The Winter Solstice marks the beginning of winter wisdom and new beginnings in reverence of the cycle of life and death. To honor this time, we gathered our gifts in community with humans, nature, and horses, co-creating a rhythmic flow of movement, music, painting, and poetry. Sifu Kurtis Tilly led us with an ancient temple practice embodying the 5 elements with an emphasis on water for winter followed by Tai Chi-Inspired horse movement. Dr. Laura Beer (CSU music therapy professor) offered her Native flute music and bead drum to provide a nature-inspired cadence and facilitated a circle of call-and-response words and tapping. Our horse relative Grace was a central part, providing reflective movement, glances, and even dancing with Jacqueline Lounsbury (dance/movement therapy graduate intern). This modern horse movement continued on horseback with Kyla Howard (equine specialist) taking the lead. Bilateral painting with natural pigment and felted paint brushes allowed us to experience a deeper exploration of winter, water, and horse. Laura provided closure with a Winter Solstice poem imparting positive cognitions for the winter months ahead.

Pleased to announce that our nonprofit Triple T Haven at the QT Ranch is a recipient of The Weld Trust Key Funding Initiatives Grant providing 100 equine-assisted psychotherapy scholarships for residents of Weld County. Our aim is to promote a sense of belonging and connectedness among the participants while supporting self-regulatory practices. To inquire about this program, please email us at theranch@triplethaven.com.

As an instructor for Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute I had the privilege of Traveling with Dr. Cathy Malchiodi to the beautiful venue organized by Enrique Arellanos Farias and his Instituto Cuarto Ciclos. Our 4-day level one trauma-informed practices training was held in Sitges, Spain on the beach overlooking the Mediterranean sea. This environment contributed to the deep embodied work which emerged gradually over the four days. My contribution on the first day focused on scripted breath drawings incorporating breathing exercises and movement. As this process unfolded, the drawing moved to the windows with the Mediterranean sea serving as a stunning background. These drawings were incorporated into spiral breath journals as a continued visual journaling practice. The second day was an inspirational one for me as I led the bilateral movement and artmaking series based on my research with my co-author Jim Warson and my ongoing collaboration with my Tai Chi instructor Sifu Kurtis Tilley. The third day entailed a portable “all fine place” or safe/calm space emblematic of the visualization associated with EMDR practice–this process incorporated collage materials and a folded flap journal. The final day encompassed nature-based container work focusing on shifting somatic sensations and supporting emotional regulation with clay and found nature items from the beach. In sum, the bilateral rhythms from our 4-day training were evident in our movement, social engagement, and artmaking contributing to a deeper sense of embodiment.