What is?
Click on the tabs below for more information on each of the techniques / therapies that Caroline uses:
The British Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis states:
‘In therapy, hypnosis usually involves the person experiencing a sense of deep relaxation with their attention narrowed down, and focused on appropriate suggestions made by the therapist.’
These suggestions help people make positive changes within themselves. Hypnotherapy is not about being made to do things, in fact it is the opposite, it is about empowerment.
Definition of hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation, NOT sleep. It involves the induction of a trance-like condition, but when in it, the patient is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating entirely on the hypnotherapist's voice. In this state, the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed. The therapist is able to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations to the client, the seeds of which become firmly implanted.
Hypnotherapy aims to re-program patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome.
How does it work?
Hypnosis works by altering our state of consciousness. When in a trance-like condition the therapist is able to communicate directly with the subconscious mind. Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, more instinctive force than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change for the client's behaviour and physical state to alter.
What is the experience like?
Client’s remain aware of their surroundings and situation, and, contrary to what some people believe, are not under the control of the therapist. The important thing is that the client wants to change and is highly motivated to do so. They have to want the therapy to work.
Each client varies in the number of sessions needed to achieve the desired results.The client can learn the technique of self-hypnosis to practice at home, to reinforce their sessions with the therapist.
What issues can be helped by hypnotherapy?
Confidence, fears, nerves and anxieties can usually be helped quickly and effectively which makes it ideal for you as a horse rider. The presenting issue may not always be the real issue however and hypnotherapy can be effective in revealing what the underlying problem is. For example fear of riding may actually be related to an underlying lack of confidence generally rather than specifically be about horses.
‘In therapy, hypnosis usually involves the person experiencing a sense of deep relaxation with their attention narrowed down, and focused on appropriate suggestions made by the therapist.’
These suggestions help people make positive changes within themselves. Hypnotherapy is not about being made to do things, in fact it is the opposite, it is about empowerment.
Definition of hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation, NOT sleep. It involves the induction of a trance-like condition, but when in it, the patient is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating entirely on the hypnotherapist's voice. In this state, the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed. The therapist is able to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations to the client, the seeds of which become firmly implanted.
Hypnotherapy aims to re-program patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome.
How does it work?
Hypnosis works by altering our state of consciousness. When in a trance-like condition the therapist is able to communicate directly with the subconscious mind. Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, more instinctive force than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change for the client's behaviour and physical state to alter.
What is the experience like?
Client’s remain aware of their surroundings and situation, and, contrary to what some people believe, are not under the control of the therapist. The important thing is that the client wants to change and is highly motivated to do so. They have to want the therapy to work.
Each client varies in the number of sessions needed to achieve the desired results.The client can learn the technique of self-hypnosis to practice at home, to reinforce their sessions with the therapist.
What issues can be helped by hypnotherapy?
Confidence, fears, nerves and anxieties can usually be helped quickly and effectively which makes it ideal for you as a horse rider. The presenting issue may not always be the real issue however and hypnotherapy can be effective in revealing what the underlying problem is. For example fear of riding may actually be related to an underlying lack of confidence generally rather than specifically be about horses.
Neurology - the mind and how we think
Linguistics - how we use language and how it affects us
Programming - how we sequence our actions to achieve our goals
The basic principle of NLP is to re-examine the way our minds process a certain thought pattern or life in general. Helping you change that process gives you more confidence in dealing with new events. Scientists often state that only the surface has been scratched in understanding the brain and its capacity to learn. It is becoming more apparent that if a problem begins in the mind, the solution exists there as well.
NLP is well known for its success in dealing with confidence issues, anxieties, nerves, fears and phobias. There are many ways that it can be used to help with these challenges and create strategies for a long lasting life change. These can include managing thought processes, what we say, how we remember things, reframing (putting something into a different context, viewing it differently), emotional state management (e.g. resourcing our desired 'state' such as relaxed or confident), reprogramming our brains to move towards what we do want and erasing the unhelpful emotions attached to old memories.
Our minds receive information through the senses but the emotional impact of that information depends on whether we mentally associate or disassociate to it. We associate by viewing and experiencing an event through our own eyes and bodies. We are literally in the experience, processing it from the perspective of 'I see, feel, hear, etc. this event'. We disassociate by experiencing it as if we are an observer watching ourselves.
Associated experiences have a more powerful emotional impact than disassociated experiences. We are attached rather than detached. It's the difference between imagining yourself riding a horse and seeing it under you with its neck, head and ears extended before you or viewing an image of yourself riding at a distance.
Understanding this difference in perspectives can be very useful in helping clients overcome phobias and fears or past traumatic experiences. NLP has a process to help clients safely confront minor phobias and fears by disassociating and reframing their experiences.
There are many simple, quick and effective NLP techniques that can help with horse rider confidence and many other issues.
Linguistics - how we use language and how it affects us
Programming - how we sequence our actions to achieve our goals
The basic principle of NLP is to re-examine the way our minds process a certain thought pattern or life in general. Helping you change that process gives you more confidence in dealing with new events. Scientists often state that only the surface has been scratched in understanding the brain and its capacity to learn. It is becoming more apparent that if a problem begins in the mind, the solution exists there as well.
