What is Equine Gestalt Coaching?

This is the first question I am asked when visiting with people about what I do. The answer can be complex and confusing. Today I will break it down and clarify what the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method (EGCM) is.

The EGCM method is a co-active coaching experience where the coach partners with the horse to help assist the client discover their truth and power while offering support and guidance. Together the horse and human coaches work to support the client to move forward in their lives, releasing the pain and trauma that is holding them back. One role the horse plays is that of an “equidetector,” a term used by Melisa Pearce, to help you and your coach know what is authentic and what is not. Only when we are in our truth can we be set free to move forward. This is in love and kindness to help the client get clear in their lives and bring awareness to what needs focus. These changes the client experiences, are not temporary but concrete, creating a positive shift to the psyche so they are less reactive and triggered by others words and actions, much like an emotional surgery. They feel better, their eyes are brighter, their relationships are better and they sound better. Think of how good it would feel to actually get rid of an emotion that lives and takes up space in your body causing many health issues and conflicts in your life.

How was I impacted by equine gestalt coaching?

“After my first equine gestalt coaching session I was given the opportunity and support to let go of something I was not aware I was hanging onto. This experience led me to have better boundaries and healthier relationships with myself and others, dropping my stress levels significantly! I stand behind this work 100 percent!"

My teacher and mentor, Melisa Pearce, founded this method in 1989.  She was chosen as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Horsewomen by Horse South Magazine in 2008 and has won two World Championships with the American Paint Horse Association. She has bred over 150 foals, owned and managed multiple ranches all while developing her expertise as a trained psychotherapist. While running her psychotherapy/gestalt practice at her ranch, she noticed that clients became more grounded and calm in-between sessions after spending time with her horses. She started to observe what the horses were doing and how the clients were responding. It allowed the clients work to move forward at a much faster pace. She began bringing the horses into the round pen during the sessions. The work went to another level and the horse was just what was needed to help finish the process. After having huge success and “ah ha’s” she developed the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method. It is the beautiful blend made up of all her experiences as a horseman, psychotherapist, gestaltist, entrepreneur, coach and student.

This method helps people explore what it is they are going through, even if they don’t know what that is, and allows them to dump it and leave it in the dirt for good, so they can move forward. In 2017 A study was done to show how effective the method is. Here is the scientific evidence backing the method:

There is a mental health crisis at large in the world. I believe we all have unique qualities to bring to the table. We are not broken and can be guided to our higher selves utilizing the EGCM method. Visit my website www.consciouseffects.ca for more information about the method and my services.  “Wildly Conscious Retreat” will take place in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan at Ghostown Blues on Sept 12-15th 2019. Details on the website. Also follow me on Facebook and Instagram.