We hope this includes you. 

Learn more about our evolution, what our new NL membership includes, and how you can grow your impact by becoming part of something bigger. 

The Evolution of Natural Lifemanship and What It Means for You

While the Natural Lifemanship model began developing in 1986, we still believe there is much more to learn and explore. Just as the mental health needs of people around the world are constantly changing based on the various and often unexpected fears and struggles we experience, we too must remain ever-evolving. 

Therefore, we decided that it was time to pave a clearer and more direct path for professionals from different walks of life to pursue a principle-based approach to working with clients, horses, and discovering themselves. 

Our metamorphosis gives you the opportunities to access tons of career-changing education and resources, trainings designed to support your personal and professional paths, and the opportunity to experience a transformation yourself. 

As Equine Assisted Services professionals and a community of helpers and healers, we invite you to walk with us. 

A Closer Look at Natural Lifemanship Membership

In the same way the Natural Lifemanship brand evolved, so too did the NL membership plan, which now provides you with a larger and more comprehensive toolbox to support both your life and practice. 

With the new all-inclusive membership plan, you get discounts on exclusive online courses, Building Your Resilience offerings, and events including our highly-anticipated annual conference.  A variety of FREE online events are available each month for NL members.  Plus, you get hundreds of hours of FREE online learning and opportunities to speak with NL founders (including me!) and trainers each month. 

Our choice to focus on just one membership plan allows us to ensure that each and every member gets the highest level of educational resources and training available. That means YOU have more access to the learning materials that will improve the ways in which you interact with horses and clients. 

To put it simply, we wanted to give you more—and now we’re doing just that. 

How the New and Improved Membership Benefits You

What can you expect when you become an NL member and take advantage of the member benefits? If you ask other NL members, you’ll hear similar responses. 

“ A toolbox of regulation and relationship skills, a depth and breadth of knowledge.” 

“Improve not only your professional development but your personal growth as well.” 

“Changes you’ll witness in yourself, your horses, your families, and of course, your clients.” 

“An incredible group of people willing to dive in, to grow as individuals and professionals.”

While the overall price of membership slightly increased (for some of you), the impact you’ll experience from joining our growing community of EAS professionals and walking with our NL team will far exceed your expectations.

Want to get a free membership? 

The best way (and highly recommended) to take advantage of the NL trainings and resources is to pursue NL certification, which includes NL membership. Our certification is unlike other EAS certification programs in that it requires a long-term commitment to your personal growth, your professional practice, and the sustainability of your business.

We believe it takes valuable time and mentorship to effectively integrate Natural Lifemanship’s *TI-EAT, **TF-EAP, or ***TI-EAL into your work with clients, so we offer the very best of our knowledge and expertise as well as our guidance and full support. 

By walking the path to NL certification, you access all the benefits of NL membership along with a transformative experience that will shift the trajectory of your work and evolve your life and practice. 

Read more about our terminology here.

Here’s How You Take Advantage and Grow Your Toolbox

If you have yet to become an NL member and wish to join, you can go here to sign-up. 

Or, if you are interested in pursuing NL certification, accessing NL membership for free, and evolving your life and practice, you’ll find everything you need to get started here. 

Become Part of Our Growing Community

We are more than an organization that equips professionals from various walks of life to help people heal, grow, and recover from trauma. We are also a community—and we want to welcome you in.  

Having worked in this field for more than 35 years, our NL team understands the importance of growing to meet the ever-evolving mental and emotional needs of those we serve. Our clients grow because we grow. 

When you become part of our NL community, you not only access the decades of experience and knowledge we’ve gained, you also learn from other professionals who walk a similar path. Together, we are working to help change lives using the unique principles of connection and relationship we developed many years ago. We strongly believe that where one can make an impact, many can change the world. 

Join us as we continue to challenge ourselves, our communities, and the mental health and wellness profession. Join the many, and together let’s change the world.

The post A New and Improved Membership Means a Better Prepared You appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

“Practice what you preach”                                       

“Say what you mean and mean what you say”

                                                                      “Actions speak louder than words” 

“Put your money where your mouth is”

Idioms about the importance of being congruent in both speech and behavior abound.  

Our spoken words, no matter how sincerely we mean them, become untrustworthy when they are not supported by our actions.  

Similarly, our actions feel incongruent and insincere when they are not consistent with our intention and motives.  We have all been on the receiving end of an interaction that appeared or seemed intended to be helpful or friendly, but instead felt empty at best and manipulative or exploitative at worst.  Both our actions and our words, no matter how well intentioned, can leave us feeling confused and disconnected from each other if they are not congruent with our internal state of being, and can result in relational rupture.
 

Embodiment Defined 

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “embody” in this way: to be an expression of or give a tangible or visible form to (an idea, quality, or feeling).  

Embodiment entails a sense of internalizing and integrating a way of being in the world that moves beyond our way of doing or behaving.  Beyond acting as guidelines for behavior, embodied principles and beliefs become woven into the fabric of our identity and sense of self, and flow naturally into the ways in which we connect with self and others, both human and animal, and the larger world, including nature and our conceptualization of the divine.  

We can sense the difference when someone is “acting kind” as opposed to “being kind.”  Kind acts can be done for a variety of both honorable or self-serving motives. However, experiencing true kindness from someone who embodies the truth of their character in serving and caring for others because this is who they are engages our limbic system in an entirely different way and offers a rich relational opportunity for connection on a level so deep and healing that it is felt at a cellular level.  

This kind of connection requires genuine presence, being in this moment and being with yourself and the one who is in front of you. We try in various ways to derive “being” from “doing,” but “doing” actually flows from our “being.”  

WHO we are shows up in WHAT we do and HOW we do it.  

A society of task managers

In our task-focused, accomplishment-driven society, our obsession with productivity and output leaves little room for the rich, satisfying, deeply healing experiences of connection that are only possible when we slow down and focus our complete attention on this interaction at this moment with this being, whether horse or human.  

When I work with a client in the round pen who is asking for their horse’s attention while preoccupied with the outcome, so focused on the task of getting the horse to look at them, or turn and walk to them that they have reduced the interaction to a project whose success is measured by achieving a certain behavior, the principle of embodied connection is completely lost in the transactional nature of this exchange.  

