We are delighted to introduce another guest author at the blog today, Diane Priebe. Shreyasi first met Diane through volunteering at the SAFE Team Rescue in Edmonton, an organization that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes unwanted cats who would otherwise be euthanized. Over the years, they discovered another common aspect – a love of horses. Diane is completing her certification to become an Equine Facilitated Wellness Mental Health Therapist, and is offering this expertise in her private registered psychology practice. She has a wealth of experience and wisdom, and is also one of the most down to earth kindest people we know. We are honored that she agreed to provide an article for the blog on Slowing Down. We include her bio below, followed by the article. She can also be accessed at her website and blog for further inquiries.
Diane Priebe’s Bio: I am a Registered Psychologist, a Certified Hakomi Therapist, and am currently completing my certification to become an EFW (Equine-Facilitated Wellness) Mental Health Therapist. I have been in practice for the past twenty-three years. My clients are individual adults, children and adolescents, as well as families, with presenting issues such as anxiety, depression, work stress, family conflict, parenting, separation/divorce, and school problems. My therapeutic approaches are Hakomi mindfulness-based somatic psychotherapy, Attachment therapy, play therapy, and Animal-Assisted Therapy. I am also a wife, mother, and daughter, and I enjoy being with animals and in nature, reading, and yoga in my spare time. Outside of work, Diane is a wife and mom whose husband and two children (one teen and one pre-teen) keep her very busy. In her free time, she loves to go horseback riding, practice yoga, and is an avid reader.
Slowing Down
One of the many gifts that horses have given me is to help me slow down. I have spent much of my life going fast, trying to do as much as I can, in as short a period of time as possible, thinking ahead to what’s next, making my lists and completing them. A lot of this rushing comes from anxiety, from trying to control things so that bad things don’t happen. The rest comes from trying to do everything “right”. Slowing down, doing less, being more, are hard for me.
When I came back to horses a few years ago, I was struggling with a lot of anxiety. I had experienced the sudden loss, in a short time, of several important people in my life. I decided to leave my private psychology practice in order to grieve and heal. I don’t remember how it happened, but I found my way back to the barn. Horses have woven in and out of my life, starting in a junior high option class many years ago, when I fell in love with a big, black horse named Christopher Robin. Then, many years later as an adult, I returned to horses and riding when I was able to afford the time and money to do so. Once I had my family, my horse time stopped again.
During my time away from work, my life naturally slowed down. There was less to do and I was more careful in choosing how I wanted to spend my time and energy. Re-connecting with horses and nature were a big part of my healing. I savored the time at the barn, doing simple things like brushing and grooming the horses, cleaning and sweeping the stalls and barn, chatting with the other students in my class. I started to feel calmer and more at peace. The physicality of the riding helped me to be more in my body, and the relationship with the horses helped me to be more in my heart.
When I returned to work, life naturally became busier and I became faster and more rushed once again. But now I had the horses to help me remember to go slower, to breathe, to be in the present moment. When I forget, they remind me in their own ways. They can tell right away that I am somewhere else, that my energy is not with them. Recently, I have been trying to go slower from the moment I get to the barn: to walk out to the pen slowly; to walk in arcs towards the horses, rather than straight lines; to spend a few moments connecting with my horse before haltering; to halter and lead more mindfully. It helps me and it helps my horse. We are both calmer and more present. I also try to take this same energy in to the rest of my life, where often my other animals remind me—my cats by curling in to my lap so that I can’t move for awhile and my dog by showing me the joy of running and playing in large open spaces. Slowing down is my journey and I am deeply grateful for those that walk beside me.
What can help us to slow down:
Being aware, you can make a conscious choice to be here, rather than somewhere else
Using your five senses to orient yourself to the here and now
Remember that thinking is also a way to perceive and to remember to let it go sometimes
Nature and animals are gifts that can help us slow down if we let them
Noticing and connecting with our physical bodies, through movement or mindfulness
True play which is spontaneous and fun and without purpose
