Case Study #1

D.L. is a 39 year old Caucasian female who has bipolar disorder, dissociation disorder and intense periods of anger. She had been in individual therapy for three years, often dissociating in the therapy session for an hour or more. Issues of past sexual and emotional abuse, and problems with keeping and setting limits with others impeded successful interactions.

Mood fluctuations were fairly well controlled with medication, but relationships were markedly influenced by her sense of being unworthy. Often, she would avoid talking at all in social situations and would decline opportunities to engage in activities if other people were included.

D. committed to two individual sessions with a horse of her choosing. Boundary setting, pacing of goals, and anxiety management strategies were offered during these sessions. D. managed the sessions well, dissociating only briefly during the first day. During the second session, D. experienced some rage at herself and was able to process the self-demands that triggered this intensity.

A month passed before D. rescheduled therapy. When she came again, she was much more integrated and identified how the horse had brought out feelings of not being in control, fear of her own emotions, and fears related to “trying and not being good enough”. Throughout the sessions, she was able to verbally identify feeling and describe what she wanted to accomplish as she interacted with the horse.

By the end of two more sessions, D. was consistently able to engage in her individual therapy sessions without dissociating, made significant progress in setting limits with family of origin and in her workplace. Anger has been modified and appropriately directed, not internalized. Her social network has significantly enlarged. She enjoys square dancing and consistently engages in a hobby that requires interaction with other people.

D. still sees her individual therapist on a bi-monthly schedule, and maintains her medication regime for bipolar disorder. She attributes these changes in her life to “things the horse taught me about being myself and real.”