NLP is well known for its success in dealing with confidence issues, anxieties, nerves, fears and phobias. There are many ways that it can be used to help with these challenges and create strategies for a long lasting life change. These can include managing thought processes, what we say, how we remember things, reframing (putting something into a different context, viewing it differently), emotional state management (e.g. resourcing our desired 'state' such as relaxed or confident), reprogramming our brains to move towards what we do want and erasing the unhelpful emotions attached to old memories.
Our minds receive information through the senses but the emotional impact of that information depends on whether we mentally associate or disassociate to it. We associate by viewing and experiencing an event through our own eyes and bodies. We are literally in the experience, processing it from the perspective of 'I see, feel, hear, etc. this event'. We disassociate by experiencing it as if we are an observer watching ourselves.
Associated experiences have a more powerful emotional impact than disassociated experiences. We are attached rather than detached. It's the difference between imagining yourself riding a horse and seeing it under you with its neck, head and ears extended before you or viewing an image of yourself riding at a distance.
Understanding this difference in perspectives can be very useful in helping clients overcome phobias and fears or past traumatic experiences. NLP has a process to help clients safely confront minor phobias and fears by disassociating and reframing their experiences.
There are many simple, quick and effective NLP techniques that can help with horse rider confidence and many other issues.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), also known as energy tapping, is a process of mindful and intentional tapping (gently, with fingertips) on several meridian end-points (found in traditional Chinese energy medicine) on the face, upper body and hands. It is like Acupuncture without the needles and aims to release 'blockages' in our energy flow which can be created by, for example, sudden trauma such as an accident. Think of it as having a blockage in your home plumbing system removed so the water can flow freely once more. This free flow of energy throughout our body's cells is vital to our well-being.
EFT is easy to learn and flexible enough to be used by anyone. It can allow us to transform the way we respond to, for example, traumatic memories, our limiting beliefs and emotions. EFT can bring surprising (and lasting) relief, enabling us to move forward with our lives free from the ties that have bound us.
EFT is easy to learn and flexible enough to be used by anyone. It can allow us to transform the way we respond to, for example, traumatic memories, our limiting beliefs and emotions. EFT can bring surprising (and lasting) relief, enabling us to move forward with our lives free from the ties that have bound us.
Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), is a form of psychotherapy developed in the 1980s by American psychologist Francine Shapiro.
During a stroll in the park, Shapiro made a chance observation that certain eye movements appeared to reduce the negative emotion associated with her own traumatic memories. When she experimented, she found that others also exhibited a similar response to eye movements, and so she set about conducting controlled studies before developing this therapy.
If something traumatic has happened to you, for example an accident or perhaps being judged harshly by someone, the memory of that experience may keep flooding your mind, you may relive the original event with the same intensity of feeling over and over again, like it is taking place right now. These memories may present themselves as either flashbacks or nightmares, and are thought to occur because the mind was simply too overwhelmed during the event to process what was going on.
As a result, these unprocessed memories and the accompanying sights, sounds, thoughts and feelings are stored in the brain in 'raw' form, where they can be accessed each time we experience something that triggers a recollection of the trauma. While it isn't possible to erase these memories, the process of EMDR can alter the way these traumatic memories are stored within the brain - making them easier to manage and causing the client less distress.
The therapy is used to treat a wide range of psychological difficulties that typically originate in trauma, for example direct or indirect experiences of an accident (it happened to you or you heard about it / witnessed it happening to someone else). Traumatic experiences can lead to a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, for which EMDR has been recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
EMDR therapy can be used for any number of other issues including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, fears, phobias and low self-esteem.
Potential benefits of EMDR for horse riders
How does EMDR work?
When traumatic events occur, the body's natural coping mechanisms can be overwhelmed and subsequently the 'raw' memory is inadequately processed.
The goal of EMDR therapy is to properly process traumatic memories that have been inadequately processed and stored by the brain, reducing their impact and helping clients to develop coping mechanisms. In addition it can be used to reduce the anxiety around future events. This is done through a sequence of eye movements whilst requiring clients to recall their trauma or imagine their future event and the related feelings.
The aim of any session is to enable the client to be able to think about an event, past, present or future without feeling any of the unhelpful emotions attached to it. Past traumas are likely to become insignificant once dealt with by EMDR.
EMDR is only used by Caroline in face to face sessions and where considered appropriate and beneficial. It cannot be used on clients who have or do experience epilepsy or seizures.
During a stroll in the park, Shapiro made a chance observation that certain eye movements appeared to reduce the negative emotion associated with her own traumatic memories. When she experimented, she found that others also exhibited a similar response to eye movements, and so she set about conducting controlled studies before developing this therapy.
If something traumatic has happened to you, for example an accident or perhaps being judged harshly by someone, the memory of that experience may keep flooding your mind, you may relive the original event with the same intensity of feeling over and over again, like it is taking place right now. These memories may present themselves as either flashbacks or nightmares, and are thought to occur because the mind was simply too overwhelmed during the event to process what was going on.
