S’mores Around the Campfire

Written by Michelle Goss, Spirit Mountain Healing Center

As a Horse-Guided Coach, I have had the privilege of bringing horses and people together for over 30 years for the purpose of starting conversations about mental health and life issues, which in the beginning are never easy to start. This is where horses help to break down those barriers without ever saying a word. By drawing upon their unique abilities to read our body language and mirror our emotions. Learning new ways to manage anxiety, fear, grief, anger and many other emotions begins to take shape in an unparalleled way through horses.

The life-healing power horses have for humans is from the fact horses live in the present moment and do not focus on the past or the future as humans have a strong tendency to do. It is through being in the present moment that horses lend themselves as the perfect animal to help heal humans because it is in the present where healing occurs.

I have personally experienced the healing power horses have when dealing with issues of the human heart and spirit, whether it is life issues, relationship issues, grief/loss, or any other life issue. The magical power horses have to be able to “see” either what you need or to show you what you need has never stopped to amaze me even after all my years of working with horses and people. Everyone who comes to Spirit Mountain Healing Center leaves with a new perspective of horses and the power they have to heal.

This power to heal was demonstrated at the first My Hope Bag “S’mores by the Campfire” group that was held on March 13, 2021, at Spirit Mountain Healing Center. The demonstrations included having 3 people work together in an activity called the “Body and the Brain” where the three of them link arms and have to stay connected in order to complete the task. The challenge is that each “arm” can only do what the “brain” (the middle person) tells the “arm” to do. It is an activity in cooperation, communication, teamwork, and trust. I have included a picture of this activity. Now, keep in mind, there are many different types of activities that can be done and some do not actually include the horse in the actual activity. This is the best part of horse-guided coaching. Each session is individually tailored to fit each person at that time. There is absolutely no right or wrong way to do a session. It is completely up to the client and the horse. As I say, I am just the navigator in the process. It is the client who is the captain of the journey. And it is an incredible journey and the best part is you do not need any horse experience at all in order to experience the benefits of horse-guided coaching.

If you are uncertain if horse-guided coaching is the correct fit for you, check out our half-hour meet and greet session! This is a great way for you to meet the horses and experience a short horse-guided session. And if you are looking for support Spirit Mountain Healing Center now has two monthly Circle of Hope Campfire Support Groups available. One group is grief and loss and the other is COVID-related stressors such as anxiety, depression, isolation, and many other related issues. For more information or to book a session, a group, or the meet and greet, visit www.spiritmountainhealing.com.

Spirit Mountain Healing Center, where horses either give us what we need or show us what we need.