Poetic Challenges During the era leading up to 1776, there were poets commenting on and influencing events with regard to revolutions in Britain, France and America capturing the collective consciousness and discussing new forms of governance. This was possible because poetry speaks at a higher level of imagination synthesizing deeper... Continue reading

PARASHOT TAZRIA/METZORA: Isolation and Compassion From: “The Hidden Order of Intimacy” By: Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg (Schocken Books, 2022) Dear Avivah, I am writing with regard to my previous question to you: What do Jewish texts tell us about how a diverse group over a Shabbat dinner can create space in... Continue reading

It's all about the journey. Parasha Lekh Lekha explains why. ויאמר יהוה אל אברם לך לך And the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your land and your birthplace and your father’s house to the land I will show you.” [Ch. 12, v. 1] Midrash Tanhuma Unto the land... Continue reading

In the spirit of exploring issues raised regarding the Tower of Babel, I am starting out with the opening nine lines from Homers’ Iliad in the original ancient Greek. Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεά, Πηληιάδεω Ἀχιλῆος οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί᾽ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε᾽ ἔθηκε, πολλὰς δ᾽ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια... Continue reading

תהו ובהו It is easier to describe what “is” rather than what isn’t. For this reason, it is tempting to jump over the first two verses of Bereshit which describe literally “nothing” in order to get to the point where HaShem is making things concrete – dividing the light from... Continue reading

"And Moses, the Lord’s servant, died there in the land of Moab by the word of the Lord." (Ch. 34, v.5) Alter: The literal sense is by the mouth of the Lord, i.e. by divine decree. But the use of the “mouth” encouraged the Midrash to imagine here a “death... Continue reading

Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg The aim of interpretation is to make strangeness in certain respects stranger. Detect intimations of disorder within order, instability within stability. We find ourselves, with our most radical dilemmas, reflected in these ancient texts. The midrash invites us to read the text within the truest - that... Continue reading

The Sinai Covenant: The Argument of Revelation From: Bernard M. Levinson Ancient Israelite authors almost never wrote propositionally; instead, they employed narrative, law, and other conventional literary genres to express their ideas….. their ideas assumed the forms of historical narrative and legal stipulation. Commentary on the Bible thus becomes an... Continue reading

OVERVIEW I think that there are two themes going on at the same time in this poem. One is the progression from God’s favor and succoring and support which then sharply diverges to God’s anger against the people and his aggression towards them which is then followed at the very... Continue reading

Netzavim, Chapter 30 ….when you heed the voice of the Lord your God to keep his commands and His statutes written in this Book of the Teaching, when you then return to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your being. [v. 10] For this command... Continue reading

TRANSFORMATIVE EVENTS - Parasha Ki Tavo I would like to posit three events of transformation of the Hebrew people, two of which are discussed in this week’s parasha. The first is the event at Sinai where the Torah was given to the Hebrews. The second is when the Israelites crossed... Continue reading

How Two Wandering Cows Started a Culture War KiTeza, Ch. 22 When Hornee and Blackee strayed from their pasture, they set off a chaotic chain of events. The town of Newfane, N.Y., hasn’t been the same since. By Christopher Maag Reporting from Niagara County, N.Y., July 29, 2024 One summer... Continue reading

There are divergent perspectives when it comes to Polyvagal Theory. This was surprising to me as I learned about PVT because PVT seemed to be a very common sense and welcome explanation of behaviors that are commonly experienced and ways that one could respond to them. Here I will set out some of the various perspectives. Continue reading

In Equine Assisted Therapy, how does the client and the horse end up creating a new reality for the client different from the reality embodied in stories of trauma that the client has been living in? In their book, "How Change Happens in Equine Assisted Interventions," the authors Noreen Esposito and Angela Fournier provide some ideas that I would like to build on in this post. Continue reading

Polyvagal Theory is one of the more intriguing topics that I have recently encountered. My reading on the subject has included books by Stephen Porges who developed this theory and Deborah Dana who has been instrumental in operationalizing it in a therapeutic context. Continue reading

This post continues the discussion of how intersubjectivity can fit in with contemporary approaches used in Equine Assisted Therapy. The focus here is on a book by Petruska Clarkson, "The Transpersonal Relationship in Psychotherapy." In dealing with the relationship of the client and the horse in the therapeutic triangle of client-horse-therapist, we ask the question, what might a contemporary approach to intersubjectivity look like? Continue reading

When one approaches something like Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) or any modality of change in human beings, sooner or later one needs to address the issue of Theory of Change. This asks the question, "How do people change?" Continue reading

I continue to be captivated by the discussion in "Beyond the Couch" by Dr. Natasha Filippides, specifically in her Chapter 4 which is entitled "The Relational Dance." In this chapter, she applies ideas of subjectivity, intersubjectivity and enactment to what is known in Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) literature as the therapeutic triangle of client, therapist and horse...At issue here is to what extent a modality embodying these concepts can be extended to include the horse and if so, how. Continue reading

A small book by Ilka Parent, "Minds in Motion," sets out a number of vignettes about her work using an EAGALA approach along with some commentary. What I was most intrigued with by her book is that some of her comments respond to questions that I raised in a recent post about the applicability of a Gestalt competency-based approach to EAT work. Continue reading

In a recent book by Dr. Natasha Filippides, "Beyond the Couch: A Psychoanalytical Approach to Equine Assisted Psychotherapy," she points out that the current mostly Gestalt-based EAGALA approach is missing some elements which are captured in the term Depth Psychology. The purpose of her book is to "outline a depth oriented, psychoanalytical framework for EAP." Continue reading

Is the strength-based Gestalt approach known as the Cape Cod Model appropriate for the treatment of trauma? Would it be compatible with the EAGALA method of Equine Assisted Therapy or an on-the-horse approach either in the treatment of trauma or for other issues? Continue reading

In proceeding with a discussion of Gestalt and EAGALA, an intriguing topic is that of Soft Eyes. In pursuing this, we have to bring Sally Swift into the conversation. Sally Swift is a recognized leader in what is known as Centered Riding. As I discussed in an earlier post, Soft Eyes is one of the foundations that Swift espouses for effective riding. In this post, we will see that soft eyes applies not only to riding a horse but also to working with a horse on the ground. Continue reading

As I continue to learn more about the EAGALA approach to Equine Assisted Therapy, I am feeling quite at home due to the strong similarities between the EAGALA approach and the Gestalt approach that has been an integral part of my practice for decades. I especially notice this similarity as I think about the group facilitation course that I have been teaching for years at Reichman University as part of their MA Psychology Program. There is a richness in both the Gestalt and EAGALA traditions and a potential synergy that I hope to address in this and future posts. Continue reading

It is helpful, I believe, to view therapeutic work with horses not just from the perspective of responding to problematic situations within oneself such as trauma or troubling situations within ongoing relationships. There are also existential life issues that working with horses affords one the opportunity of dealing with. Thus, the horse plays a role as a signpost along the course of one's life. Continue reading

Amidst the many definitions of storyboarding in media and organizations is the use of this concept and practice in EAGALA Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT). EAGALA breathes dynamic life into this practice that literally was once confined to a whiteboard or a flip chart. How does EAGALA make use of this in its work with clients and horses? Continue reading