Abstract

This collection of papers was written as partial fulfillment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Though each addresses a unique issue or psychological concept, the horse-human relationship is the theme that ties the work together. The first piece uses equine images and motifs to illustrate Jung’s concept of consciousness. It is shown how the centaur, charioteers, and the horses of the Greek Gods and Goddesses represent different aspects of consciousness. Parables that contrast an obedient white horse with an unruly black horse are used to describe Jung’s understanding of the relationship between consciousness and the unconscious. In the next piece, the DSM diagnosis of separation anxiety is examined from a world soul perspective. The concept of unus mundus is defined. From this one world – one soul viewpoint, similarities in horse and human social structure and behavior are analyzed with the intention of offering a new attitude about the meaning, value, purpose, and possible intention of the disorder. The next paper describes the new and innovative field of equine assisted psychotherapy where horses are used as co-facilitators to promote human emotional growth and learning. The technique is illustrated by a clinical example that is interpreted using the concepts of Imaginal psychology. Parallels are drawn between this experiential form of therapy and more traditional forms of expressive art therapy as well as active imagination and dream interpretation. The final piece explores the horse-human relationship as viewed through the lens of traditional psychoanalytic concepts of masculinity and femininity. The many different interpretations of sexuality and desire are discussed. Freudian and Jungian concepts are cited and supported by examples of both women and men, and their experiences with horses.