.
We then observed and discussed how the horses moved in walk and tried variations of walking and the change that made to our physical body, but just as importantly, to our energy and emotion.
For this client, the change made them feel open, confident and positive. They felt empowered that through a movement change they could manage how they felt.
The second opportunity this week was led by the horses and they demonstrated it beautifully.
One of the herd was spooked by something in the hedge and they went into flight. Because they are herd and prey animals, this triggered the herd to follow.
They cantered to the top of the hill where we were standing.
They then each reacted differently. Olly and Coco started playing, Tiger and Jasper rolled and Frosty lowered his head and adjusted his breathing. Olly also came to me and touched my arm with his nose. Just a little reassurance needed from a 'Herd member ' that he was 'safe'. I gave it gladly via an energetic response, just how another horse would have done. Olly walked off to eat happily.
All of these reactions were the individual horses using their body to release the cortisol triggered from the instinctual flight response and change the fear emotion and energy to something else, something positive.
The simply took charge of their respnse through different movements, personal to them.
Within minutes it was as though nothing had ever happened.
The opportunity was a great one for our client to discuss what they observed and understand how important it is to work somatically through our nervous system.
Because this is so individual to the person, as the horses showed us, we work fluidly with clients to guide through the sensations and recognise the changes when they find the movement that works best for them.
Our work can sometimes be 'unstructured ' because the horses do not plan. They respond in the present, just like our own body's do. Learning to adapt to our bodies way of working from our analytical minds way of working can be very freeing.
Everything in balance, as the horses teach.
Try one of our 'Dip you Toe' sessions over the summer to get a feel for what we do and how we can help you.
Equine Facilitated Learning, Somatic emotional work and forest style therapy experiences.