When the client shifts to a more genuine, present state, connecting with their deep longing to be seen and felt and valued, and sees and feels and values their horse as well, the change in energy is palpable.  The quality and depth of the connection available in this type of relational exchange defies language, as it is felt on a somatic level between the two as an energetic exchange.
 

Embodiment requires breathing and processing space. . .

 As a trauma survivor, I learned to “behave” appropriately in relational interactions by accurately assessing expectations and how to meet them in order to avoid rejection and abandonment.  When I was first introduced to the Natural Lifemanship model of Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, I approached it the way I did everything I wanted to learn about: in a cognitive manner.  I studied the model, memorized the principles and then practiced applying them in the round pen with horses in a task-focused, outcome driven way.  

It soon became clear to me that I could ask a horse to attach and detach from me without any true connection whatsoever.  I did not feel the warmth in my chest, or energetic exchange between myself and my horse that other people described when their horse connected with them.  I spent hours in the round pen practicing making requests for interaction and felt despair about ever moving beyond the behavioral stage of it “looking right” without it ever “feeling right.”

Then I took the Natural Lifemanship Intensive Training, which focuses even more on embodying the relational principles of this model.  I learned that the healing work we do with humans and horses is a way of “being” in the world, not only a way of  “doing.”  Embodiment requires breathing and processing space, which is why Natural Lifemanship trainings are designed in a combined video and live learning format that offers not only plenty of time to learn and master essential principles but also skilled and knowledgeable instructors to guide your learning by giving personalized feedback on the specific ways to practice these principles.  

To read more about my experiences early on with Natural Lifemanship read here.
 

The secret to success

Malcolm Gladwell popularized the “10,000 hour rule” in his book, Outliers, based on a research study that found it takes about 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery of complex skills and materials like playing the violin or learning computer programming.  A surprising nuance in this discovery revealed that it is not simply the amount of hours spent practicing but how you practice and who guides you in deciding what to focus on during that practice time that determines the level of success achieved.  This idea of “deliberate practice” under the guidance of a skilled teacher who is able to assess each student individually and outline specific steps to help them improve then tailors the time spent to focus on what would be most helpful for that student’s growth and development.  

How you use your practice time and who guides you is what matters most.  

I spent hours in the round pen doing the same thing over and over, getting the same results, until I received the personalized attention and guidance I specifically needed to let go of my task driven focus and learned to embrace and embody the principles and nuances of true, heart-felt connection.  I discovered the power of presence from trainers who embodied this with and for me so I could hone in on what was missing in my learning and start practicing in a way that actually led to transformational change. 
 

How the NL Intensive training can help you embody connection

The Intensive Training is set up to enhance your learning with guidance and support specifically tailored to the areas you want and need to grow.  It helped me refine my understanding of connection in relationship and led to powerful shifts in my perspective on my relationship with self and others, both horse and human.  

This is a powerful opportunity to take the next step in your journey of personal and professional growth!
 

Practice Embodied Connection at Home

To practice feeling a sense of embodiment through connection, try taking a walk with a trusted person.  Orient to your environment and do some mindfulness and grounding to become fully present in your body as you walk beside each other.  Then start to notice if you can fall “in sync” with your partner, matching their stride by sensing their movement without looking at them.  

Take turns lengthening your stride, speeding up and slowing down, and changing direction.  Can you feel these shifts without looking at your partner’s legs or body with your eyes?  Can you sense the energetic exchange between the two of you as you become entrained in your motion and your connection deepens through this rhythmic shared movement?  Be playful with it!  You can also try this with your horse or dog.

Want to learn more?  Attend our upcoming webinar on embodiment and sign up for the Natural Lifemanship Intensive Training!  Keep growing and learning with us.  

We look forward to seeing you!

The post Paving a Path to Embodiment appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

-Renee Bouffard, LCSW/Executive Director, Healing Hoofbeats of CT, Inc.

The reviews are in and we are over the moon!

When COVID hit, we at Natural Lifemanship were in a scramble to create a new plan for staying connected with our community.  Staying connected, and continuing to grow in ongoing learning has been possible…virtually!  

As the pandemic has continued, we’ve worked to bring our second level training, the Natural Lifemanship Intensive, to an online platform as well. We launched our first cohort in March of 2021 and, having just wrapped up, I am simply delighted to say how powerful it was for me, the rest of the NL team, and for our students – some would even call it life-changing!

“The NL Intensive training is a life-changer. Diving so deep into concepts, receiving helpful feedback about videos, and having a dyad partner helped me deepen my practice and my relationships with individuals I serve, my horses, and all my other relationship partners. I would recommend this training to anyone who works in a helping profession. Honestly, I would recommend this training to anyone who has any relationship at all. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me.”

-Terri Schanen, Equine-Assisted Skill Developer, Lessons In Harmony, LLC

“Y’all. And I don’t say y’all bc I’m from Iowa. But y’all, this is life changing.”

– Ashley Stavig

Before, the Intensive was an in-person training lasting 3 days that allowed for a group of paired up students to work with horses to deepen their learning from the Fundamentals.  Taking turns practicing the principles of NL, the pair would receive feedback and participate in discussion throughout the 3 days.  It was a fun and meaningful training, without a doubt.  

And yet, at the end of the 3 days we were always met with the same conundrum…people wanted more time to think together, learn together, and practice…but it was just SO hard for everyone to make more time to do this in person.  Putting together a virtual learning experience is tricky, especially as we work to hold true to our values of relationship and connection first.  But the NL team outdid themselves again and produced a 15 week virtual training that has been, I am thrilled to say, a HUGE success. 

As one of the instructors in this course, I have relished being able to connect with students over a whole 15 weeks through a group forum, routine office hours, and a total of 8 class meetings – while each student has been able to learn in their own time and practice, right at home. The learning has been deeper, richer, and more transformative, because students have time to step into the principles, and even apply their learning to their personal lives and relationships.

The material that is covered in the NL Intensive takes students deeper into the neuroscience, the attachment, and the ethics of this field of equine assisted services – and it does so through powerful experiences in learning and practicing with horses. 

