Ep5: Dr. Stephen Peters, Psy.D., ABN, Equine Neuroscientist - CO, USA
08/15/23 • 135 min
It’s not often that you get to chat with a neuroscientist. Still less often to chat with a neuroscientist that is also a doctor. Still less often to chat with a neuroscientist that is a doctor and also autistic. And less often still to chat with a neuroscientist who is also a doctor and also autistic and also a horseman. Finally, it’s about a chance in a million, maybe more, to chat with a neuroscientist that is a doctor, is autistic, is a horseman and who is also a renowned horse trainer and published author on horse training and behaviour.
Dr Stephen Peters is that man. His book, Evidence Based Horsemanship, is rapidly becoming something of a bible among those who would understand how their horse’s brain and their human brain could best come together in working harmony.
Of course, for those of us in the Equine Assisted World, whether we are practitioners, clients, or simply curious onlookers – or whether we are the horses upon whom the entire process depends – knowledge of the brain is key. If we are dealing with a physical issue, we first have to reach the person’s brain before we can start that therapizing stuff. If we are working with neuro cognitive conditions, a basic working knowledge of the neuroscience of learning and cognition would seem essential – yet very few programs outside of Horse Boy Method offer this.
If you are training and maintaining the therapy horse, understanding your own brain as well as, to some extent, that of your four-legged colleague would also seem to be an advantage.
One day, the therapeutic approaches will hopefully begin to put neuroscience front and centre of their professional trainings. Axons, dendrites, myelination, BDNF and other neurotrophins, cerebral spinal fluid, the amygdala, cortisol, oxytocin and serotonin, the dance between the re frontal cortex and the rough emotional seas of the limbic system: it’s a lot to navigate. So sit back, grab a pen, paper and beverage, and let Dr Stephen initiate you into the mysteries of that organ you work with every day; the noggin.
Links and books mentioned:
Evidence base horsemanship Martin Black and Dr. Steve Peters
Courses with Dr. Steven Peters & Sarah Schlote course https://equuscience.com/
Contact Dr. Stephen
Horsebrainscience.info
Find our other shows and programs:
https://rupertisaacson.com
It’s not often that you get to chat with a neuroscientist. Still less often to chat with a neuroscientist that is also a doctor. Still less often to chat with a neuroscientist that is a doctor and also autistic. And less often still to chat with a neuroscientist who is also a doctor and also autistic and also a horseman. Finally, it’s about a chance in a million, maybe more, to chat with a neuroscientist that is a doctor, is autistic, is a horseman and who is also a renowned horse trainer and published author on horse training and behaviour.
Dr Stephen Peters is that man. His book, Evidence Based Horsemanship, is rapidly becoming something of a bible among those who would understand how their horse’s brain and their human brain could best come together in working harmony.
Of course, for those of us in the Equine Assisted World, whether we are practitioners, clients, or simply curious onlookers – or whether we are the horses upon whom the entire process depends – knowledge of the brain is key. If we are dealing with a physical issue, we first have to reach the person’s brain before we can start that therapizing stuff. If we are working with neuro cognitive conditions, a basic working knowledge of the neuroscience of learning and cognition would seem essential – yet very few programs outside of Horse Boy Method offer this.
If you are training and maintaining the therapy horse, understanding your own brain as well as, to some extent, that of your four-legged colleague would also seem to be an advantage.
One day, the therapeutic approaches will hopefully begin to put neuroscience front and centre of their professional trainings. Axons, dendrites, myelination, BDNF and other neurotrophins, cerebral spinal fluid, the amygdala, cortisol, oxytocin and serotonin, the dance between the re frontal cortex and the rough emotional seas of the limbic system: it’s a lot to navigate. So sit back, grab a pen, paper and beverage, and let Dr Stephen initiate you into the mysteries of that organ you work with every day; the noggin.
Links and books mentioned:
Evidence base horsemanship Martin Black and Dr. Steve Peters
Courses with Dr. Steven Peters & Sarah Schlote course https://equuscience.com/
Contact Dr. Stephen
Horsebrainscience.info
Find our other shows and programs:
https://rupertisaacson.com
Previous Episode
Ep4: Dr. Rebecca Bailey - Equine Polyvagal Institute - CA, USA
Many of you have probably heard of Polyvagal Theory; it’s a bit of a buzzword these days in the mental health community. But what is it exactly? And how does it relate to equine work? Well, who better to explain it to us than Dr Rebecca Bailey, co-founder of the Equine Polyvagal Institute in California. Dr Bailey, a longtime family therapist and also an equestrian, has a wealth of experience working with trauma and psychological conditions of all shapes and sizes. A leader in the field, she directed the Sonoma County Police Department's Youth and Family Services Program, trained psychologists and therapists for the Marin County DUI Program, founded Transitioning Families, which trains health practitioners to assist families going through crisis, and works with national organizations such as the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. Her background speaks for itself.
