Peace Ranch's 2025 First Quarter Newsletter
Roots and Wings is a wonderful metaphor for the healing work at Peace Ranch. Most things, including people, need secure roots to grow. For humans, this means secure attachment to someone. Secure attachment happens through repeated safe and nurturing experiences. Safe and secure attachment prepares us for wings - confident exploration of their world. This is necessary for physical, emotional, and cognitive growth.
Trauma interrupts safety. The part of the brain responsible for rooting us to the world is deeply impacted by trauma. Through safe, repetitive sensory experiences, clients begin to re-wire their brain from trauma (defense) to regulation (safety). Feeling safe is the root of growing wings.
The horses are remarkable helpers in this process. Being near or connecting with a horse helps reset the nervous system from defense to safety. Horses offer another benefit. Traumatic experiences with humans create a protective defense against human relationships. Connecting with horses bypasses this defense, allowing clients to heal. As clients experience safe, secure relationships, they grow wings: return to work, do better in school, volunteer, start a family or share their recovery with others.
The same is true for the Peace Ranch horses. Their experiences with humans have often been maladaptive. As they connect with a safe herd and safe humans, they develop wings – engage with clients, learn new skills, and develop curiosity instead of fear about their world. In this collaborative process of recovery between horse and human, clients find their roots – strong foundations to weather unpredictability but also support growth.