Somatic means to relate to the body and how we feel physically - what we feel in our body which includes our cells and our nervous system.

Somatic experiencing (SE) is a holistic approach to re-regulating the nervous system by re-establishing the nervous systems rhythm.

It is also a powerful method used in therapy with people to help them overcome trauma. This is done through the mind-body connection where you process bodily sensations to assist in releasing trapped trauma.

Both horses and humans share similar nervous systems, specifically the autonomic nervous system which controls both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for our survival modes and instincts and the parasympathetic system creates states of feeling relaxed, calm at ease and safe.

Somatic experiencing or somatic therapy is used to help you become aware of how your body is affected by painful, stressful, or traumatic experiences. It is based largely around the idea of a freeze response.

Understanding the freeze response
Like humans, horses experience stress and relaxation similarly by using their autonomic nervous system to both activate and regulate bodily functions and responses. And like humans, horses will instinctively choose the freeze response or freeze self-preservation mode first when scared or feeling threatened.

Let’s take a look at this a little more so we can see how closely horses and humans are when they feel threatened and their sympathetic nervous system takes over.

Most of us have experienced our horses in a fight-or-flight response. We know what it looks like and how dangerous it can be for us and our horses.

Did you know that horses will first freeze before they go into full panic mode or flight? This freeze mode may only last a second before they switch into high gear and flee but it always happens, and it happens first.

This instinct is hardwired into them and if you study wild horses it’s easy to see how the lead horses freeze when they are suspicious or cautious. This is for many reasons, including honing in on their heightened senses like hearing and smell and horses are always concerned about conserving energy.

The rate that a horse will move from freeze to flight mode varies and depends largely on their innate traits and disposition. Example would be a more passive horse by nature will always choose the freeze mode where as a horse that is more dominant will choose the fight and flight and a horse that is in the middle, more submissive will go in either direction, freeze or flee – just depends on the situation.

Like humans, when horses encounter some type of physical threat or anything that causes fear or anxiety, their body typically responds by preparing them to either fight the (real or perceived) threat or flee from it.

This shows up in their bodies as:
- muscles tension
- accelerated heart rate
- accelerated, shallow breathing

At this stage, the glands begin to flood their body with extra hormones called adrenaline and cortisol. These changes better equip the horse for confrontation or escape.

To learn more about this and how to rehabilitate your horse, please click here [ Ссылка ] and here [ Ссылка ]

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