Gail Carruthers on Grief, Loss and Horses
If you have ever experienced a loss, you know what it is to grieve. In this episode of Woman Worriers, host Elizabeth Cush interviews Gail Carruthers, an Equine Guided Learning facilitator, who talks about grief, loss and how horses can help us process those difficult feelings.
“I’m not suggesting that we get over grief, because we don’t.””
Show Notes:
Have you ever lost a loved one? A job? A relationship? We need to grieve these losses, but too often tell ourselves that “I should be over it by now” or “It was just a dog.” In this episode of the Woman Worriers podcast, host Elizabeth Cush, LCPC, of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., welcomes Gail Carruthers, whose Equine Intelligence Academy at Skye Blue Acres near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, helps those who are experiencing grief or loss to find their way through these deep and powerful feelings. They talk about grief as a process that is sometimes misunderstood and about how the lessons of our culture and our beliefs can complicate our experience of grief. The Equine Guided Learning facilitator also shares about how she uses horses to help clients identify feelings that might be buried deep inside and come to a clearer understanding of what they are experiencing.
Listen and learn:
The many different events that can cause us to experience grief and loss—and what they all have in common
The difference between sadness and grief
How the process of grief plays out and how long it might last
Why grief has peaks and valleys
Why we can’t think our way out of grief
The roles of the neocortex and the limbic system in grief
How western culture has complicated our ability to process grief
What many people don’t know about Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief
Why “sucking it up” or keeping “a stiff upper lip” doesn’t help
Why horses are such powerful partners on the journey of grief
Why horses are so sensitive to our energy
How horses and biofeedback machines are similar
What horses do naturally that we need to do to process our grief
Why processing your grief doesn’t mean ending your pain
Why we don’t know how to grieve
How to respond when someone you know is grieving
The kinds of resources and support that are most helpful for grief and loss—and where to find them
Learn More
> Skye Blue Acres website
> Skye Blue Acres on Facebook
> Skye Blue Acres on Instagram
> Hospice Foundation of America article on grief support groups
> Woman Worriers on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook & Twitter
> Woman Worriers Group on Facebook
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