Michelle M. Devitt, EGCM™ HorseWISH Ireland
Introduction: This abstract is a testament to the horse’s competence in understanding the maelstrom of grief in a bereaved human heart, and their willingness and grace in bringing solace and comfort in the midst of heartbreak.
Significance: The creator of the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method™ (EGCM™), psychotherapist Melisa Pearce, has recognized the powerful healing that horses can bestow on human beings and has melded this equine gift with Gestalt psychology practices to actualize the EGC Method™.
Purpose: The purpose of this capstone is to demonstrate the efficacy of the EGC Method™ in tandem with the equine aptitude to bring healing to grieving humans.
Setting and Participants: This is an intellectual and honest account of an experience with two recently bereaved ladies when spending time with my two mares, and it took place outdoors in the paddocks of my boarding facility.
Capstone Description/Process: I had planned the session so that we would be in full view of the horses but separated by a fence. I asked both people to take along a small item that represented their recently deceased loved one. The horses were probably about 230 meters distance from us; their paddock had been extended for them the previous day, and they completely ignored us as all that fresh grass was more interesting than we were.
When the first client began talking about her deceased loved one, she instantly became very emotional and struggled to talk. Allowing her time to tell her story, I noticed my two mares making their way down the hill in our direction. I could see that they were both striding purposefully towards us, completely focused on us and curious to see what was going on. I pointed out to the client that she had support on the way, in the shape of Rebecca and Holly. When she saw the horses marching down, she stopped crying, her mouth dropped open, and she kept saying, “OH, I can’t believe it!” The horses continued along the fence line, intently focused on us, until the point where they were closest to us from the opposite side of the fence; then, they stopped and hung over the fence, indicating that they wanted to join us.
The client transitioned from distraught tears to speechless awe, and then to laughing. After a few minutes of this lightened mood, both horses walked to the water trough, had a drink, and then galloped back up the hill to their herd. Most notable about this was the fact
that the horses had left their fresh grass, the day was hot, 26 °C / 79 F, and as heavy draught horses who tend to expend as little energy as possible going about their tasks with deliberate determination, they both surely went out of their way to put a lot of energy into this encounter.
Capstone Results/Impact: A written statement from the client read, “It was as if they sensed my distress. It was amazing! They looked at us with such attention, then they turned and galloped off. I knew something had happened between us, as if they were sent to alleviate my grief. It was incredible. I knew I wasn’t alone in my grief. And that was the most important thing for me, I knew I wasn’t alone.”
As an addendum to this event, the following year, it was time for my big mare Rebecca to leave the planet. Her three herd mares stood in a row, close by, with their backs turned and their heads lowered all the while, and for about an hour afterwards. The following day, I waited with Rebecca’s closest friend, my mare Holly, while Rebecca’s body was being taken away. Holly stood still and watched every single detail, up until the trailer had driven away up the road out of sight. Then she walked over to the place on the grass where Rebecca had been lying, and with her muzzle, found the small indent where Rebecca’s eye had rested, and began a ceremony of gently snuffling in tiny circles around this area, and then lifting her head slightly while gently opening and closing her mouth in tiny movements. She continued to do this all around where Rebecca’s head had been on the ground, and bit by bit, moved along
the whole outline of the horse-shaped squashed grass. This whole procedure took about forty minutes, then Holly moved a little away, sighed, snorted, shook herself, and began grazing. I was humbled to have been part of this farewell gesture. The three mares stayed closely together around that area of the paddock for the following few weeks; Holly was very subdued and withdrawn. It took the horses at least six months until they reverted to their usual demeanors and habits.
Capstone Evaluation: Melisa Pearce was one of the first people to publicly voice her opinion that horses have emotions and feelings; at the time, she was opposed in her view by both traditional and forward-thinking horse people. Over thirty years later, the world is slowly beginning to appreciate the fact that horses have a huge capacity not only for emotions and feelings, but also for the remarkable ability to ‘read’ the human state of being. They lend us some of their heart space to help us heal our grief and trauma. The incidents described here are testament to this.
Future Directions: There is unlimited capacity to further explore this empathetic rapport between the human heart and horse heart, working with Melisa Pearce’s EGC Method™.
Acknowledgments: My heartfelt love and gratitude to my generous and compassionate teacher and mentor, Melisa Pearce, without whose wisdom and courage the world would be a paler place; to Lorrin Maughan, Risa August, and Peggy MacArthur for their encouragement and help; and to all the horses, especially my beautiful Rebecca and Holly. Thank You.
References:
Jung, C. G.; “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” (Harper Collins, London, UK, 1995).
Matè, Gabor, with Matè, Daniel; “The Myth of Normal” (Vermillion, London, UK, 2022).
Pearce, Melisa; “What the Heck Is Gestalt?” (Touched by a Horse, Inc., Colorado, USA,2019).