But along the way, Dr Bailey also became drawn to the work of renowned psychologist and neuroscientist Dr Stephen Porges, a professor of psychiatry at North Carolina University Chapel Hill, whose Polyvagal theory - which describes how our autonomic nervous system provides us with a range of ways to respond to the world around us, including traumatic or dangerous experiences - determines not just our state of the moment but also our general world view and therefore our behaviors and long term destiny. Understanding the Vagus Nerve, so called because is wanders all over the body and touches every organ, and three of its key functions can unlock cycles of thoughts and behaviors that don't serve us and can help us retrain our nervous systems and brains into ways that do. But how? Well, listen as Dr Bailey explains it in plain English that even Rupert can understand!
It’s not all science though. Dr Bailey also takes us on a fascinating personal journey through her background and work with horses and clients, some of whom faced situations most of us could not imagine surviving, her time with legendary counterculture rockers The Grateful Dead, her thoughts on altered states of consciousness, all wrapped up with plenty of humor.
So buckle up, have your notebook handy and join us on a fascinating dive down the rabbit hole of the autonomic nervous system that is at once educational, informative, entertaining, and gives we Equine Assisted folks real, practical tips for how to bring this into our practice.
Books mentioned:
- Equine Connection and Polyvagal https://amzn.to/3XK84av
- Save Kids Smart Parents
- Polyvagal in the courtroom
- Appeasement
- JC Dugard: A Stolen life https://amzn.to/3O5bqSt
- Margie McDonald: Notes from the barn https://amzn.to/3O8lkms
Contact Dr. Bailey:
Find our other Programs and Shows:
Next Episode
Ep 6: Shea Stewart - Equine Craniosacral, TX
In our world of Equine Assisted best practices, the subject of horse wellness and horse welfare is paramount. It stands to reason that for a horse to be able to transmit wellbeing to a human, then that horse must have wellbeing itself both in its body and in its mind. Too often we have seen old, often injured horses donated to therapeutic programs because they are quiet, and then these horses - because they receive no real care other than feeding, blanketing and , if they are lucky, turn out - become more and more sour, as they become stiffer and more in discomfort. This sourness often gets taken out directly on handlers and volunteers - biting, sly kicks, foot crushes and shoulder barges are a known feature of some of the more old0school therapy barns. Indirectly the horses also take out their discomfort on the differently abled and neurodiverse riders themselves by giving a ride that just doesn't feel good, sometimes resulting in those riders not wanting to continue.
Now, in defense of this older school approach, there is no blaming or shaming here. Knowledge of horse welfare in previous generations was something of a specialist area. The upper level of, say, eventers or foxhunters understood fitness and soundness very well, but this knowledge didn't necessarily trickle down to other areas of the horse world. Similarly, a horse's need for free movement and a healthy, stable herd dynamic was understood in some quarters but not necessarily in others. The importance of lunging or long reining for topline muscle and in hand work for suppling, rehab and maintenance of horses is only just becoming something mainstream, as if basic horsemanship. So, the older school therapy stables with suffering horses came from a good-hearted place, wanting to offer a much-needed service to an underserved community. Its up to us, as practitioners, to keep the best practices moving forward.
So, this is why it gives us great pleasure here at Equine Assisted World to be interviewing Sea Stewart, whose approach to Equine Cranio-Sacral work addresses so many issues of our horses' wellbeing. From the need to plentiful cerebral spinal fluid in the spinal chord and brain, to the need for supple and well hydrated fascia between the muscle groups, to the production of calming hormones for emotional well being, the work of Shea Stewart and those like her deeply informs our practice. Listen on - there is much of value here that can be applied in any of our barns. And as you'll find, just listening to Shea and her outlook in bio rhythms and happiness is a treat. Enjoy.
People, Groups and books mentioned:
Mauro Zappaterra MD: Mauro Zappaterra obtained his MD and PhD degrees from Harvard Medical School. He completed his PhD doing work with neuronal stem cells and the effects of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in brain development and in the adult.
William Garner Sutherland: Grandfather of Cranio-sacral
William Seifritz: Plant cell biologist
Biodynamic Carnio Sacral Association of North America
Michael Kern UK
Breath of Life Conference
The Cranio Sacral Podcast Ryan Hallford
Contact Shea
https://www.equinebalance.net/
[email protected]
Find our other shows and programs:
https://rupertisaacson.com
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