Johannesburg - Apart from a global health crisis, the rising cost of living and the continuous struggles of daily life, every single person in the world has encountered an emotional hardship at some point in their lives.
But not many are in the fortunate position to have an emotional support system or the option of crawling under the covers to avoid their problems.
As the globe attempts to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, many have also used the time under lockdown to try and find ways to improve their lives and deal with their accumulated trauma.
Now, a UK-based and ground-breaking therapeutic approach wants to help people from across the globe and from all walks of life live their best lives as they embark on horse-centred counselling.
Dubbed Operation Centaur, the project is also set to send participants to remote and exotic destinations as they attempt to rediscover themselves post-pandemic, as well as be reintroduced with their child-like selves, professor Dr Andreas Liefooghe, who is spearheading the initiative said.
“We want to go away and bring people together for a very condensed and intense period of time where they can actually try and make sense of themselves.
“The journey is also about people going back to the root of things and ultimately undertaking a child-like experience which gives them a sense of curiosity, as well as a sense of awe and wonder.”
Some of the locations include those in South Africa, as well as the likes of Bali and the Caribbean.
But one of the main features of Operation Centaur is the focus on horses, which have been found to be successful therapeutic tools.
Liefooghe even wrote a book on the topic Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Coaching: An Evidence-Based Framework, which has earned acclaim across the world.
“Horses do the kind of work that they have always done in other fields for us,they speed things up, they make things go faster,” he told The Saturday Star this week.
Liefooghe also explained that the kind of therapy that is needed for their Retreat and Conquer initiative, needs language and communication.
But this often proves difficult for people who struggle to communicate their feelings.
“Horses don't have language either but they are incredibly sophisticated communicators,” Liefooghe said.
“We bring people back to that level of communication, to understand what it is like to be in this human horse herd, what is going on for you, what is bubbly up, where have you experienced this before, and are there patterns emerging.”
When Liefooghe’s Retreat and Conquer initiative visits South Africa, which he expects in Winter of next year, they plan on working with Horizon Horseback Adventures’ herd of wild horses in Vaalwater, Limpopo.
The renowned therapist and his team are currently in Cape Town to scout possible locations for next year’s Operation Centaur in the country.
But he admits that they have not yet pinned one down as a significant amount of planning is required for this venture.
This includes the horses, the remote nature of the location, how accessible it is as well as access to emergency facilities like hospitals.
“Our risk assessment is extensive because we want people to feel totally safe,” he said.
“If you want to work on yourself you need to feel safe, and our operation is a container and people don't feel safe if they think the container is leaking and can’t hold them.”
This too will be the case of the retreats across the globe, when Operation Centaur is officially launched in London in the UK next month.
“The retreats will be held in difficult to access places because we don't want to just go to Ibiza or somewhere you can quickly access,” he said.
“A lot people will not have done this kind of travel since they were students with a backpack or when they were younger.”
Operation Centaur was meant to officially launch in 2020 but the novel coronavirus forced them to halt their operations.
But Liefooghe said that this time in lockdown proved to be valuable as it gave them time to improve the program.
He also believes that post-pandemic, such an initiative is very much needed.
“One of the biggest disadvantages of the pandemic was mental health which was propelled in the forefront and it is something that is very much spoken about now.”
And he believes that the nature of Operation Centaur is what is needed in this unique period of time as many require more than just a weekly therapy session.
Liefooghe also stressed that the initiative should not be seen as punishment and that there is much to enjoy during the retreats.
“The retreat is not necessarily to detox because working on yourself doesn’t have to feel harsh.
“You are going somewhere that is very different and when you get there, it’s an awesome experience and will give people a sense of awe that appeals to their child-like selves.
“From the minute you are greeted at the airport, to the transfer, the initiative will be a seamless experience.”
Another appealing aspect of Operation Centaur is that people need just themselves in order to undertake this experience.
“They come as individuals and don’t need to come as a couple, with a parent or a friend.
“This is something people can do for themselves and as a result, their wider system will benefit as they are more content and fulfilled.”