Horse Medicine
Gestalt Therapy with Horses
If you had asked me eight months ago if I was well and healthy, I would’ve said, “Absolutely.” I’m 32, I’m a yoga teacher, I eat organic, cook from scratch, meditate, spend time in nature, and have beautiful relationships with my family. I believed this to be the truth—until it wasn’t.
One night, I woke up with tachycardia. My brain wasn’t working properly, and I thought I was dying. That moment spiraled into the most terrifying five months of my life. I couldn’t sleep. I could barely walk or eat. I went to eight different specialists, had several hospital visits, and underwent countless expensive tests. And yet, every single doctor told me: “You’re completely healthy. There’s nothing wrong with your body.”
That’s when I started to suspect that if my body couldn’t be healthier, then maybe the illness wasn’t physical. Maybe it was spiritual. Maybe it was psychological.
As someone with an open mind, I began searching for the root of what was hurting me. That search brought me to some of the most profound healing therapies I’ve ever experienced—tools that helped me dive deep into my subconscious and begin to heal wounds I didn’t even know I carried.
In the coming months, I’ll be sharing some of the modalities that helped me return to balance, peace, and a deeper sense of wholeness—starting with something truly special that you can experience right here in the greater Gallatin area:
Gestalt therapy with horses.
When I first met Haley Sevalstad, I didn’t quite know what Gestalt therapy was—but I liked that it involved horses. I mean, what’s not to like? They’re beautiful, majestic beings that make you think of freedom, wildness, and fresh mountain air.
I come from a family where it was normal to start psychoanalysis at a very young age. After years of traditional talk therapy, I always felt like it never quite clicked for me—it didn’t meet me where I was. But I was willing to try something new. Something that might help release the emotions stuck inside me.
Haley, who runs Rising Free Retreats, offers a weekly drop-in Gestalt group for women in Paradise Valley. I figured it was a good way to feel it out before committing to one-on-one sessions. And let me tell you—it did not disappoint
After just one session, I felt such a deep sense of release, peace, and overwhelming gratitude. Having a 1,300-pound horse wrap its entire body around me, holding space for my grief as I cried, was one of the most profoundly healing and wholesome experiences of my life.
You might be wondering—what exactly is Gestalt therapy, and how do horses play a role? I wondered the same, so I asked Haley to explain.
HS:“Gestalt therapy helps clients become more aware of their lived experience—how they move through the world, what they feel, what they carry. It’s about staying present, processing in the here and now. Horses are clairsentient beings—they’re grounded, intuitive, and extremely attuned to how we feel. In a Gestalt session, they reflect our inner truth. If we’re being authentic, they’ll show us by coming closer. If we’re not, they might walk away.”
SP:Gestalt focuses so much on the present moment—how do horses help with that?
HS:“When you’re standing in front of a 1,300-pound animal, you don’t have a choice but to be present. They demand your awareness. In regular therapy, it’s easy to bypass what you’re feeling. With horses, you can’t fake it. They mirror exactly where you are emotionally—and that reflection gives you the chance to shift it.”
SP:What happens in the body during a session like this?
HS:“People often feel physical sensations—headaches, tight shoulders, nausea, tension in the throat or stomach. These are signs of stuck energy or trauma, often connected to specific chakras or emotional blocks. Horses can sense that. They’ll come up and literally touch the area with their nose or body, helping move that energy with their own presence. It’s healing on a cellular level.”
HS: “Gestalt doesn’t require you to explain or analyze. The goal is to feel—to experience yourself fully. It’s an embodied transformation. You walk away more regulated, more compassionate, more grateful. It’s a powerful way to reclaim your voice and your power.”
All I can say is—if you’re ready to experience real transformation, if you’re ready to leave the past behind, to forgive, to come home to yourself—this might just be the therapy for you.
And if you’re feeling resistance, that’s okay. Show up anyway. Haley and the horses will meet you exactly where you are. No pressure. No judgment.
As for me, I think I’ve finally found what truly works for my heart and my soul. And I hope I get to meet you in the round pen.
With love and light,
