Self-reflection—whether psychotherapy, energy work, acupuncture, equine therapy or other modalities of therapy—is about self-love, the letting go of fear, and of stepping into courage. I am told that I hold a safe, loving space for my clients and recently a horse owner and trainer held that same beautiful space for me.

Some of you know that I ride. Recently, I began sponsoring a new horse, Leo, and was offered a lesson by Rhonda, his owner. I recognized this invitation as a gift and without hesitation I said yes to the invitation.

Not knowing what type of lesson Rhonda was going to offer, I was excited—until I arrived. I was to ride Leo on a bare back pad, with no bridle and no stirrups. As soon as I entered the arena, my thoughts started sending anxious messages directly to my stomach.

Rhonda hooked Leo’s halter, head gear, to a lunge line (a long piece of rope connected to the halter). This allowed her to be in control of how fast or slow the horse moved. I began to feel that this lesson was about the letting go of fear, of stepping into courage, and subsequently finding balance. But by now, the anxiety had spread to my entire body.

My initial fear became apparent as soon as I climbed onto Leo’s back without the familiar support of saddles and reins. Rhonda began moving him into a slow walk and I was instructed to relax my body from head to toe. With gentle coaching, I only very slowly began to relax. While continuing to focus on relaxing my body, I was instructed and put my arms out into a horizontal position. Then I was instructed to close my eyes, I could hear him kicking the sand under his feet which sounded so loud to me. When asked to reach back to his tail fear returned. But by the second time I reached back, to my surprise, my body began to relax and I could reach even further with my right hand and then my left.

I was asked to lay with my head at his tail and with my arms relaxed on either side of Leo’s body. Looking directly up through the oak tree and up to the sky, I felt fear. I sat up and as I did, began to feel emotional. It was a spontaneous response, so unexpected. After giving that experience more thought, I knew that it an emotional release.

The second time I was asked, everything changed. I looked straight up through the oak trees and felt comfortable. I began to love the feeling of laying on Leo and looking through the tree up into the sky. My eyesight became crisp and my vision clearer. The sky was bluer, the leaves greener and I could feel the quietness in those moments. I was keenly aware of all my senses.

Without giving it much thought, I was beginning to feel more confident and trust myself, Rhonda, Leo and the process. I was stepping into my courage.

When I pulled myself back up into Leo’s back in a riding position Rhonda asked me again how I felt. My response was “I feel empowered! I feel powerful.”

This experience was far greater than a session working through fear and stepping into courage. It had a spiritual component to it. My body, mind, and spirit—as they are all connected—were affected. I felt safe in my body, I felt secure in my mind and I felt this beautiful sense of the receiving of love from both Rhonda and Leo. I am so grateful to both of them for their generosity of the gift of love.

It was also a reminder that this was the same process as I work with my clients. As a practitioner, I can only go as deep with you as I have gone with myself. I continue to work on my own self-refection, fear and courage so that I can continue to hold a safe and loving space for you to do your work.

This was a powerful experience for me and I want to remind you to say yes to invitations that may be beneficial to you.