By Leslie Kelly
lkelly@soundpublishing.com
Drea Bowen never served in the military. But she wants to help those who have — specifically female veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.
“Women veterans have a difficult time re-integrating back into the life they had before they served, or before they went to war,” said Bowen. “Some of that is due to the fact that women in general operate from their heart and soul. In combat, they have to disconnect from that in order to complete their mission.”
Helping women become whole again is what Bowen hopes to do through her Human Equine Alliance for Learning (HEAL) programs. A certified HEAL therapist, Bowen has been using horses as a way to help heal women for several years.
In the past, she has worked with women who suffered abuse, who were recovering from breast cancer and youth who have been bullied or who are at-risk.
Now, she and two other therapists who work with at her Silverdale-area horse farm, are offering a program for women who are veterans or those who are still active duty, but suffering from traumas.
Currently she is hosting open houses to connect with therapists and others who work with women veterans. She hopes to find about eight female veterans for a pilot program. She’s planning the first pilot program for female veterans on May 29, June 5, 12 and 26. The program will offer up to eight women veterans the opportunity to heal through equine therapy using methods of bonding with horses to deal with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.)
In its most simple form, the therapy includes learning how to be in the moment, Bowen said.
“When these women have memories that are traumatic, instead of going back to that, they learn how to be in the present,” Bowen said. “It’s a matter of self-regulation.”
In these stressful moments, Bowen said, the women recall the bonding they have had with the horses and use that feeling to create neurological pathways to stay in the present.
“We are social animals,” she said of women. “So are horses. By experiencing simple things like exercising the horse and grooming or walking with them, there’s a mindful awareness that women learn. And then, they can connect to that and be in that when the stressful memories surface.”
Bowen said, through her own education, she’s learned to do that to regulate the stress in her own life. She said she’s also very well aware that for female veterans who suffer PTSD, there is a potential for trauma to surface.
“Our mission is not to create an environment to trigger those wounds,” she said. “But that is a possibility. That’s why the veterans in our pilot program will all be working with a clinical therapist so that they have someone to talk with about that.”
Equine work, rather, is a method veterans can use to stay in the moment and not go to the dark places, unless they are with a talk-therapist and in a situation where that is the aim, she added. If they don’t already have a therapist, they can find one through Bowen’s program.
Many people ask Bowen “Why horses?”
The answers are simple, she said. Horses don’t judge. They respond to each other and to humans. And they are in a natural environment. These are the things that make horses a great way to re-integrate women with who they are as people.
One of the issues Bowen knows the program will have to deal with is sexual abuse that has happened to women while in the military.
“That’s a very real thing,” she said. “Again, these women will be working with therapists, in addition to the work with our horses. But we will be to help the women learn ways to stay in the moment in order to deal with stress and trauma.”
The pilot program is a way for Bowen to determine what the true needs of women veterans are, she said. Once the pilot is completed, Bowen is hoping to offer more sessions for veterans, and eventually some separate sessions for male veterans, as well.
The pilot sessions are from 5:30 to 8 p.m. for four weeks. Cost is $100, but there are some scholarships available.
Brenda Newell, LCSW, and Michele Kaster, LMHC, are the therapists who work with Bowen under the program name “Heart of the Herd.” Any female veterans wanting to be a part of the pilot program can call her at 360-509-2948. Enrollment applications will then be sent to potential attendees.
Bowen is hopeful that as the program grows, some of the participants will come back and volunteer to help other women veterans suffering with PTSD.
“Our real goal is to help women move through the healing process,” she said. “We are naturally social beings. It’s critical for us to have that connection. That’s what will move us toward getting our lives back together again.”
To learn more, go to www.DreaBowen.com. Services are extended to women veterans experiencing PTSD as well as active duty military women who are seeking support with reintegrating all aspects of themselves back into life at home.
Bowen also is seeking input from women in the military and female vets for ideas on what to name the program. The women attending the pilot program will be sorting through submissions and choosing a name during the pilot series.
“We want to involve the women who are in the trenches so it represents what is meaningful to them,” she said. “Wounded Warriors, Horses for Heroes (other national programs) didn’t feel quite right to us.”
She said she welcomes all ideas and the woman with the winning submission will win free participation in an upcoming retreat or series. Submissions can be sent to drea@dreabowen.com.