Dr. Elisha Goldstein, author of THE NOW EFFECT-How This Moment Can Change The Rest of Your Life (He is an author of other books as well-look him up) has spent his career educating people on the importance of paying attention to what is in front of you RIGHT NOW-the MOMENT- RIGHT NOW. Most of us, who suffer from anxiety, project into the future and WORRY. This is a MALADAPTIVE way to live. Planning is fine, but WORRYING is not.
Equine Assisted work is PERFECT for the HERE AND NOW. Horses do not worry-they are PRESENT in the moment and can teach us, oh so much, about how to live. Dr. Goldstein would be wise to use these magnificent animals of examples of the HERE AND NOW. Horses REACT but it is always to the PRESENT moment-not about the future and not about “what if…what if…”
Tara Brach, author of TRUE REFUGE had an interview with Dr. Goldstein not long ago and gave a great acronym for us to use to keep us in the present moment. The acronym represents a process that I have used for years in my own psychotherapy practice. Recognizing feelingss (in the mind or body), allowing them to be without judgement, being curious about what the feelings are about and their etiology in a compassionate way; hence developing emotional skills that will serve you for your lifetime. Tara’s acronym is more succinct and is the following:
R-recognize
A-allow
I-investigate
N-Natural Awareness
RAIN is a lovely acronym to help us remember. Thank you Tara for this helpful acronym. And GUESS WHAT? Dr. Goldstein is a VERY WISE man and he will be with us for a Fall workshop using EAP for Mindfulness! Stay tuned…
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