11. Recognizing Eye Movement Patterns to Improve Treatment Effectiveness in Equine Assisted Services: Understanding the Initial Encounter

The first interaction with a horse can be a profound and eye-opening experience. In today’s episode Brenda brings listeners into an exploration of observing the eye contact of the participant during Equine-Assisted Services.  These interactions with horses are known for their therapeutic benefits.   Brenda provides listeners with strategies to enhance the treatment’s effectiveness by analyzing the participant’s behaviors during the interaction when meeting the horse. She explains how these behaviors can inform the treatment plan and offer insight into how therapists can can observe and interpret the participant’s eye movements during interactions with the horse,  Brenda examines human eye contact patterns and compares them with the eye contact preferences of different species, including horses. Recognizing and respecting the needs and preferences of animals in therapy is crucial. Brenda emphasizes that investigating the eye movement patterns of both human participants and horses, as well as their interactions can significantly enhance the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy. This episode aims to foster a deeper connection and achieve more successful therapeutic outcomes through a better understanding of these dynamics.  References Mentioned in this Episode: Marc Bekoff Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature (2006). Temple University Press, Philadelphia. Rebecca Giggs, “Fathoms: The World in the Whale” quoted in “The Eye of the Whale” by Katarzyna Boni, 2023 Runner Up for Public Discourse Award, retrieved from https://www.europeanpressprize.com/article/the-eye-of-the-whale/ Dr. Jane Goodall https://janegoodall.org/ Jane Goodall. (1999). Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey.   Mott, R., Hawthorne, S., & McBride, S. (2020).  “Blink rate as a measure of stress and attention in the domestic horse (Equus caballus).” Sci Rep 10, 21409. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78386-z  Gary Karasik, “A Whale Watching” in the Los Angeles Times.  August 10, 1986. Jaak Panksepp & Lucy Biven. (2012). The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) 1st Edition.  W. W. Norton & Company. Smith AV, Proops L, Grounds K, Wathan J, McComb K. (2016) “Functionally relevant responses to human facial expressions of emotion in the domestic horse (Equus caballus)”. Biol Lett. Feb;12(2):20150907. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0907 Strange Situation and the Adult Attachment Interview https://mainattachment.org/