The Horse, the Therapeutic Relationship and Other Psychotherapeutic Insights

Abstract

This chapter looks at a number of themes related to the psychotherapeutic literature. It explores how the relationships that the young people developed with the horses could be seen to have some parallels with the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist, and also at how building up relationships with the horses seemed to correspond with the young people building up relationships with people: the horse appeared to be a facilitator to the young people being able to connect to others. Because the adults’ views were more strongly represented in this area, it has drawn more heavily on data from the adults who contributed to the study than in the previous chapters. Another theme to emerge which is linked to how the young people related to the horses was of how they identified with them on different levels. Psychotherapeutic themes of identification, analogy, introjections and projection are also relevant and are explored in relation to the participants’ interactions with the horses in addition to the therapists’ views.