Year of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Counselor Education and Supervision

Department or School/College

Phyllis J. Washington College of Education

Committee Chair

Veronica Johnson

Commitee Members

Jayna Mumbauer-Pisano, Kirsten Murray, Daniel Salois, Julia Mazzarella

Abstract

Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) has emerged as a promising experiential therapeutic intervention, yet the lived experience of adults participating in EAP within residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment settings remains underexplored. This hermeneutic phenomenological study examined the lived experience of 12 adults who participated in EAP groups during residential SUD treatment across three treatment facilities in the United States. The primary research question was: What is the lived experience of participating in EAP for adults in residential SUD treatment? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through iterative hermeneutic interpretation guided by van Manen’s (1990) existential framework.

Six themes emerged from the data: nervous system regulation, authentic connection with the horse, present-moment awareness, experiential learning, transcendent meaning, and transformed perception of treatment. These themes are organized into a conceptual framework describing two layers of the horse-human encounter: immediate effects (reset, relief, and practice), and deeper transformations (acceptance, hope, and freedom).

Findings revealed that the horse-human encounter created conditions for embodied regulation, unconditional acceptance, trust-building, and experiential learning that participants described as meaningful and distinct from other aspects of treatment. Interpreted through existing literature on nervous system regulation in addiction recovery, connection and treatment engagement, and horse-human interaction research, the findings suggest that EAP functioned for participants in preverbal, somatic, and relational dimensions of recovery. Implications for EAP practitioners, counselor educators, and treatment program administrators are discussed.

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© Copyright 2026 Leah Finch Lungren