As a result, these unprocessed memories and the accompanying sights, sounds, thoughts and feelings are stored in the brain in 'raw' form, where they can be accessed each time we experience something that triggers a recollection of the trauma. While it isn't possible to erase these memories, the process of EMDR can alter the way these traumatic memories are stored within the brain - making them easier to manage and causing the client less distress.
The therapy is used to treat a wide range of psychological difficulties that typically originate in trauma, for example direct or indirect experiences of an accident (it happened to you or you heard about it / witnessed it happening to someone else). Traumatic experiences can lead to a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, for which EMDR has been recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
EMDR therapy can be used for any number of other issues including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, fears, phobias and low self-esteem.
Potential benefits of EMDR for horse riders
- A reduction in re-experiencing traumatic memories.
- Feeling more able to cope with and manage traumatic memories without needing to avoid potential triggers.
- Feeling more able to engage in and enjoy your riding and relationship with your horse.
- Reduced feelings of stress, anxiety and hyper-vigilance.
How does EMDR work?
When traumatic events occur, the body's natural coping mechanisms can be overwhelmed and subsequently the 'raw' memory is inadequately processed.
The goal of EMDR therapy is to properly process traumatic memories that have been inadequately processed and stored by the brain, reducing their impact and helping clients to develop coping mechanisms. In addition it can be used to reduce the anxiety around future events. This is done through a sequence of eye movements whilst requiring clients to recall their trauma or imagine their future event and the related feelings.
The aim of any session is to enable the client to be able to think about an event, past, present or future without feeling any of the unhelpful emotions attached to it. Past traumas are likely to become insignificant once dealt with by EMDR.
EMDR is only used by Caroline in face to face sessions and where considered appropriate and beneficial. It cannot be used on clients who have or do experience epilepsy or seizures.
This is one of the definitions you will find on the internet:
‘a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.’
As humans we often fail to be ‘present’ in our own lives, overlooking the good stuff in favour of self-criticism and judgement. Human minds are easily distracted, examining past events or imagining the future and often not in a good way, we have a tendency to ‘catastrophise’.
Have you ever had an experience that you can’t remember like a drive to work? You have switched onto autopilot and lost awareness of the journey.
Becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings and sensations in a way that suspends judgement and self-criticism can have an incredibly positive impact on our lives. For example, you can be aware of the fact that riding causes you to feel anxious without judging it, simply acknowledging it ‘I am aware that I feel anxious when I think about riding’.
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to, and seeing clearly whatever is happening in our lives. It will not eliminate life's challenges, but it can help us respond to them in a calmer manner that benefits us as a whole. It helps us recognise and step away from our reactions to things. It provides us with a scientifically researched approach to cultivating clarity, insight, and understanding. Practicing mindfulness allows us to be fully present in our life and therefore improve its quality.
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn , ‘mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgmentally.’
It is normal for thoughts to drift in and out of your mind whilst practicing mindfulness, they are simply acknowledged, without judgement, without engaging in them and you can then let them go.
The more we practice mindfulness, the more we develop neuro-pathways in the brain associated with being mindful, which make it easier to be fully in the present moment. By learning to experience the present moment as it really is, we develop the ability to step away from unconscious, sometimes habitual, reactions to everyday events, see things as they really are and respond to them wisely rather than on auto pilot.
Mindfulness is very good at helping riders to remain in the moment with their horses rather than imagining all that could go wrong. It will take practice and Caroline helps guide her clients as appropriate.
‘a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.’
As humans we often fail to be ‘present’ in our own lives, overlooking the good stuff in favour of self-criticism and judgement. Human minds are easily distracted, examining past events or imagining the future and often not in a good way, we have a tendency to ‘catastrophise’.
Have you ever had an experience that you can’t remember like a drive to work? You have switched onto autopilot and lost awareness of the journey.
Becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings and sensations in a way that suspends judgement and self-criticism can have an incredibly positive impact on our lives. For example, you can be aware of the fact that riding causes you to feel anxious without judging it, simply acknowledging it ‘I am aware that I feel anxious when I think about riding’.
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to, and seeing clearly whatever is happening in our lives. It will not eliminate life's challenges, but it can help us respond to them in a calmer manner that benefits us as a whole. It helps us recognise and step away from our reactions to things. It provides us with a scientifically researched approach to cultivating clarity, insight, and understanding. Practicing mindfulness allows us to be fully present in our life and therefore improve its quality.
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn , ‘mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgmentally.’
It is normal for thoughts to drift in and out of your mind whilst practicing mindfulness, they are simply acknowledged, without judgement, without engaging in them and you can then let them go.
The more we practice mindfulness, the more we develop neuro-pathways in the brain associated with being mindful, which make it easier to be fully in the present moment. By learning to experience the present moment as it really is, we develop the ability to step away from unconscious, sometimes habitual, reactions to everyday events, see things as they really are and respond to them wisely rather than on auto pilot.
Mindfulness is very good at helping riders to remain in the moment with their horses rather than imagining all that could go wrong. It will take practice and Caroline helps guide her clients as appropriate.
For all enquiries call 07789 861541 or email caroline@confidenceforriders.com