GET BACK ON THE HORSE
by Clinicians at Ganey Counseling on 04/10/15
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
When I was about 8-years-old my family and I went on a horseback-riding outing. Due to my age and the difficulty of the trek, I had to ride a horse with my mom. The horse that we were given had recently had a young foul that was left behind in the stables. As you can imagine this new mom was not very happy about leaving her foul and she made that quite evident. Her stubbornness unnerved my own mother who then decided that the best option was to grab my arms that were wrapped around her waist and hurl us both off the horse and into the bushes. Perhaps I would have been okay with this if I had had some fair warning (okay, realistically probably not) but being hurled from a horse with no preparation was a bit traumatic for my 8-year-old self. I did not want to get back on the horse and neither did my mother. We waited in the stables while the rest of the family finished the ride. Although it had been my idea and although it was something I was very excited to do, the experience of being hurled from a horse was enough to keep me from getting back on a horse for quite some time.
Life works a lot like this. We go out into the world excited for new things and new relationships; when we find the experience to be enjoyable we want to do it again, but if the experience is filled with pain or fear most of us learn to avoid it at all costs. When it comes to literally “riding a horse” your life may not suffer much should you choose to not try again, but what if the pain you are avoiding keeps you from enjoying family and friends, a successful career, or the realization of your dreams? When we strive to live our lives in order to avoid pain we usually end up experiencing more pain and missing out on opportune moments of joy. We are robbed of the fullness life has to offer.
Sometimes therapy can be
difficult and painful. Why? Because as therapists it is our job to care and to
bring comfort but most of all it is our job to help you face the pain in order
to find freedom, healing, and joy. It is our job to encourage you to get back
on the horse and give you the tools you need to do so successfully. It requires
courage, strength, and perseverance but doing so will lead to life experienced
at its fullest.
Submitted by Sarah E. Loew, M
