Inspiring Hope and Empowering Children and Teens 

The best way to inspire is to tell your story. 

I do believe the universe works in some pretty magical and mysterious ways. No matter your belief system, we all have a path in this world, and often we learn significant lessons from our most difficult challenges. I say this with both my adult and At Risk Youth and teens struggling with Mental Health and Addiction; if you are triggered by something, let’s explore it. There is a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered somewhere. Feeling our emotions authentically and fully is part of the magic of the somatic work of the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method (™). When we are able to hold space for each other and allow the inner voice to shine through, we are tapping into our inner wisdom. The horses are always happy to hold space when we are truly authentic in our feelings. 

When was the last time you felt complete unconditional love and acceptance? Horses seek nothing in return from us; they are more than happy to share space and allow us to experience their energy field. These are the very moments that hold the key to clients’ ability to return to loving themselves. Moving us from our head to our hearts is the part of a horse’s superpower. Horses are very quick to be right in the space when we are processing emotions. When you let go of the stories that have been holding you back the universe is wide open to your wildest dreams. 

If you would have told me a few years ago that my path with the horses would lead me to vulnerable kids and teens, I would have said, “I don’t think so. I don’t have my own children so I don’t qualify for working with children.” I had an entire narrative built around that theme during my mid 30’s. You know, those conversations when you meet someone new and they ask you, “What do you do…..are you married and do you have kids?” I understand that this is just an opening dialogue for people to start to see where they may have things in common. How many times did I hear, “Well you don’t understand because you don’t have kids.” In my mind my response was along the lines that I was once a child so I can certainly understand in some capacity. When I reflect on that time, I do understand a lot of the trauma that can occur. I was bullied by kids early on for being a chubby kid, and experienced deep grief of pain and loss at an early age. So many pieces of my own story played right into the narrative of not being good enough. Thankfully, like all lessons I am better for having these experiences and am grateful for the horses and mentors who helped me along the way. It may seem overwhelming at this moment but the key is finding spaces and places that allow you to be fully seen and heard. The horses are always ready and willing to show up for us and meet us right where we are in the moment. That is a BEAUTIFUL THING! 

So naturally, when I was contacted to work with at risk or new term in CA At Promise Youth my first inclination was to say no, I don’t have the experience. But then I stopped myself and I remembered Rule Number 1: the importance of saying “YES” to those exact things that you fear. Our biggest learning curves are hidden just beyond stepping into the unknown, triggering those limiting beliefs we all have had at some point in our life. When we face those fears head on we build our inner strength and we become more empowered. WE begin to feel our story,

embrace our story and this all leads to self-compassion, and ultimately self-love. This is the formula to overcoming our challenges and making way for a new and powerful narrative. 

This is not to underwhelm the importance of Rule Number 2- Showing up to those things that may scare you. When I hosted an on-site visit with a team of Behavioral Health therapists, I was completely honest about my limited experience in working with kids and teens. The horses and I have had kids and teens joining us at workshops and some one-on-one sessions but I had no direct experience with Vulnerable or At Risk Youth. I laugh to myself thinking back to one of the therapists asking me what my experience with Oppositional Defiant Disorder was. I could feel my body tense at the thought of not being good enough. I am a RN but do not have a formal background in therapy. At that very moment, I took that big deep breath and blurted out honestly, “None whatsoever”. However, I did follow it by stating that the work we do at Art Soul and Horses, Inc is really about meeting any client right where they are at. The act of being seen and heard and fully listened to is my job number one and that translates across all types. 

My role as an Equine Gestaltist is really to connect, expand, inspire and advocate for both children, teens and adults who are struggling. I say time and time again, we all have the ability to inspire others through telling our story. Our vulnerabilities, difficulties and challenges can serve to inspire and help others on their own healing journey. 

I am absolutely honored to present this work to children and teens who are facing challenges. Perhaps they are feeling lost, uninspired, experimenting with risky behaviors, experiencing depression, anxiety, bullying, overwhelming body image issues/body shaming, peer pressure, violence, and the spectrum of mental health issues. I have witnessed the magic of the horses time and time again. When we begin to verbalize our feelings and become self-aware, feel into our story and express our pain we begin to release what is holding us back and allow ourselves to feel what it’s like to walk in the world with a new sense of self-worth. When the horses hold space with our clients, the voice of the heart emerges in the most beautiful ways. We capture that voice with art and give clients an opportunity to feel whole again. That is exactly what the word “gestalt” means in german: flowing into form. 

Honoring the beauty in each one of you- Vivian, Luca and Skye Mama