Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy in San Miguel de Allende
Healing Through the Honest Mirror
of the Horse
Some of the deepest healing doesn’t happen in a therapy office. It happens in the soft dirt of a paddock, in the steady breath of a horse, and in the honest reflection that only a thousand-pound animal can offer.
I’m Christina Johnson, a licensed psychotherapist with over 30 years in the healing arts. Since 2013, I’ve offered trauma-informed, holistic care here in San Miguel de Allende. Now I bring together my two greatest passions — psychotherapy and horses — in Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy.
We stay on the ground. No saddles, no riding. Together with a horse, we do simple things: groom, lead, observe, just be present. These interactions become a doorway to processing trauma, anxiety, depression, and the challenges that stick around even after years of talk therapy.
“Horses don’t judge your story. They feel the energy you carry and gently, honestly, invite you to put it down.”
— Christina Johnson, LPC, Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapist
What Is Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy?
Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy places a licensed therapist and a horse into a shared therapeutic space. The horse becomes an active partner. As prey animals, horses are exquisitely sensitive to emotion, body language, and the unspoken signals we give off. They respond to what’s actually happening inside you in the moment — offering clear, immediate feedback. When a horse moves toward you, or away, that response opens a window into your own patterns, often without a single word.
In my practice, this experiential work can be woven together with EMDR therapy, visionary craniosacral work, and somatic approaches. The result is a whole-person path that can reach trauma where it lives — in both mind and body.
How Does a Session Work?
Each session is shaped around your goals. You might groom a horse, walk together, or simply watch the herd. There’s no pressure to perform. The focus is on what you notice and what happens between you and the horse.
I’m there as both therapist and equine guide. We pause to explore moments like:
What did you feel in your body when the horse walked away?
What shifted when you asked gently instead of pushing?
How did it feel to be met without judgment by an animal who reads your inner state?
These small inquiries build self-awareness and new emotional pathways in real time.
Conditions That Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy Can Support
Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy is used worldwide to help with:
PTSD & Complex Trauma
Anxiety, Panic Attacks & Chronic Stress
Depression & Grief
Addiction & Impulse Control
Behavioral & Attachment Disorders
Domestic Abuse & Relational Wounds
Low Self-Esteem & Identity Struggles
Major Life Transitions (expat adjustment, divorce, loss)
What Horses Make Possible
Over time, working with a horse builds lasting change. My clients often develop:
Emotional Regulation — A horse’s instant response to your state teaches you to notice and shift your own.
Trust — Quiet connection with a large animal restores faith in yourself and in others.
Confidence — Small successes, like asking a horse to lift a foot, rebuild a felt sense of capability.
Clearer Communication — An animal that reads intention, not performance, sharpens how you express yourself and set boundaries.
Deep Stress Relief — Time in a horse’s presence calms the nervous system in measurable ways.
An Integrated Healing Path
Many people come to Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy while continuing other therapy. The combination can be powerful:
EMDR helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories; EAP lets your body practice new responses with a living, breathing horse
Craniosacral Therapy unwinds somatic holding; EAP brings that ease into a dynamic, relational space.
Work with me in my office, in the paddock, or both. The path is yours.
Why Walk This Path with Christina Johnson?
A Therapist Who Knows Horses
I’m both a seasoned mental health professional and an equine specialist. My grounding in trauma therapy is deep, and my hands-on experience with horses spans years of craniosacral work. Sessions are structured around evidence-informed principles, including those of the Eagala model, so you get safe, effective care.
Thirty Years of Healing Work
For over three decades I’ve refined my ability to hold space for deep change — with humans and horses alike.
A Peaceful Setting Near San Miguel de Allende
Sessions happen at a private equine sanctuary just outside the city. The horses live in a quiet landscape that itself becomes part of the healing.
Bilingual, Present, Free of Judgment
Servicios en inglés y español. You can’t get this wrong. The horses aren’t interested in your history or your mistakes. They meet you as you are, and that meeting can open the door to real change.
What to Expect When You Arrive
Wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes. We’ll meet at the paddock and start with a quiet check-in. No riding, no horse experience needed. The horses move freely in their space, and we go only as fast as your nervous system allows.
Sessions last 60–75 minutes. Many people notice a shift after a single visit — a lightness or clarity that stays with them. We always begin with a free phone consultation to talk confidentially about what you’re experiencing and whether Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy is a good fit right now.
Ready to Meet the Honest Mirror of the Horse?
You don’t have to sort this out alone. A different kind of healing is waiting — quiet, grounded, and deeply real.
Free Phone Consultation
Call +1 601 431 4724 or email visionarypower@gmail.com to schedule a relaxed, no-obligation conversation.
Servicios en inglés y español disponibles.