“This course was informative, practical, and easily transferred to my work with people in my private practice, with or without horses. I highly recommend it!”

– Lydia Radke, Ancora Wellness.

Each of the 8 class meetings is an opportunity to connect, regulate, and learn new skills – as well as an opportunity to watch, pause, review, and discuss the active work that the students are doing at home. NL Intensive students come away with a toolbox of regulation skills, a depth and breadth of knowledge, and an embodied experience of how to build healthy relationships no matter where they go.  

Whether you are a therapist, equine professional, or someone in between, you will find this training can improve not only your professional development, but your personal development as well.

“Phenomenal training that helps expand therapeutic knowledge, horsemanship knowledge, and self awareness. Applies to every part of life and really gets the wheels turning!”

-Brooke Bodar, LPC

NL students remark on the changes they witness in themselves, in their horses, their families, and of course, in their clients – the NL Intensive is a transformative experience.

In our last class together, each student had the opportunity to summarize their experience with the course and I was truly brought to tears by the reflections they shared.  We wanted to stay connected with our community, even at a distance, and I really think we did it.  What an incredible group of people willing to dive in to grow as individuals and professionals…and what an exciting training to be a part of!

I cannot wait for our new cohort to begin – so we can connect with a whole new group of incredible helpers and healers in the world.  I hope to see you there!

“If you are considering taking the intensive… DO IT!!! This course was not only profoundly helpful for my sessions with clients and horses but also deeply impactful for me personally.”  

Are you ready to join us? Our new cohort is now enrolling and will begin August 23rd! 

Register here!

Still wanting that in-person experience? 

Join us at an intensive practicum as well!  

The Intensive Practicum is a 3-day in-person experience for those who have a desire for hands-on practice with our trainers to truly understand the NL approach from the inside out. Following 15 weeks of comprehensive, in-depth online learning, you’ll have the opportunity to dive deep into your practice with horses, and receive in-the-moment feedback from experienced NL professionals, so you can progress with confidence and competence. It takes practice to become a therapeutic presence and skilled guide.  Here’s what our students are saying about the Intensive Practicum….

“The practicum really brought the online learning information together in the most meaningful way. This was a very powerful training and one of the best trainings I have ever attended.”

-Dr. Sarah Cairns, psychologist, Cairns Therapy and Nutrition

“One of my biggest takeaways [from the practicum] was getting to practice finding the space between my own “old tapes” of either trying to control or simply walking away when I’m feeling ignored; and then practicing what to do with my internal energy and getting clear about my needs in that space. Very healing and helpful to my personal and professional life moving forward.”

Haven’t taken the Fundamentals of NL (the pre-req for this course) yet?  Registration opens soon for the Fundamentals as well!  Check it out!

Still undecided? See ALL our amazing video testimonials, here!

The post “It is life-changing…” appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

This past year was an exception.

While each individual visit from grief varied in depth and time, the shared experience of having met under similar circumstances gifted us with opportunities for connecting on a much deeper level. 

In pulling apart the pieces that make the experience of grief complex, I have found that love and grief are indeed connected—either one not fully existing without the other. 

As author, theologian, activist, and storyteller Stephen Jenkinson puts it, 

“love is a way of grieving that which has not yet slipped away.” 

We needn’t look far behind us to see that the things we grieve, were the things we loved first. That without having loved, we would not grieve at all.  About this most of us agree, but Stephen Jenkinson argues that love is also grief.  As a woman married to an older man and as a mother of young children, I am all too aware of the impermanence of love every time I hug my husband and snuggle my little ones to sleep.  I know this too will pass.  Yes, love is also grief – about this, I am sure.  For me, the Pandemic heightened this awareness.  It was a hard year.  At times, love and wonder had to be stolen, in seconds, minutes. . . Before moving forward on the path that follows the recent pandemic, let us glance over our shoulder at the ways in which the past year revealed our interdependence, our similarities, and our shared journey.

Reflecting on 2020

At the start of 2020, the Natural Lifemanship Institute was thriving—or so we thought. We were leading the way in the field of Equine Assisted Services, and were training practitioners in-person in Trauma-Focused EAP and Trauma-Informed EAL.  Our passion and practice was fulfilling a purpose – we were living the dream.  Truly! 

As word spread of a virus potentially impacting our communities, we believed like many others that the threat would soon disappear, as similar threats had in the past. Yet as quickly as the name Covid-19 overtook the airways, the devastating virus rocked our business, our livelihood, and the world. 

The loss was sudden, the effects longstanding, and the impact, in my opinion, lifelong. As practitioners in the field of mental health, we recognized the trauma in ourselves, and in those around us—and we responded. 

We knew the need for teachers and professionals in our field would increase as more people around the world experienced the grief of losing that which they loved—family members, friends, businesses, jobs, homes, community, celebrations, affection, and more. 

The grief was growing as quickly as the impact of Covid-19, and we evolved in response.  During lock-down, with young children at home, no childcare, and no school, our trainings intensified to meet the needs of practitioners and clients, and our courses moved online to increase accessibility and convenience, as each experience required unique accommodations.  We had to quickly let go of how we taught and connected with our students for almost 10 years and embrace the unknown.  You can read between the lines as you recall your experience during this time, but uncertainty, unrest, fear, and grief touched us all —it was surreal.   

But today Natural Lifemanship provides virtual trainings that meet the requirements for NL certification, and hosts intimate, in-person trainings throughout the country to help ease the burden of traveling in this new world. 

Lessons on grief, loss, connection and community 

The global pandemic helped to support the belief that grief and love are truly connected. 

In fact, grief permeates nearly every aspect of our lives as we move through seasons of love and loss. How do we find joy in the lingering shadow of grief that follows everything and everyone we love? In one another, and the shared experiences we have as human beings. 

While Covid-19 brought with it destruction and devastation, it also provided us with a rare opportunity to experience a collective loss, and initiate a shared grieving process. For far too long, in Western culture, grief has been an isolated experience usually impacting one person, family, or community. 

In 2020, however, the same fears and feelings of loneliness, vulnerability, and loss were shared throughout the world. Whether we realized it or not, grief connected us, and in that there was a bigger effort to empathize, connect, and lend a hand. 

