Equine-Led Self Development Workshops
DATES
December 1st, from 12pm-2pm - "Letting Go of 2024, Setting Intentions for the New Year Ahead"
ENROLL NOW
Spend an afternoon with the herd in the secluded beauty of our Malibu outpost. After some mindfulness and meditation exercises, our clinical psychologist and certified equine and eco-therapist will co-create a safe space to assist you in clarifying your goals and intentions for living a more authentic and aligned life. You will choose an equine partner to pair with for the day as a healer and biofeedback mechanism, uncovering old belief systems that no longer serve you. You and your companion horse partner will go on a "journey" alone together to explore solutions before rejoining the group for processing and integration. (Ground work only, no riding)
The Facilitator
Dr. Nicole Aukerman has been an avid equestrian for over two decades. Early on in her career she worked as a trail guide where she repeatedly saw the therapeutic benefits being with horses had on people. She noticed their confidence and sense of self would blossom during the three-hour trail guides she led them on. She adopted her own horse in her early 2000’s and experienced first-hand the dual healing and transformative relationship that could develop between human and equines. This inspired her to go back to school for psychology to try and understand what was causing these shifts towards greater well-being that she had both witnessed and experienced. She received her MA in Clinical psychology and completed her formal internship of her doctorate program from Antioch University in Santa Barbara in 2022. Nicole also holds a certificate in eco psychology and is passionate about eco therapy ie, utilizing nature and animals to facilitate healing and awaken our authentic selves.
FAQs
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What to expect?
Any time you come to the ranch, you can expect a safe and friendly environment, where nature is abundant and the horses are happy and well-maintained. We utilize meditation, breath-work and a variety of other mindfulness techniques to support the ground-work we engage in with the horses. Please note, equine therapy sessions do not include riding. All our wellness offerings are created by equine therapist and certified psychologist Dr. Nicole Aukerman.
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I have some questions first...
No problem at all. If you feel it is more suitable for you please feel free to call or email us to discuss your options.
424-346-4590
highhorsemalibu@gmail.com
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How Many Participants per group?
Group Workshops are limited to six participants.
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Are Private Sessions Avaiable?
Absolutely!
Please contact Dr. Auckerman directly to discuss private equine therpay sessions.505.930.0658
nicoleauckerman@gmail.com
About the Facilitator
Dr. Nicole Aukerman leads all of the equine therapy sessions at High Horse Malibu. Nicole has been an avid equestrian for over two decades. Early on in her career she worked as a trail guide where she repeatedly saw the therapeutic benefits that being with horses had on people. She noticed their confidence and sense of self would blossom during the three-hour trail she led them on.
She adopted her own horse in her early 2000’s and experienced first-hand the dual healing and transformative relationship that could develop between human and equines.
This inspired her to go back to school for psychology to try and understand what was causing these shifts towards the greater well-being that she had both witnessed and experienced.
Nicole received her MA in Clinical psychology and recieved her PhD from Antioch University in Santa Barbara. Nicole also holds a certificate in Eco Psychology and is passionate about Eco Therapy i.e., utilizing nature and animals to facilitate healing and awaken our authentic selves.
Why are horses such powerful healers?
Equine-assisted therapy uses the inherent nature of horses to amplify and assist traditional psychotherapy techniques, improving self-awareness, self-efficacy and emotional regulation while decreasing depression and anxiety.
Horses are highly attuned to their environment in order to ensure their safety and survival, making them intuitive and emotionally sensitive to the slightest gesture, body posture, tension, tone of voice or glance that we humans may unknowingly communicate. Their responses to our non-verbal behaviors and feelings have the potential to teach us how we unknowingly are interacting with those around us.
Issues pertaining to boundaries also arise when dealing with the horse’s size and power. Horses have clear boundaries, which they assert freely with each other and with us. Learning to attune to a horse’s subtle and sometimes not so subtle boundary cues has the potential to further increase awareness of one’s own physical and emotional boundaries. The ability to clearly and congruently communicate with a horse can be quite empowering and can cultivate a sense of self-efficacy that extends into other areas of one’s life.