Aequilibrium – a therapeutic application
Aequilibrium focuses on healthy self-confidence as the basis for mental stability, because the interaction between mental and physical balance is the starting point of my therapeutic work, with profound effects on the behavioral strategies that are ingrained in my patients’ subconscious. Here are two examples from my practice.
One of my patients had a serious riding accident in which she damaged her cervical vertebrae. After she recovered physically, she came to me as she wanted to ride again but did not dare to do it without support. After a few sessions, we discussed fear and riding according to my principles. She had also concluded that the physical bond with the horse offered the best possible protection against accidents, after a riding helmet that had slipped on her back nearly broke her neck, and now she was determined to learn to ride again from scratch. Six months later, she rode bareback. She had regained her balance and self-confidence and had significantly strengthened them compared to before the accident.
In another case, I was approached by the mother of an almost 10-year-old girl. She suffered from dyslexia and was having great difficulties at school. For this reason, an attempt was made to remedy the situation by treating her with a speech therapist. Of course, there is nothing to be said against this, but in this situation the following happened: The girl was exposed to a lot of emotional pressure at school and she naturally came last in the comparison of achievements. However, the speech therapy treatment failed to improve her situation because the small improvements in the therapy could not be measured against the performance of her classmates. Her mother was raising her on her own, and as a result, she was in a strained living situation with money worries and changing relationships. Children try to balance the tensions and take on more than they can handle. My little patient knew very well that her weakness made her a problem child in the truest sense of the word and tried to comfort her mother by making fun of the trouble, which put even more pressure on herself. Even in the limited free time she had, she was now refocusing on her weakness during speech therapy, with no real chance of thereby achieving a level of performance comparable to her classmates.
She loved horses and had a good feel and instinct for these sensitive animals. She quickly learned to ride by the Aequilibrium method and found she was superior to most of her peers. Her newfound self-confidence and zest for life inspired her so much that her school performance also improved markedly.