For a moment, we were one people facing the same challenge, and reassuring one another as we walked an unknown path together.  Just maybe, 2020 brought us back to experiencing grief the way it was intended —in community, among others, and in the context of connected relationships. 

A Natural Life: Love & Grief Are Connected

As we continued to evolve our practice and support other practitioners in their own healing journeys, we chose to host a special kind of conference this year—one that acts as an experience for all who attend.  Via a path we walk together. 

A Natural Life: Love & Grief Are Connected is where we make a collective date with grief from where we are on our journey. Designed for everyone, regardless of experience and background, this 2.5 day event will bring together a community of helpers and healers from all over the world, to guide us in the art of grieving. 

We will partake in healing practices and other experiential activities together, and hear from speakers whose expertise on the topics of grief and healing will inspire us, help us heal, and increase our impact on our clients, and in the world. 

Whether we recognize it or not, we are always in a season of both love and grief. 

On July 23rd, 24th, and 25th we will simply come together to connect our grief, our love, and expand upon our abilities to support our own healing, and that of our clients or loved ones. 

A collective grief and healing process

Just as we found comfort in the shared experience of a global pandemic, we can also find it in the healing process that follows. 

As we turn our gaze forward, and walk in our grief towards that which looks unfamiliar, our hope is that we recognize those walking beside us. That we acknowledge them on their journey, feel less alone, and support one another in accessing the endless love that exists within. 

We are all new to this path—let’s walk it together.  

Learn more about the Natural Lifemanship way…   

#1  Take some of our courses.  We offer many low cost, single purchase courses and videos for those just wanting to get an idea of what’s out there.  Many of our courses offer CE credits through NBCC and NAADAC.  Many courses are also part of NL Membership or can be purchased by members at steep discounts.  Check out our courses here.

#2 Follow along for FREE!  We offer an array of free content online through webinars, blogs, and videos – you can do any or all of the following to stay connected and up to date on NL happenings!

1. Visit our website www.naturallifemanship.com to explore blogs and other content.  Seriously, so much can be gleaned from our blogs! 
2. Sign up for a free introductory membership and gain access to educational videos and a new free video each month. 
3. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of news, blogs, trainings, etc.
4. Like and Follow our Facebook page and Instagram – we share videos, pictures, articles, and engage in thoughtful discussions.
5. The Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Networking Group on Facebook is also a valuable resource.  This group is managed by NL trainers, but is open to ALL.  Such great conversations happen in this group!
6. Follow our YouTube Channel for free video content! This is a great place to begin understanding how the relationship between horse and person progresses, organically and over time, utilizing NL principles.  Watch this video first and then follow the progress made with Annie and Abilene.

The post The Unfamiliar Path We Walk Together appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

Pause.

Reflect.  Connect.  Cry a little (or a lot depending on the day!).  Curse a bit (okay, so maybe a lot some days!).

Pause and reflect and connect some more. . .

Then evolve.

Okay, so I can only speak for myself when I say that the Pandemic resulted in a decent amount of “curse crying” – a coping mechanism I don’t necessarily recommend, professionally speaking, but do, personally, find quite effective at times.  Truly though, this transformation was at times painful for the entire NL team.  Even though the caterpillar’s story of transformation and loss was already near and dear to my heart, I now have a more embodied understanding of the plight of the butterfly.

All of this said, the pause, the reflection, the connection (and the blood, sweat, and tears. . . AND cursing!) allowed us to soar to new heights—and inspired us to adapt our teachings, trainings, and events to allow for transformative change in the larger Equine Assisted Services (EAS) community.

At Natural Lifemanship, we are designing a better way to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for deep healing—allowing for greater access that meets each student where they are.  

Looking back…

We were, and are proud of the progress we have helped to make in the field of Equine Assisted Services (EAS). In finding unique and powerful ways of working with clients and horses based on principles of connection and healthy relating, over ten years ago my husband, Tim Jobe, and I chose to begin equipping other professionals to expand the reach of EAS’s potential for healing.

The world could benefit from more practitioners in the field—we recognized this.  

After 10 years of guided in-person trainings, we faced an unforeseeable obstacle. A global pandemic. With just days notice, people throughout the world found themselves indoors, and travel and in-person meetings came to an abrupt end.  As the need for support, healing, growth, and wellness grew, so too did the possibility our doors would remain closed for good. (Hence the aforementioned tears and cursing!)

This was not an option for us!  

Our little field offers some of the safest and most effective trauma treatment available.  Period.  People needed competent, connected, and impassioned practitioners more than ever.  

MORE THAN EVER.

And mental health professionals, equine professionals, and others in the healing professions needed more support than ever!

MORE THAN EVER!

Moving forward…

After reflecting on the needs of our clients and students, we chose to make our trainings accessible from home. We redesigned our popular *TF-EAP and **TI-EAL based Fundamentals training to be taken virtually, but with a personalized experience that provided guided feedback, one-on-one meetings, and experiential learning. All of which could be completed from home.

To our delight…we found that we were able to provide more content, more resources, and more guidance than ever before. The results showed that many of our students not only thrived, but preferred the virtual fundamentals over our previous in-person training.

In 2020 we also started a scholarship fund and in 2021 we have awarded over $16,000 in scholarships and hope to award more as the year progresses!  We are seriously committed to making our trainings as accessible as possible!

*Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

**Trauma Informed Equine Assisted Learning

Our New & Better Normal

Our greatest challenge in redesigning our trainings was the recognition that we needed to provide various options for the unique needs of our students. We believed that a temporary solution, such as a few online courses, would not provide students with the in-depth education they needed and deserved.

If we were to ensure that our students were fully prepared to work with clients in an EAS setting, we needed to think big—and we did.

Our team came together and designed the most extensive EAS (Equine Assisted Services) training available, with the option of FULLY completing the program from home.

Fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship—Redesigned

Prior to Covid, our Fundamentals of NL training was impactful in that it allowed our students to gain the foundational knowledge and skills needed to engage in the EAP/L process—using the principles of Natural Lifemanship.  Actually, I know I’m biased, but our pre-pandemic trainings were excellent!

