Equine Assisted Intervention for Positive Mental Health and Wellness: An Autoethnographic Study

Abstract

This paper will present the findings of an autoethnography study exploring how Equine-Assisted Interventions (EAI) can foster positive mental health and wellness in a veterans. I personally experienced EAI benefits while conducting ten therapeutic sessions by and on myself, following by reflective journaling as the data used. I am a social worker who has suffered from several mental health conditions over the last 15 years due to elements of being a first responder and military veteran culture. The research method adopted an eclectic approach of groundwork with horses, husbandry, activities base, and a combination of grounding and mindfulness elements. The conceptual framework combined various social work theories such as attachment theory, person-in-environment, and biophilia theory. Findings of EAI sessions concluded that EAI was successful in bringing a positive mental health and wellness state to a first responder dealing with mental disorders. As the findings, five themes resulted from the reflective journaling; Emotional Suppression and Vulnerability; Expectation, Control and Self-control; Communication and Empathy; Intuition and Mindfulness; and Neuroplasticity and Hormones. This paper will finish with a discussion and implication for the social work field.