The relationship of early life adversity and physiological synchrony within the therapeutic triad in horse-assisted therapy

Abstract

In any therapeutic setting, the outcome depends in part on the therapeutic alliance, characterized by mutual understanding, empathy and trust among the participants. This also manifests through physiological synchronization (PS) processes involving breathing, heart and brain. This study examined the dynamics of heart rate variability (HRV) synchronization patterns during horse-assisted therapy. We explored the correlations between the therapist’s horse preference, levels of early life adversity (ELA), and PS relationships within and across dyads of participants, therapists, and therapy horses. Our sample of 42 female participants engaged in standardized horse-assisted therapy sessions facilitated by three riding therapists and four therapy horses. PS was operationalized through cross-wavelet power analyses across the different dyads. The results showed, that stronger HRV synchronization between the therapist and horse was associated with stronger HRV synchronization between the horse and participant, as well as stronger HRV synchronization between the therapist and participant. We found a correlation between ELA and HRV synchronization between participants and therapists, with individuals experiencing higher levels of ELA showing lower synchronization. However, this effect of ELA was not observed for HRV synchronization between participants and horses. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between the riding therapist’s preference for a particular therapy horse and the HRV synchronization between the therapist and that horse. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the correlational dynamics in horse-human interactions and may have potential implications for optimizing therapeutic interventions in clinical settings.