TFT and Horses: An Interesting Journey
I am excited to share some of the successes, and some of the non –successes of my work with horses using Thought Field Therapy. It is not something I ever planned on doing, but after learning of the helping potential of TFT with Equines, I wanted to give it a shot. I also have an affinity for horses (and ponies are okay too, I guess), so when asked if I could work with a horse, I quickly, although nervously, agreed.
I received a call from a woman, Sylvia, whose horse, Red, shied away from, and tried to refuse to go into tall grasses – anything over about 8 inches or so. This behavior seemed to come on suddenly with no obvious stressor causing it.
All the work we did was via telephone. First I had Sylvia (dismounted) lead Red toward the grass, until Red started showing signs of anxiety (ears flat, breath quicker, eyes tending to roll upward). When the anxiety appeared, Sylvia stopped, and I had her first pat the horse’s PR spot, right behind the shoulder. Then we moved on to Sylvia tapping herself as a surrogate while holding a hand on Red.
We didn’t know what caused the stress, but a general rule of thumb I use is that something happened to cause it – an experience that then provided a memory. So, we started with the complex trauma algorithm. Again, Sylvia tapped her own points while touching Red -Eye Brow, Under Eye, Under Arm, and Collarbone. She needed to do the series twice, and then the horse calmed down.
We took the horse closer to the grasses until the anxiety surfaced, and then stopped in order to do the points again. Closer and closer to the grasses we went. It took about
four stops until we were at the edge of the grass. Then, the points again, then leading just Red’s front feet into the grasses. The points, a few feet further, the points, all the way into the grass. The points. Mounting the horse. The points… and done! The process took about 20 minutes, and a report a few weeks later told me that the work was successful.
This was wonderful, I thought, because if we could do it over the phone, then it might also work in person.
Sometime later, I received a call from a friend whose horse refused to take the bit in his mouth. “Could I come over and help?” Certainly, I would give it a try. I figured on using the same technique that I had used with the other horse – what I call Turbo Charged Systematic Desensitization.
I merely patted the horse on the Psychological Reversal spot behind the shoulder, while the “owner”, Pat, stood about 50 feet away showing the horse the bit. When the horse showed anxiety, I tapped my own points as a surrogate while keeping my hand on the horse. This time I used the Complex Trauma Algorithm with anger thrown in as well – Little Finger, Collarbone. I figured it couldn’t hurt.
As the horse calmed, Pat came closer with the bit. We repeated the points, closer, points, closer, points, right up to the horse, the points, and then calmly slipped the bit into his mouth. This process only took about 5 minutes or so. Pat’s response, other than amazement, was “Where’s a video camera when you need one?” We also explored the possibility of a physical cause of the horse’s behavior, and Pat agreed to have him check out by a vet, paying special attention to the mouth and teeth.
Another horse I worked with was cribbing (chewing the wood around her). I was only partially successful with this horse. I even used Diagnosis for the points, but only saw the behavior go down slightly. We ran out of time, and I ran out of experience. But, what was pointed out to me by someone else in TFT was that perhaps toxins and sensitivities needed to be checked – a reaction to the food, additives, grains, surroundings, etc. I will keep that in mind for further cases.
Another horse, with stall pacing behavior, presented a challenge. The main problem working with this one was that the horse paced at night when no one was around, and would not exhibit the behavior when anyone was present – a real challenge to have the horse tune into the thought field and do the work.
We actually had the owner find the points for psychological reversal and complex trauma, and taped a rolled up sock on each of the points for overnight. If the tape didn’t work, then “we” would tie the sock on using flexible, splint taping material available from most veterinarians.
The procedure did not work completely, but did help create a noticeable decrease in the behavior. Acupressure points for Horses, Cats, and Dogs can be found in one of many books. Knowing which TFT treatment points reflect which organs or energy channels within the body, we can find the relative points on the animal.
One last case I want to present is one involving a pony. I don’t relate as much to ponies as I do to horses, but I am learning to love them as well. At the risk of seeming judgmental, I find that many ponies have “attitudes.” Maybe it comes from being small in stature, but they can get nervous around bigger equines.
Such was the case of Whither the Pony, who would pick the biggest horse in the area and harass him. Whither would charge, nip and sometimes kick. The bigger horse wouldn’t put up with it, and would quickly put Whither in his place. Now, all this wasn’t too bad, unless there were people present, which could turn out to be dangerous.
I was excited, because this turned out to be a challenging case. We had the Pony and the Horse in the same arena. We would start with the equines several yards apart and try bringing them closer together. The complex trauma with anger didn’t work, nor did the complex trauma with rage.
So, I went to Diagnosing the points, muscle testing myself while touch with horse. And Bingo! It took a bit longer than usual – about 35 minutes. But finally the horses could be almost side by side without the Pony trying to prove something.
The owner was doubtful, but we called it a day anyway. On the way out of the pen, the owner dropped his hat. However, to pick it up, he absent-mindedly held both the horse’s reins in one hand while he bent down to retrieve his hat. To his astonishment and my pleasure, the horses were side by side, touching one another, pleasantly ignoring each other, as if they had never had a problem in the first place.
A follow-up several weeks later revealed a funny twist to the story. The owner told me that the pony no longer had the bad attitude toward the horse, but confided sadly that now the pony didn’t like the owner at all.
My response came naturally, and with a bit of humor. “Well, Tom, we didn’t work on that issue. That’s a different Thought Field, and we can address it at a different time.”
I have done other sessions with horses, some successful, some not so successful. I am still having a tough time treating a history of repeated, ongoing abuse and trauma. Perhaps this is due to the complex nature of the cases, the number of stressors that could trigger the post-traumatic responses, massive reversals, sensitivities, or my lack of experience, but I’m working on it.
There are some important points I wish to note here. First, there could be a physical cause of the behavior, and it is recommended to have those concerns checked by qualified medical personnel. Second, I (almost) always tap my own points as a surrogate, and this for several reasons – the horse may shy away from being tapped on some of the areas, and laws vary in different states.
In some cases, it is illegal for someone (me) to perform medical services if not legally trained and certified. The owner can do it, but I may not. So, technically, I am only patting the horse to show my affection, and then really only keeping a hand on the horse “to make us both feel good.” I would keep up a low, flat continuous monotone monologue to further calm the horse.
Also, I only do the work with animals on a donation basis, albeit, a recommended donation basis, but not for a set fee. This also can avoid any legal issues.
Working with animals is extremely rewarding – full of surprises, and full of “feel good” experiences. If given the chance, I would have to say “Go for it! You can have a good time, learn a lot, and possibly help when others may not be able to do so.”
Steven Rogat is a Diagnostically trained Thought Field Therapist, currently living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. He teaches Algorithm Level TFT courses, as well as TFT applications in a wide variety of modalities. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Continuing Education Provider for Counselors and Massage Therapists, Educational Consultant, Medical/Emotional Intuitive, and author, he is committed to sharing wellness, insight, and the love of life to those around him.
Excerpted from “The Thought Field”, Vol 20, Issue 6
thanks for this! i am a therapist and have been doing TFt for 10 years and tomorrow i will b dealing with a horse for the first time! i ve done animals and babies etc.. loved your advice of surrogate and the whole stories thanks! laura
Would love for you to share your story after using TFT with the horse, Laura.