Hooves and Healing
A Stress Release Retreat for Frontline Workers
Date and time
Location
29537A Range Rd 21 #20
29537A Range Road 21 Carstairs, AB T0M 0N0 CanadaRefund Policy
About this event
- 1 day 22 hours
It’s often that one call, patient or situation that can impact our whole life.
Relieve tension and enhance resilience through an immersive weekend incorporating equine co-facilitated therapy and cattle handling experiences. Learn TRE® a self-help tool to release stress and down-regulate your central nervous system, just like animals do.
Join three highly skilled therapists, an enthusiastic farmer, and the authentic nature of horses and cattle to reconnect with yourself. Maybe drop some sh*t in our sand, learn new stress management strategies and return to balance.
You will walk away with increased self-awareness, self-compassion and some tangible skills you can incorporate in your everyday life for mental wellness.
Why Combine TRE®, Equine Co-Facilitated Therapy and the Ranch?
Combining horses, cattle, and a powerful tension release method offers a holistic approach to relaxation and stress relief. The combination of nature, animals, and tension stress release techniques can create a peaceful and rejuvenating experience that promotes overall well-being.
Who’s This For?
- Firefighters
- Paramedics
- Police Officers
- Military Personnel
- Nurses
- Doctors
- Dispatchers
- Frontline support staff
- Social Workers
What is TRE®?
Tension & Trauma Release Exercise
Shakes and tremors can occur spontaneously after stressful or traumatic events as a natural recovery response. TRE® normalizes this response and can be used to ‘de-escalate the body’ after critical incidents, as part of standard recovery routines to help build ‘neurobiological resilience’ in the nervous system over time. It can also be used at the end of a shift, to help the transition from work to home life, by switching off hypervigilance and shifting the physiology of the body to calmer, relaxed and more relational states.
More TRE® info click here https://kellermethodvitality.com/tre-resilience-training/
What is Equine Co-Facilitated Therapy?
Horses create a space of safety, acceptance and connection.
Front line workers are exposed not only to their own stress, but the stress of others every single day. Horses have a way of "reaching into" people, pulling out some of that stress and creating opportunities to work through it and release. Once processed, humans become empowered to choose what to keep and re-integrate into their lives and drop that which no longer serves them into the sand.
Horses are masters at co-regulating (balancing energy) which brings people to the present moment. This is the fertile ground for authentic relationships and connections. A horse can challenge us in ways that a human cannot. They have a way of bringing people increased awareness about themselves and those around them with a softness that is easily received. A horse calling BS is much safer than coming from a person.
More info on Amy and Angie go to: https://www.rafteru7.ca/counselling
Why Cattle?
Here’s where it gets fun! Cattle demand a person to be present in their body even if there is fear, to be able to move with the animal and recognize any shifts in behaviour.
Learn the basics of cattle and how to influence their behaviour through some fun simulation games and hands-on learning!
Meet our resident retired bucking bull, then work with our miniature herd to practice your newly acquired skills.
Weekend Agenda (subject to change based on group needs)
FRIDAY: 3:00pm to 8:00 pm
- Opening Circle
- Temperament Experience
- Dinner
- TRE Presentation and Discussion
SATURDAY: 9:00 am to 8:30 pm
- TRE Experience
- Horse Experiences
- Lunch
- Horse Experiences
- TRE Experience
- Dinner
- Cattle Handling
SUNDAY: 9:00 am to 1:30 pm
- TRE Experience
- Cattle Experience
- Closing Circle
FAQ:
Price: $848.02 includes tax and all service fees
What’s included in the price?
Weekend programming, Friday dinner, Saturday snacks, lunch and dinner, Sunday snacks.
Are payment plans available?
Case by case situation, contact organizer to discuss.
Will my health benefits cover this?
Contact the organizer to request information that you can send to your benefits provider to pre-determine eligibility. You will be required to pay the full amount and collect from your insurer.
Why Horses?
Equine co-facilitated work can help build confidence and courage.
An increased sense of self-worth due to feeling seen and supported by a horse. This may be incredibly validating for someone and increase comfort to be their true-self.
Improved communication skills which benefits teams and relationships.
Gain awareness of unique leadership skills and increased confidence in using them. Skills gained contribute to a mental wellness foundation.
Being around a horse improves regulation or sense of calmness.
What are the main benefits of TRE®?
TRE® is recommended for anyone who experiences feeling stressed, anxious or traumatized (including those who have witnessed other people's pain/trauma). It can help anyone who suffers from pain, inflammation or tightness in their body.