It’s just that post-pandemic they’re EVEN BETTER!

Today, the Fundamentals of NL training is so much more extensive. We’ve created an 8-week curriculum that dives much deeper into the science of trauma, attachment, and somatics, and provides an immense amount of content that simply can’t be covered, digested, and embodied during a two or three day in-person training.  

Nowadays, IF you choose to do in-person training with us (more on this below) you get significantly more time doing the stuff that simply can’t be done online – building nuanced relationship with horses.  More time online means more time to experience the power of the horse-human relationship.  More time online means that when you come to us you are WAY better prepared to get busy and do some experiencing!

What’s more? Even online we are still able to give individualized guidance and experiential learning exercises that we review for feedback. Students benefit from taking the training in group settings, and interacting with one another—as well as the convenience of working from home with their own horses.

Given that each student has a unique set of circumstances, we provide the following training paths:

The Foundational Fundamentals is a comprehensive introduction to NL for those who may not have access to horses, will not be pursuing certification, or prefer to complete their experiential work in-person by adding on the Fundamentals Practicum, which is our in-person training experience. This is a great option for those who are completely new to Natural Lifemanship or need a refresher.

The Core Fundamentals is designed for people who have access to horses and who want to be able to say they are NL Level 1 trained. In taking this training, students move closer to completing NL certification.

Our Certification Jumpstart option allows students to jumpstart the certification process. Not only does this training count toward some of the certification requirements, it also comes with a bundle deal including a one-year NL professional membership, certification enrollment fee, two personal face-to-face consultations on Zoom––all of which are required for certification. This is the greatest bang for the buck if you know you want to get certified in NL.

What about the hands-on experience?

We fully understand the importance of providing an experiential component to our trainings. After all, what good is a practitioner who has yet to practice? We knew it would be a challenge to create a hands-on learning experience that could be completed from home. . . so we came up with the following solutions—and we couldn’t be happier.

Here are the THREE ways to complete the experiential work required for those seeking certification or wishing to claim that they are NL Level 1 trained. They are. . .

The At Home Experience in which students complete several video assignments and receive feedback and guidance from NL trainers. This experience does require that students have access to a horse.  

The In-Person Experience in which students attend one of many in-person practicums throughout the United States and practice their skills and knowledge with in-the-moment guided feedback from our experienced and intuitive NL trainers. (Students must attend the Fundamentals of NL prior to attending)

Or you can do a combination of the two—for those who really want to dive deep and get all of the experience possible.

Our In-Person Practicum

We understand that many people in our field prefer an intimate and interactive in-person training environment so we designed the Fundamentals Practicum to be an unforgettable training experience that allows students to build on their virtual learning experience through hands-on work utilizing the Natural Lifemanship principles.  Most of the didactic learning is done online in the Fundamentals of NL leaving significantly more time and space to truly embody the knowledge and skills gained.

We are currently offering several Fundamentals Practicums throughout the year that are hosted at our partner sites scattered throughout the country, making this experience more accessible for everyone.

By the way, in 2021 we adopted the same training structure for our NL Intensive training making it possible to get fully certified in NL from home!  The NL Intensive is virtual.  There are two options to meet your needs:  Foundational Intensive and Core Intensive.  The experiential portion of the Intensive training can be done at home or in-person at an Intensive Practicum.  

At Natural Lifemanship, we believe that leading means innovating, inspiring, adapting, and evolving—to meet the needs of our compassionate and impactful students as well as our communities, who are in need of deep healing.

While our trainings have evolved to better meet your needs, our principles remain the same. Every training experience through Natural Lifemanship continues to be centered around building healthy relationships and deep connections, based on mutual trust and respect—for EAS practitioners, clients, and horses.

Learn more by watching our latest webinar, “Our New and Better Normal.”

Learn more about the Natural Lifemanship way…   

#1  Take some of our courses.  We offer many low cost, single purchase courses and videos for those just wanting to get an idea of what’s out there.  Many of our courses offer CE credits through NBCC and NAADAC.  Many courses are also part of NL Membership or can be purchased by members at steep discounts.  Check out our courses here.

#2 Follow along for FREE!  We offer an array of free content online through webinars, blogs, and videos – you can do any or all of the following to stay connected and up to date on NL happenings!

1. Visit our website www.naturallifemanship.com to explore blogs and other content.  Seriously, so much can be gleaned from our blogs!
2. Sign up for a free introductory membership and gain access to educational videos and a new free video each month.
3.  Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of news, blogs, trainings, etc.
4. Like and Follow our Facebook page and Instagram – we share videos, pictures, articles, and engage in thoughtful discussions.
5. The Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Networking Group on Facebook is also a valuable resource.  This group is managed by NL trainers, but is open to ALL.  Such great conversations happen in this group!
6. Follow our YouTube Channel for free video content! This is a great place to begin understanding how the relationship between horse and person progresses, organically and over time, utilizing NL principles.  Watch this video first and then follow the progress made with Annie and Abilene.  

We look forward to supporting you as you grow professionally and heal personally—so you can support others.

The post We Found a Better Way— And Are Making the Path Accessible to All appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

Jumping into the field of Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT), Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), and/or Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) can be daunting – figuring out how to be properly trained and prepared can be even more so.  

You can’t just google “get certified” and find a website that explains it all.  It’s a bit of the wild west out here – so many teachers to choose from, so many approaches, and no central rules or regulation.  

So what is an aspiring equine assisted practitioner to do?  

The short answer is “do your research”…but, that’s not a very satisfying answer, is it?  

So, we at The Natural Lifemanship Institute have put together a list of things we consider to be incredibly important to a thorough and quality certification in Equine Assisted Services (our inclusive term for EAT, EAP, and EAL) – and we’d like to share it with you!  

Over the three decades that Natural Lifemanship founders Bettina and Tim Jobe have worked in the field of Equine Assisted Services (EAS), they have learned quite a bit about what is needed for effective, ethical practice.  

It isn’t a simple process, nor should it be…because when you enter a field in which expertise is needed in both the human and equine realm, there is a lot to learn.  Of course, we would love for you to train and get certified with us…but more than that, we want you to find exactly what you need to nurture your continued growth in this ever-growing field.  Below are our Ten Things You Need to Know When Choosing an EAS Certification – we hope it is helpful! 

