"They are part of what made my treatment positive. And maybe more meaningful." : Participants' experience of horse-assisted therapy in addiction treatment

Abstract

Addiction is an increasing societal challenge with a wide variety of treatments. Research on complimentary or alternative forms of addiction treatment is scant. The present study explores the experience of horse-assisted therapy (HAT) as part of addiction treatment, from the perspective of the participants. The thesis is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with eight persons participating in a HAT program within a hospital treatment setting. The aim of the study has been to explore participants’ experience of HAT as part of the overall treatment context, and their understanding of the horse-human relationship as part of that treatment. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, and are understood within a social constructionist framework. Participants’ expressions of HAT focused mainly on perceived therapeutic value, and are organized into five themes: motivation, emotional effect, relationship with the horse, mastery, and break from treatment. Suggested underlying themes throughout the results are the stable as context for the construction of a positive self; the horse as facilitator for participants’ construction of self and as emotional support during treatment; the significance of the specific hospital context for understanding the participants’ accounts. I argue that the main implication of the participants’ accounts are the need for motivational breaks from “mainstream” therapy to substantiate retention in treatment. I further suggest that horses can be useful contributors to treatment because of the emotional an motivational impact described by participants, and how their presence in a milieu can be the focal point of an environment characterized by shared positive meanings.