Somatic Experiencing with Animals: Supporting Safe Trauma Healing Through Animal Assisted Psychotherapy (AAP)
Somatic Experiencing is increasingly being integrated into psychotherapy practice across Australia and around the world. EAAPI (the equine & animal assisted psychotherapy institute) has been integrating somatic experiencing in their foundation curriculum (foundation EAP and AAP Training) and specialist Advanced Trauma Training for over 12 years. EAAPI Animal Assisted Psychotherapy is trauma informed, nature based therapeutic practice. Often involving horses and dogs internationally, the EAAPI training has trained students to safely and ethically include chickens, deer, cats, donkeys, goats, sheep and cows in their animal assisted practice. The AAP methodology has a wide range of clinical application, including supporting people to process trauma and stress through the body rather than through words alone.
At its core, Somatic Experiencing focuses on the body’s felt sense and the way the nervous system responds to stress and trauma. When combined with Animal Assisted Psychotherapy, it draws on the human-animal connection and carefully facilitated interactions to support emotional regulation, build a sense of safety and allow trauma to be processed and released in a gradual and supported way (amongst many other mechanisms).
Across Australia and internationally, practitioners trained in EAAPI Animal Assisted Psychotherapy may integrate Somatic Experiencing principles alongside other modalities to support clients experiencing anxiety, trauma and behavioural challenges.
A Body Oriented Approach to Trauma
Somatic Experiencing is a nervous-system and body-oriented therapeutic approach that works with how trauma is held within the nervous system. Within an Animal Assisted Psychotherapy setting, this includes developing regulation, resourcing and awareness of the clients’ window of tolerance. Clients are gently supported to notice sensations in the body and to build capacity to stay present with these experiences in safe and manageable ways in interaction with animals and the human therapist. Rather than revisiting trauma through narrative, the work focuses on what is happening in the body in the present moment, and an integrative approach that includes the brain, body, cognition and meaning and behaviour.
The Role of Animals in the Therapeutic Process
Animal Assisted Psychotherapy can take place in a variety of settings, including paddocks, farms, clinics or outdoor environments. While horses and dogs are commonly involved, many diverse species and individual animals can be safely, ethically and intentionally included in therapeutic work, when the practitioner knows how! “Animal assisted psychotherapy is incredibly diverse in its application,” explains Meg Kirby from the Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute (EAAPI). “This diversity allows practitioners to support a wider range of clients, helping them develop a new felt sense of safety and gradually reconnect with their bodies, emotions and new insight, new hormones, through the presence of the animal or safe opportunities to interact with animals. This process takes time, a safe relationship and clinical skill.”
Because of this, practitioners are expected to undertake substantial professional development that includes somatic and relationally oriented psychotherapeutic theory and practice, including understanding the role of animal as change agent,
animal wisdom and the mechanisms of change.
Supporting Safety and Connection
A key element of this work is the development of brain-based safety. For many, the presence of an animal or a group of animals can support the nervous system to settle, often reducing stress responses and supporting connection. Cortisol can decrease and dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin can increase (depending on the interaction, the animals and the felt sense of the client). This creates opportunities where clients feel safe enough and settled enough to begin exploring difficult emotions and experiences, as well as touching into new a felt sense of trust, joy and hope. Animal Assisted Psychotherapy practitioners draw on a range of techniques to support this process, always working within the client’s capacity and readiness.
Building Regulation, Awareness and Release
Sessions are designed to support clients to build self-awareness and strengthen their ability to regulate emotional and physiological states. Through guided interactions and therapeutic support, clients can begin to safely express and release
held survival responses through the body. Over time, this can lead to improved emotional regulation, greater resilience, more effective ways of coping, more agency, empowerment, choice and fulfilment. Importantly, the focus is not on retelling the story of trauma, but on supporting the body to complete processes that may have been interrupted.
The Importance of Skilled, Trauma Informed Practice
Not all Animal Assisted Psychotherapy practitioners are trained in trauma specific or
somatic approaches. This distinction is critical. When seeking support, it is important to look for practitioners who have training in Somatic Experiencing or similar body based approaches, alongside a strong grounding in trauma informed and relational practice. The Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute provides training that integrates Somatic Experiencing principles with relational psychotherapy approaches, supporting practitioners to work safely, ethically and effectively in this specialised field.
Finding the Right Therapist or Training Provider
If you are looking for support, consider therapists or counselling services that clearly reference: Somatic Experiencing or body-based approaches, Animal Assisted Psychotherapy with reputable certificates. Trauma-informed practice, Mindfulness and awareness work. When speaking with a potential practitioner, ask about how they integrate somatic approaches into their work with animals, and what training they have undertaken in trauma specific care. This is a specialised area of practice, and ensuring your therapist has the appropriate training is essential for safe and
effective outcomes.
When looking for an AAP Training provider who integrates somatic experiencing (SE) and trauma work, ask about the psychotherapy theoretical foundations of the course, where the faculty have themselves been trained, what they have specialised in, and which animals they themselves integrate in their clinical practice and training. AAP is a perfect fit with somatic experiencing and trauma work, so find a training provider who includes SE in their AAP methodology. You will find this at EAAPI AAP Training .