1. Teacher Experience! 

First and foremost, as you begin a certification, you want to know you are in capable hands.  This is why understanding the qualifications of your teachers and trainers is so important. 

Consider their experience!  

How long have they been doing actual EAS work? In this newer field, many teachers may have great ideas but haven’t actually been offering EAS sessions for very long, or for very many total hours of practice.  Consider some practitioners see 25 clients a week while others might only see one or two – weeks and months may not be the best measure of experience.  

Time in the “pen”, so to speak, makes a world of difference when you are teaching both theory and skills. So as you do your research, ask yourself, how many hours of experience does this trainer have?  

Malcolm Gladwell argues it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill…do your teachers come even close to that in either clinical experience, horse experience, or both?

2. Excellent Equine Experience!  

Understanding the nuance of relating to equines and partnering with them in this work is a process that can only evolve with time, practice, and seasoned guidance.  

Working with equines is just like any other relationship – intimacy, trust, and clear communication come with intentional effort over time. . .

There are no shortcuts to good horsemanship. Be careful of programs suggesting otherwise – there are no cheat sheets and quick fixes to understanding the complex and often understated ways equines communicate their needs. 

Each one is an individual.  

Not only is it important to learn about general equine behavior, learning, and communication, it is also important to learn about the specific equines with which you hope to work.  

This takes time.

3. Clear ethics! 

As you search for a program, consider the language that is used and the ethics that are both implied and explicitly stated. 

The ethical motivations and underpinnings of any good certification program should be clear and readily available to you.   

How does a program see the clients, the animals, and the therapy team?  How does the program value experience, working within one’s skill set, perspective, theoretical underpinnings, acknowledgment of science/research, and a practitioner’s personal growth?  

All of these are areas needing attention and guidance if one is to practice any helping profession ethically.  It should also be evident that there are checks and balances in the approach itself, to safeguard against damaging bias and countertransference.

4. Personal Growth! 

As NL says “the horse doesn’t know who the client is”…in our unique field we are relying on feedback and communication from our equine partners to help us move forward in our relationships with our clients.  

Because we cannot ensure our equines only pay attention to client issues, our own patterns and internal experiences absolutely will and do influence our sessions.

Therefore, we cannot separate our own personal development from our professional development. A quality certification program will require you to consider your own internal experience as much as the client’s and horse’s in order for you to become a more conscious and effective practitioner. 

Reflecting on your own relational history, your personal blind spots, triggers, motivations, and being in tune with your own body/mind/spirit should all be valued in your professional development.

5. Depth and breadth of learning! 

What would you prefer if you were a client – a practitioner who had spent 5 days learning EAS, or a practitioner who had spent a year (or more) in coursework, practice, supervision, and consultation? 

The requirements for certification in the EAS field are wide and varied – pay close attention to what it takes to become certified and consider the client perspective.  What is best for our clients, who have little to no information about what it takes to say “certified in EAP, EAT, or EAL”?  

Programs of excellence should offer theoretical and scientific underpinnings for their approach to both equines and humans – and should give you plenty of hours of not only learning but practice and reflection as well.

6. Practical Experience!  

Practical experience is where the deeper learning happens…it is where theory is infused with reality, where cognitive information becomes embodied, where knowledge becomes wisdom, and where practitioners develop the “art” of their work.  

Some programs do not require a practitioner to have ever worked with clients before becoming certified.   Quality EAS isn’t just about what you know, it’s about what you do with what you know.  Practical experience is necessary for quality work. 

7. Trauma Informed Care!  

The term “trauma informed care” has become a buzzword in recent years, but what does it really mean?  

Trauma Informed Care means that practitioners operate from a foundation of knowledge based in brain science – it conveys an understanding of how life’s rhythms and relationships impact an adaptable brain and body from a macro level down to the smallest neurons.  

This knowledge informs the way in which practitioners engage with clients AND their equines, both in and out of session. 

Trauma Informed practitioners value relationship, rhythm, and science in their approach – it should be explicitly taught, as well as modeled in their everyday behavior.  

Trauma Informed Care should create safety and flexibility in the certification learning environment as well as in client sessions.

8. A Blend of Science and Art!  

Relationships are an art – an improvised dance informed by all that each individual carries within them as well as the energy between the two.  

There is no doubt that intuition and experience are paramount to guiding clients through a healing process unique to their needs.  However, there is so much that the relational neurosciences can offer us so that our work is better informed – making our art more effective.  

It is common in our field to acknowledge the art of EAS, what is less common is the incorporation of the sciences that can inform and guide our individual approach.  

The fields of interpersonal neurobiology, attachment, somatics, and more have transformed psychotherapy and our understanding of living beings, with so much to offer this work – it would be negligent to ignore them.

9. Individual Support! 

No two journeys are the same.  

A certification process needs to be flexible and helpful to your specific skills, goals, and dreams.  Whether you are a seasoned clinician, an experienced horse professional, a student just starting out, or something in between or otherwise – you can reach your EAS goals.  

Look for a certification process that not only considers your experience an asset but offers teachers who know your field of expertise. 

EAS can be blended with a wide variety of therapeutic approaches – and the certification process should reflect that! 

And finally, more than anything else…does a certification process offer you….

10. Relationship!  

Rather than a nameless, faceless, and relation-less training process, how about one where you know your teachers, engage with them in a variety of ways on a variety of topics over time, and develop a supportive and engaging network of colleagues?  

Relationships are the vehicle for change – whether in therapy, in learning something new, or out in day to day life. 

Can you speak to someone when you need guidance? Do teachers care about your individual development? Is your time valued and respected? Relationships make all the difference. 

So what kind of relationship do you want with your training and certifying organization?

Wondering how to get started with NL?

The Fundamentals of NL is the entry level training for all certification paths.  The next cohort starts September 13th and registration is OPEN.  Check it out here!

