The Listening Heart: The Limbic Path Beyond Office Therapy

The Listening Heart is a guidebook explaining The HEAL Model for Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning (EFPL). Inside find out: • What can horses add to the treatment of serious mood, anxiety and trauma-related disorders to increase effectiveness? • What is the role of horse therapy in the client’s treatment plan? • What activities are used? • How does EFPL translate to human settings and produce lasting change? EFPL is guided experiential therapy employing horses. Why horses? How can they help you, and your clients, develop a listening heart? This book answers these questions by putting forth a comprehensive and understandable manual for the HEAL Model of EFPL. The HEAL Model of EFPL, developed by Leigh Shambo, MSW, LMHC, describes a way to help humans build emotional-social skills, by using the human-horse bond in treatment for complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other clinical disorders. Shambo combines decades of experience as a horse trainer and coach with her training and practice as a mental health therapist. The Listening Heart draws on literature from the fields of neuroscience, attachment and trauma psychology, and animal science to explain the human-horse bond.