Top 10 TRE® Benefits:
- EMPOWERS you to release muscular tension, reduce stress and anxiety.
- REBALANCES your central nervous system, below the level of conscious control.
- PROVIDES an alternative approach to talk-therapy and meditation to help prevent stress, vicarious trauma, burnout and PTSD.
- SUPPORTS and enhances the effects of other treatments and self-care practices including any exercise you already do.
- ENABLES you to self-manage your occupational performance and overall well-being.
- SWITCHES OFF HYPERVIGILANCE porivdes a quick and easy tool to assist you in transitioning from work to home life.
- INTEGRATES easily into your existing exercise and recovery routines and is a technique that you will use through your whole life.
- IMPROVES SLEEP even when most fatigues, it can be done lying in bed to improve sleep quality and help you get to sleep.
- CREATES CALMING MEDITATIVE RESULTS without having to clear your mind.
- STIGMA-FREE, body based, trauma-informed model of resilience training, focusing on self-regulation of your central nervous system.
What is unique about the "Hooves & Healing" Retreat?
Mental wellness can be a difficult thing to talk about directly, especially human to human. Incorporating animals increases a sense of safety to indirectly work on resiliency and skill-building.
For example, in doing a mood check-in with the horse, participants are working on things like mindset and state awareness, mindfulness and becoming present with themselves.
Our program is truly ground-breaking. All mammals tremor to release stress and excitement. You will be learning how to tremor WITH the animals present. You will reap benefits from the considerable skill sets of three highly skilled therapists and one heck of an enthusiastic farmer.
We are offering a unique experience and we guarantee it is ONE-OF-A-KIND!
How will I learn TRE®?
You will learn about the basic science of why and how TRE® works. You will do TRE® three times at the Retreat. Kathleen will teach you how to discharge tension from your body in a safe and regulated way. You will come away with a simple self-help, tension reduction technique, that you can immediately do on your own.
Will the TRE® process cause emotions to surface?
The exercises relax tightly held muscles. For some people, buried emotions can surface during deep muscular relaxation. Others report no emotions and just experience a pleasant physical shaking that leads to reduced stress and tension. The goal is just to allow the process to emerge naturally.
Do I have to talk during TRE®?
TRE® is NOT talk therapy. It is a somatic (body-based therapy). It doesn't require talking about an event, feeling or issue. You simply allow your body to do the talking.
Can I still do TRE® if I have a physical challenge?
Pretty much anyone can learn how to do it. Initially, we do a series of eight basic exercises to evoke the process. Kathleen knows modifications for all the exercises if any are needed.
Can I participate if I have no horse experience?
Yes you can! Horse experience is not needed. We provide the necessary education and support for you to be able to interact with the horses safely no matter your level of experience or confidence around them.
Do I get to ride the horses?
No, there is no riding in this experience. All horse interactions will be from the ground. In this work, we want the horses to be focused on picking up and communicating what they think is important to know, not focused on keeping a rider safe and understanding riding communication.
What about safety?
Safety is our number one priority in all our experiences throughout the entire weekend. If you have any specific safety concerns regarding the animals or TRE® feel free to contact us.
How do I register?
- Fill out the Eventbrite registration form and pay.
- You then get an intake form with important pre-screen information.
- We need to know about things such as mobility issues or injuries. This will ensure that you are able to participate in both the TRE® and the Equine/Cattle Experiences safely. We can adjust most things to be able to support people with various things, this info helps us to prepare.
- Once you return the pre-screen to us, you will receive an email with a welcome letter, a quiz to help us get to know you better, logistics information, dietary restrictions and a waiver (that you will sign on site).
Please note that for some people and in some situations individual (private) Equine or TRE® experiences may be a better fit rather than doing group work.
What is your cancellation/refund policy?
- Cancellation by June 12, 2024 - full refund minus Eventbrite fee
- Cancellation by June 21, 2024 - 50% refund minus Eventbrite fee
- Cancellation after June 21,2024 - no refund
Where can I stay?
The closest larger centers near Rafter U7 Ranch and Wellness Centre are Airdrie, Olds, Crossfield and Carstairs.
Hotels - Olds
https://pomeroyinnandsuites.com/olds/
https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotels-in-olds/best-western-of-olds/propertyCode.61039.html
Hotels - Airdrie
https://www.choicehotels.com/en-ca/alberta/airdrie/comfort-inn-hotels/cn903?mc=llrscncn&pmf=canada
There are campgrounds near Crossfield and Carstairs
https://carstairs.ca/p/campground-visitor-info-centre