Welcome to
Seahorse Healing
Gestalt Coaching + Horsemanship
south central wisconsin
Seahorse Healing began as an idea on paper in 2017 and has since grown into being. This process of becoming mirrors one of the many missions of the business: to help nurture dreams into reality, to guide clients to move from their comfort zone to their growth zone, and to support them as they find their wings to soar to unexpected heights.
I am committed to creating safe, sacred space where clients can expand their hearts, deepen their self-awareness, and ultimately find more kindness for themselves and others – all alongside the healing presence of horses. I believe that with the right partnership and guidance you will be able to step into the person you are meant to become.
“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”
– William Arthur Ward
Gestalt + Horsemanship go Hand in Hand
Growing up around horses offered me a front row seat to the often unspoken feeling we have when we enter into their world – one of deep calm and undeniable healing. I would escape for as many hours and days as I could to the barn to get as dirty as possible and absorb every bit of their beingness. In their presence I found peace whenever my world felt chaotic, both as a child and later as an adult. So for me, horsemanship and healing have gone hand in hand for as long as I can remember.
When I entered the Touched by a Horse Certification Program in 2018, I discovered a world that had words for the feelings I’d felt all my years around horses. Not only do they heal us simply by being in their presence, but they also have innate curiosity in our congruities and inner human worlds. When we open to a language greater than that of ourselves, horses walk right in and get to work. I am deeply passionate about sharing Gestalt Coaching with others because it has changed my life in incredible ways.
Whether you seek deep healing and are on a path of profound personal work, or you are drawn to horses but a bit shy or tentative, we will meet you exactly where you are. Come out to the farm and experience the healing power of horses on your own terms whether it be a casual visit to meet an amazing horse named Magic, a series of Horsemanship lessons that will teach you more about yourself than you might expect, or a deep healing Equine Gestalt Session that can set you on a path of transformation.
At Seahorse Healing, we believe in nurturing your wildest dreams into being and helping you find the earthly action steps it takes to get there. Feet on the ground, mind in the stars.
How Equine Gestalt Coaching Works
As prey animals, horses live with heightened awareness to their senses. Their ability to perceive, communicate, and process the world around them is vital to their survival. In turn, they are equally discerning towards our most subtle behaviors and emotions as humans. It’s simply their nature.
In coaching sessions, horses offer valuable non-verbal and non-judgmental feedback, mirroring your truths, sometimes physically nudging you away from old thoughts and patterns that no longer serve your highest good. They are truly another coach in the process, offering vital information to you, the client, and to your human coach.
Each session is unique to the individual client’s life story and needs. Above all, it’s my job as your guide to make sure each session takes you to a place of deeper self-compassion. Through the experiential gestalt process we will examine the challenging areas of your life. We will explore them through a new lens so that you leave the arena lighter and with fresh perspective.
Who is Equine Gestalt Coaching For?
The EGC Method is for anyone and everyone. It is an open process that invites you to show up exactly as you are so that you can more deeply explore where you’ve been and where you’d like life to take you.
Are you dealing with thoughts of sadness, disconnect or hopelessness? EGC is very powerful for those experiencing grief, trauma, loss, addiction, lack of joy, and lack of direction.
If you are an empty nester or heading into retirement, sessions with the horses are helpful during life transitions. They help find clarity and empowerment for the next leg of your journey.
Are you in a marriage with someone you truly love but can no longer see eye to eye with? Equine Gestalt Coaching can help bring new perspective to both sides of the conversation and/or clarity to the future of your relationship.
Teens are welcome, as are their parents. Families are complex and often benefit from private sessions for more than one member of the family.
Curious to find out if EGC is right for you? Schedule a complimentary 30 minute intake call today.
Benefits of Gestalt Coaching + Horses as Healers
As a gestalt practitioner, I believe that you have the answers to your own questions, often just outside of your own awareness. It is my job to help guide you to them, to listen to the horse for feedback to help inform our session as you discover hidden gems of truth from within.
By reframing your past you will be able to move towards the future with greater hope and joy. EGC is a stepping stone to greater self-awareness and self-compassion. Through these sessions you will learn to trust your intuition and live more deeply grounded in the present moment. Let go of the pain from your past and embrace the limitless possibilities of tomorrow.
Unlike talk therapy, Equine Gestalt Coaching is experiential by nature which means the healing process is more readily integrated into the body and mind on a cellular level. You will not forget the lessons you learn alongside these majestic creatures.
One session at Seahorse Healing will ripple out into other areas of your life as the process unfolds and frees you from that which was holding you back. I know this because I have sat as a client. This powerful form of healing has changed my life in ways I couldn’t have thought possible.
“All I knew was that there would be horses and there would be healing. I had no idea how much transformation would take place before me and within me through this journey.”
Regain Your Personal Power through Private Equine Gestalt Coaching Sessions + Groups
Find Clarity and Action through Phone Coaching + EGC Business and Marketing Support
Heart-Centered Horsemanship for All Ages and Abilities, Autism Spectrum and Down Syndrome
Horses as Healers
Gestalt + Horsemanship go hand in hand. Both are opportunities for experiential learning alongside the naturally healing power of horses. It is our belief that when we set aside our human ego to partner with horses we learn a great deal about leadership, partnership, and how to relate to the world outside ourselves in profound ways.
In Gestalt Sessions alongside Nelle and her equine partners you will be gently guided towards healing unresolved areas in your life, often unfinished business from your past that may be holding you back in unrealized ways. The outcome in these sessions is deeper inner peace, a greater sense of self-compassion, and the gift of moving forward towards a life of authentic joy and personal power.
Horses will welcome you and set you at ease during your Gestalt Sessions and Horsemanship Lessons at Seahorse Healing. They offer support, non-judgment, and gentle guidance. You will be surprised by how they show up for you and how clear they are in making sure you understand their messages.
“I had never before experienced an indoor arena so dusted with magic – the music, the tears and belly laughter – the honesty, the pain, the acceptance – the horses showing up at a level I had never seen.”
A traveling business, enjoy Seahorse Healing at our farm or yours
Release the past + Step into a more joyful future ~
The Story of the Seahorse
The seahorse holds a special place in my heart from my own healing journey. There was a time in my life when I found it practically impossible to hold onto short term memories due to a series of traumatic experiences, but memories from ten years ago were alive and vivid. It was as though my mind couldn’t bare to engage in the present moment, too much pain, too much to process.
At this time I discovered the relationship between two parts of the brain – one the shape of the seahorse known as the hippocampus (the keeper of memories and learning), the other the amygdala (our home for processing feelings). During trauma the amygdala swells, amplifying our emotional fields. As this happens, its partner the hippocampus shrinks in size and ability, creating a deficit in our ability to learn and retain new information.
The hippocampus is the keeper of memories, easily wounded during trauma, also renewable with time and healing.
So began my draw towards the seahorse as an incredibly personal symbol of hope and healing, one I am called to share with others along their individual journeys.
“Something happens when we write down our deepest longings, keep them near, and allow our subconscious to get to work while we are seemingly unaware. Something happens when we feel a stirring in our hearts and answer with action.”
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Testimonials
Seahorse Healing
Client Centered Coaching
Each session is designed to meet you exactly where you are on your journey
Thank you to Pete Olsen for many of the images on this website. www.peteolsenphotography.com
Hope through Horses is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to securing funds for clients seeking healing, future practitioners in need of academic funding, and current practitioners looking to expand their practices.
When you donate to Hope through Horses from seahorsehealing.com, you are securing funds for future clients who may not be able to afford this transformational form of healing – right here at home.