The post Ten Things You Need to Know When Choosing an Equine Assisted Therapy and Learning Certification appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

You know, at first I was nervous about this course.  Natural Lifemanship, and our model of Trauma Informed Equine Assisted Psychotherapy/Learning is just so experiential – it must be felt to really be understood.  Could a fully online course really help people learn what it means to be trauma-informed??? 

To be honest, I had my doubts.  But now I know differently – our participants are truly feeling their way into the principles, guided by the rich learning over the duration of the Virtual Fundamentals.  Because this course takes place over 10 weeks, our participants are able to really engage and digest the information, while also practicing applying the principles in their everyday lives.  Whether you have access to horses or not, the science and principles presented in our training seeps into your very way of being, especially when you intentionally spend the time.  

I also love that we can engage with students in an online forum and in live office hours – as well as offer real feedback on practice videos. The videos have been such a joy to watch – Core and Jumpstart Fundamentals participants set out to practice what they are learning with their own horses, just the two of them – I love seeing the learning unfold in each partnership (and I know the other instructors, Bettina, Tim, and Tanner agree wholeheartedly!!).  All students (including those who take the Foundations option) get to learn from each other’s feedback – the learning is rich!

Now I am just so thrilled we are finally offering this online course – and I can’t wait for the next cohort that starts September 14th!  I hope you can join us!

But don’t take my word for it….

“I feel like I have learned more about connected relationships and the importance of them in the last eight weeks than I have in my entire life! I will absolutely be back for more trainings and can’t wait to learn more.”

– Victoria Pello, Equine Coordinator, The Last Resort

“The NL staff (founders, trainers, and related personnel) did a phenomenal job of compiling content into a series of weekly modules where participants could engage with materials (e.g., videos, blog articles, manual, webinars) virtually. There was a lot of valuable information to review and soak in but with permanent access to the online course, I am conveniently able to go back and review content as I see fit! I am still new to the Natural Lifemanship model but because of this training, my new job and the wonderful horses and humans I get to work with daily, I am confident that I will start to witness the powerful impact this unique work has on the lives of many!”

– Shayla Anderson, Intake Coordinator, Barnabas Horse Foundation

Participants love the flexibility!

“I have taken the online Natural Lifemanship course and was blown away by the thorough and detailed, enriching learning experience. The ability to connect with an instructor was at my fingertips. It was so well done. Thank you for your effort, I am truly enjoying this class and in many ways, I find that the online class has made it easier to retain information with the ability to replay lessons a few times to grasp all of the information and have the video feedback in such a thorough analysis in real time to the actions. I have been able to balance the course between work and farm responsibilities very well because of the flexible nature of the course. The course itself is phenomenal and I am enjoying the new lens that I have to operate within and I see things so differently: relationships, horse rescue work, people’s responses to relationships and each other, and my own self and life choices. Not to mention an amazing “framework/process” to apply to helping horses. I am thankful for this opportunity to learn from your team who is so dedicated and knowledgeable.”

– Mary Elena Moran

95% of participants said this training met their expectations, and in fact many said it exceeded their expectations!

“The Virtual Fundamentals training was a transforming experience for both my personal and professional self. It allowed me to learn invaluable material at my own pace while still providing interaction and feedback from the NL trainers.”

– Kelly Kennedy, Wild Acres Counseling

“This 8 Week Jumpstart Program with NL opened me up to a brand new way of being! I had absolutely no idea what I was in for when I signed up. I feel like I was able to get to know each of the NL team members and felt an exceptional connection to both Bettina and Tim. Their realness, honesty and often playful interactions were so refreshing. The vast knowledge of the team members across the board was amazing and everyone has their place in this program. I will be forever grateful to have taken this course at this time in my life. And I thank everyone at NL for putting me on the path to be a better me! I look forward to meeting you all in person when travel restrictions allow me to come to the US!”

– Beth Sylver–Team Member at Rancho La Merced, Uvita, Costa Rica

96% of participants said they would be able to apply their learning to their work, right away

“Natural Lifemanship training allowed me to expand my knowledge as a practitioner, trust my intuition, and deepen my feelings of connection in my own body. It was like fitting an integral puzzle piece to my practice.”

– Jenna Vissell, MA Mental Health Practitioner, Stable Living, LLC

“It does not matter if you have horse, dog or goat, the principles of NL apply across all mental health services and life situations, from the simple to the complex. It is a comprehensive program, fascinating and effective. It challenges you to be a more balanced individual which in turn touches everything around you.”

– Melanie Stolfus LPC Rockhill Counseling Aubry Texas

“When working with individuals who have experienced trauma, the concepts and principles of NL target the key concerns of these individuals. The blending of attachment theory, neuroscience, and relationship principles are logically based and applicable within a therapy room, classroom, or home setting. It is a comprehensive program which incorporates the use of equines, creativity, music, movement, and sensory integration. Great program! I thoroughly enjoyed this training and can’t wait to utilize it! Thank you!”

– Cheryl Galligan

And some parting thoughts…

“The best equine assisted therapy training that I’ve ever had, and I’ve had many! I can finally answer the question of ‘Why Horses’ with more confidence and scientific understanding than ever before.”

– Juliet Wahlenmayer, NCC, LPC

“This is by far the most important course I’ve ever taken. A connected relationship with my horse will drive all of our interactions and take precedence over task based interaction. I always yearned for a deeper connection with my horse. Now I have the knowledge and ability to attain it. It’s not often I can come away with the ability to easily put course information into practice right away. The course had just the right amount of detail to explain the principles without being difficult to understand. If everyone, horse related or not, understood the principal’s of NL we would all live happier, more enriched and peaceful lives. “

– Ro Wellmaker/horse owner

What else can we say?!?!  Except a big THANK YOU to our NL Community!

Registration closes and the course starts September 14th!  Click here for more information and join us for the last offering of the year! 

The post What Are People Saying About Our Newest Training? appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

Our business, Discovery Horse, has been doing a large volume of work in our community in MN. As our circle of influence grew it became essential that I have a succinct definition of Relationship Logic (the ground component of Natural Lifemanship) that I could share in our conversations with the community. I grabbed some language from the NL website and wrote a few words of my own. The following is the result of that endeavor. I hope it can be as helpful to you and your communities as it has been to mine. There are 2 versions. The first is a little wordier and clinical.  I use this one for conversations with other mental health professionals and their agencies. The 2nd version is shorter and more easily digestible.

