Transforming Therapy through Horses: Case Stories Teaching the EAGALA Model in Action

by Lynn Thomas, Mark Lytle, Brenda Dammann (Contributor)

Used in the treatment of various client populations, including military veterans, at-risk youth, and families, equine-assisted psychotherapy is gaining significant attention from the therapeutic world. The Eagala Model is regarded as the industry standard for equine-assisted treatment in the mental health community. Transforming Therapy through Horses addresses the key principles and theory behind Eagala’s respected form of behavioral health treatment, connecting applied knowledge from actual client cases to illustrate the effectiveness of the model’s structure. Told through powerful and often humorous stories, Eagala founder Lynn Thomas and trainer Mark Lytle outline the structure and nuances of Eagala work, underscoring the importance of training for the Eagala practitioner to help clients meet challenges and navigate positive change. From readers who are merely curious to mental health professionals seeking a thorough understanding of this leading methodology to experienced Eagala practitioners , Transforming Therapy through Horses is the only book to detail the theory and principles of the Eagala Model—with plenty of moments to inform, educate, and even entertain throughout.

200 pages, Paperback

Published April 27, 2016

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book helped me understand the methodology of equine assisted therapy. I've been curious about this for a long time. The author assisted me in understanding the metaphor that had eluded me. Still, I could not do this work as the MH professional--I'm too analytical by nature and would read too much into the interactions. The book made clear that the horse is the therapist, and that clients do the interpreting. The method, SPUDS, was explained well, and the case studies helped me apply SPUDS. The next book I'm going to read will detail a different facet of the effect horses have on people. May many benefit from equine assisted therapy.

[Cindy F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book on Equine Therapy

If you’re trying to better understand Equine therapy, what it is, how it works, the transformational power it has to heal, then this is the book for you. I found the true stories of actual therapy the most fascinating and interesting. Our non profit is starting an equine therapy program, so this book was a god send. I learned a ton!

[Kim Ludeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

This book is wonderful for helping you to understand how horses are truly amazing creatures! It gives you examples of case studies of how a horse could read the client when a person could not! Very inspiring!

[Audra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully informative and well-written. Basically I just confirmed that I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing with my life ;) ie: I should've started taking animal science courses years and years ago. Becoming EAGALA certified is now a goal.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with lots of case stories. The authors did a great job of providing practical and specific information about the EAGALA process. If you're interested in this mode of therapy, this is a fantastic read.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark does a great job of taking his stories and distilling them into teachable moments. This book was a great refresher on the EAGALA model

[LynnG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great case stories. Would love more specific "how to" information, but very entertaining an a good look into EAGALA method of EAP.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fascinating and I enjoyed reading it! As a horse person, I was intrigued by the way the EAGALA model uses horses in a completely different way than I was used to. The case stories are terrific, providing laughter, tears, and enlightenment. These people (and mostly these horses) are doing incredible things in the lives of the clients!