Tag Archives: recreational therapy

By Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT The word vulnerable has a new meaning for me lately. As we grow up and watch our children and family grow up, it changes who we are; things can go wrong and not as planned. People make choices we don’t understand. As we come to …

By Blair McKissock   Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that "All creation is one." He thought that we should try to live life in harmony with nature. In his works, he talks about our interconnectedness with all things.  Many philosophers and scientists are exploring how we are all connected, from the …

By Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT There is so much violence and hate in the news of late. Life seems to be growing more tumultuous by the moment, so that it can be hard to make the effort to think. My goal over the past few years has been to open …

By Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT As I write this column, I can’t help but think of the words transition, grief, change, loss, and sorrow. My heart breaks. When my fingers touch the keyboard, they don’t want to move, and after every period, they hesitate again. When I first started my …

By Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT Within the industry of equine-assisted learning (EAL) and therapy there is a great debate among professionals; what is the difference between learning and therapy? Having been a professional in experiential education for over 20 years, this was never an issue, because each experience was therapeutic regardless …

By Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT Horses are a large piece of what makes up legend, mythology, and history. At the beginning of the year in the time of winter, we confront the darker aspects of our inner self, sometimes referred to as dancing with your dark horse. During this time, we …

By Blair McKissock Have you ever noticed how many different colors of horses there are?  Horses can come in almost 100 different varieties of coat color and markings with endless combinations. They are one of a few species that can have multiple variations in their markings within a group of the …

By Blair McKissock There are certain times in life when a single concept comes to you over and over again as if to say, “Here is something to pay attention to!” It can come to you in a way that is personal to your collective experience or a priori knowledge, and …

By Blair McKissock This is the time of year for transition. As the days slowly begin to get longer, and the promise of spring hangs in the air, we emerge from the darkness, and head towards the light. The darkness of winter gives us the chance to confront the shadow aspects …

By Blair McKissock Life is not a flat, straight line.  No, that isn’t a surprise. Every day, life throws us something new. Sometimes life throws us a small pebble, other times it throws us a curve ball, and sometimes it throws us a boulder. With all that is thrown at us, we …