More in-depth version:

Relationship Logic® (RL) was developed by Natural Lifemanship and offers us a way to bring sound, consistent principles to the relationships in our lives. RL teaches that building attuned, connected relationships is always the primary goal from which other desirable outcomes follow. RL offers the neuroscience that empowers us to identify relationship patterns while maintaining the belief that our brains can change through new and healthy experiences. The ability to identify those patterns in a way that informs both compassionate understanding and a clear path to healthy change is an essential step toward healing, growth, and transformation. The principles we teach are the principles we practice and model in all of our relationships. We allow simple relationship principles to guide us as we work to transform these patterns. Behavioral patterns, especially those acquired in the early stages of development, are largely subconscious. They exist in the body and manifest as automatic reactions to situations we encounter each day. They become habitual. The way to change old patterns that no longer serve us is to practice something new. RL principles may be practiced in relationships with other people, and even within our relationships with ourselves, our families, animals, and communities. As these are practiced both during sessions and in daily life, new healthy patterns for relationships begin to replace old patterns that no longer serve us well. Connected and attuned relationships lead to healthy development; they contribute to healing at any age and enhance well-being.

Shorter Version:

Relationship Logic® (RL) was developed by Natural Lifemanship and offers us a way to bring sound, consistent principles to the relationships in our lives. RL teaches that building attuned, connected relationships is always the primary goal from which other desirable outcomes follow. RL offers the neuroscience that empowers us to identify relationship patterns while maintaining the belief that our brains can change through new and healthy experiences. The ability to identify these patterns in a way that informs both compassionate understanding and a clear path to healthy change is an essential step toward healing, growth, and transformation. The principles we teach are the principles we practice and model in all of our relationships. The way to change old patterns that no longer serve us is to practice something new. RL principles may be practiced in relationships everywhere; with ourselves, our families, our work teams, animals and communities. Connected and attuned relationships lead to healthy development; they contribute to healing at any age and enhance well-being.

Get started on your path with the Natural Lifemanship Institute.

The post Defining Relationship Logic® appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

The movement underneath her offers peace and grace.

Her eyes tear and tingle by flowing mane and tail, as her horse takes her swiftly up the rocky trail.

His hoofbeats are steady. The rhythm sure and true. It’s something she can count on, a feeling all too new.

Exhausted yet excited she brings him to a walk.  As they both inhale deeply to God she starts to talk.

Her horse soon relaxes, steady on the reins as she speaks to the Lord about her fears and pain.

She screams loudly. Shaking her fist in the air. Wondering boldly does God not even care?

Yet her horse stays steady never missing a beat.  Ears forward and ever ready on his sure and sturdy feet.

As the trail widens and he eases to a trot, the girl looks up and wonders about her sorry lot.

She exhales deeply as she sits across his stride. She is thankful for this moment and is grateful for this ride.

As her burdens are lifted with each clip clop of his gate, she has time to re-examine and to understand her fate.

While people often let her down, look through her greatest need, he has always been her truest friend, this loyal, trusty steed.

He lowers his head and takes a breath, exhales a mighty sigh, and with ears that listen for dangers call, he hears his mistress cry.

She cries for all the worry, the words she’s left unsaid, the anger, fear and furry—emotions she so dreads.

Now, finally spent and empty she turns and rides for home, able to enjoy the quiet and not feeling so alone.

She notices the landscape as if for the first time, the hues of the beautiful sunset, the warmth of the fading sunshine.

Her horse senses the difference and pauses for a bite, no longer feeling anxious he has lost his need for flight.

Together they are a picture standing on this hill and no one else would notice his therapeutic skill. 

 The ease at which he is able to rectify her course,, and there-in lies the beauty of a lone girl on her horse.

This poem is a special contribution from Kelli Adams of the Barnabas Horse Foundation. Thank you Kelli!

Find a Natural Lifemanship training near you!

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The post The Ride appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.

We often hide from connecting with God because we know we cannot remain hidden in our interactions with the One who designed us and already know us better than we know ourselves.  In our spirit, that innermost recess where our true self resides, where our vulnerability and tenderness and weak places are revealed, we cannot continue the pretense we may play out for the world, where we try to project a public persona that will meet with approval and praise, where we seek to conform and please and submit or conquer, where our deepest desire is to be fully known and fully accepted, and our greatest fear is that this could never be.  If someone truly saw our broken bits, the parts of ourselves that we scorn and shame and fear, they would never embrace (much less accept) us, but would instead turn away in disgust. Being in the presence of our Higher Power, is to be utterly naked and stripped bare of the layers we posture and hide behind, to be revealed for who we actually are. If we are willing to approach the throne of Grace, trembling and afraid, we will find that we are not only acceptable, but we are adored, cherished, loved and celebrated.

In a similar fashion to our Creator, horses bring out our true selves.  Horses do not know how to pretend, and are not self-conscious. They do not worry that they might be the wrong color, or too fat or thin, or that they are not clever enough.  Horses show up exactly as they are in each moment, pulling us into their present moment experience with honesty and grace. They are not ashamed to be afraid, or to express contentment or pleasure.  In the presence of a horse, we often find ourselves releasing the breath we did not even realize we were holding in, as our being is enfolded and held in the gaze of one who has reason to fear us, yet accepts us into his space with respect and dignity.

Job 39:19 asks, “Do you give the horse his strength, or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?”  God does this, and yet the horse consents to gentle this strength to bear with the frailty of humans, and to befriend us in our clumsy attempts to understand and know and relate to them as the patient and forbearing souls that they are.  While they are not “mirrors to our soul” as many have said, being sentient beings with their own personalities and feelings rather than merely reflections of ours, they certainly can help guide us into deeper communion with our own spirit as we explore what it means to connect with ourselves, each other, and our God.

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Natural Lifemanship has a training for those who wish to deepen spiritual connection in their own lives and in helping others.

Learn about Natural Lifemanship for Spiritual Connection. 

The post The Gift of Being Our Truest Selves appeared first on Natural Lifemanship.