Empower yourself with a self-coaching method that allows you to successfully tend to sexual trauma - in a way that doesn't feel icky or make you sick with dread.

The phenomenon of sexual trauma is immense and overwhelming, to say the least. But if you are here reading this - a part of you has already made the choice to face the challenge of healing. 

I want to invite you to consider that there is a pathway forward that is gentle and beautiful. I am not just telling you this because I want to sell you something. My genuine hope is that just through reading about healing with horses you will be educated, transformed, and empowered whether you choose to take my class or not. 

To begin, I want to explain where I am coming from. I am a survivor of sexual violence. For years I experienced overwhelming feelings of powerlessness against the shadow of my sexual trauma. 

I say shadow because that is exactly what it felt like. Even though there were some moments I was able to consciously acknowledge it, most of the time it felt like a looming shadow, something heavy, painful and scary haunting me that I couldn’t even quite perceive. 

The upsetting but truthful thing is: sexual trauma is something that most of us carry in our own bodies and in our bloodlines. There are varying degrees of traumatic experiences and all of them are worthy of healing. 

No matter what you have been through, if you are sensing that you are ready to engage in trauma healing - I commend you and welcome you with my full heart. 

The class is for women, including trans and gender nonconforming women, who hold any degree of sexual trauma in their body and/or their bloodline and are looking for a graceful and empowering way of turning toward the healing work. 

I offer you a community space to be whole within - and a set of tools, supports, and strategies to tackle one of the biggest hurdles of turning toward our sexual trauma: doing so without getting extremely dysregulated, being overwhelmed, and feeling so deeply upset that we can't go forward. 

There are three important reasons why we struggle to acknowledge and tend to sexual trauma...

The word "trauma" refers to an experience (or series of ongoing experiences) that completely overwhelms the nervous system. And so it makes sense that focusing on it - or even the idea of focusing on it will feel daunting, burdensome, painful, terrifying, and at times so overwhelming that we check out, numb out, dissociate, or become unraveled. 

You may relate. You may have been carrying around a feeling that you need to heal this trauma some day but it feels WAY too hard to begin… impossible even. It may be showing up in your body, your relationships, your life, and your finances. You may think about wanting to take steps toward healing. You may even know that you need to take steps toward healing. But when you think about it, your body becomes hazy, disoriented, numb, checked-out, terrified, lost, or shut down. That is because no matter what is happening in our mind, trauma exists in the body. These disorientation symptoms are a protective measure that your body is taking to shield you from the immense pain and fear that you experienced in the past. This is a protection that makes so much sense and is a gift from our body. 

Quite often there is no safe space to tell the truth about our experience, and it can be dangerous to voice our feelings. Many folks don't have access to healing spaces or practitioners, experience cultural taboos around therapy, or experience financial realities that make it very difficult to access help. It is important to recognize that there are immense levels of structural, financial, and cultural barriers to accessing help. 

While we are becoming more comfortable with talking about trauma in our culture, sexual trauma is still taboo. As survivors of sexual violence, we can have one of two experiences: one is that we don't want to trigger other people and so we suffer in silence. The other is that when we do share, other people don't know how to respond to us, or become triggered by hearing us, and so we get silenced, have our truth suppressed, or even get punished when we attempt to talk about what has happened. Our families, our communities, and our culture are saturated with sexual violence and most people’s nervous systems struggle to stay regulated when this topic comes up. 

This compounding trauma can send us into profound depths of separation and isolation. And it can be terrifying. 

The problem with not being able to talk about our experiences, and receive loving supportive witness and coregulation, is that our bodies require relational connection and safety for this healing and we are not able to find it. 

I wonder if you can relate? I feel like this is an experience so many of the people I connect with also have had. 

We need a safe person to acknowledge our experience, name it, and not be afraid of it. 

Not only that - but it is through colonization and slavery that much of the violence we are trying to heal from was initiated on our bloodlines. While at first, this may feel even more depressing, this truth is actually a gateway to recalling the fullness of ourselves and our relationship with all of life. 

This is important to acknowledge because:

Enter the grace of the horse 

The only reason I got to the point where I was able to speak words to another SAFE human, was because of the work I had done with horses.

Horses offered me a place to begin to explore the parts of me who could not speak. They connected through movement, stillness, and through feeling. They were a safe place of connection that WANTED to be close to me no matter how terribly I felt. Horses brought a grace into my life that showed me a path forward through what previously was impossible. And I devoted my life to making their grace accessible to others. 

The CONNECTION that horses gave me allowed me to begin to express what I could not speak. Horses were tender enough to listen to the places within me that were too vulnerable to share yet with another human. 

In a safe connection, there is enough stability for the nervous system to release the energy, fear, and pain that has been stuck from the trauma. 

Horses have a way of witnessing us that is profoundly gentle. The horse's soft gaze and tender heart can look at us with a light that is soft enough for the most devastated and violated parts of us. 

We can begin to come back into connection.

And the most brilliant and beautiful thing? Horses are multidimensional. They can connect with us in this way across space and time. They don’t have to be in our physical presence to offer us this witnessing friendship and they are brilliant at projecting their healing energy through video. This means I can guide you through working with horses... online. 

I have partnered with the horses to create an online self-coaching curriculum that integrates Equine-assisted learning and the IFS (Internal Family Systems) model. 

Through The Grace of the Horse live class, you get to be in a room where you don't have to split into a presented self and a shadow self. All of you will be welcome.

 You will be empowered with a self-coaching method that allows you to heal with horses from wherever you are.

It FEELS GOOD because:

1)  We DO acknowledge that sexual trauma is the reason each of us showed up. This honors our truth and creates congruence in our system. This offers a sense of relief in the body. 

2) We DON'T focus directly on memories of what happened. Instead, we focus on cultivating connection, safety, and an opportunity for our body to rest. 

We invoke connection with one another, connection with our Self, and connection with nature. 

We focus on understanding and honoring our system - so that our body is given the time, structure, safety, and support from nature to heal in our own rhythm.  

Understanding and tending to what happened to us through relationship with horses changes the process in a POWERFUL way - 

it makes it actually feel beautiful because we are reconnecting our entire bloodline back to Nature's medicine. 

About Internal Family Systems (IFS) 

Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic method developed by psychologist Richard Schwartz, views each person’s body and mind as being a system of many parts with an inner compassionate witness: the Self.

Our parts include the tender and childlike parts of us that hold trauma and pain as well as protective parts that attempt to shield and protect us from pain in order to keep us safe. By recognizing that all of these parts exist, like separate people within us doing their jobs, we can practice witnessing and relating to them compassionately from the position of the Self. This allows us to heal and transform. 

Equine-Assisted Learning Makes healing with horses possible Online

In the wild, each horse is anchored within their own individual personality and is also connected to a part of a larger system: the herd.  As prey animals who navigate the landscape, the herd sources its intelligence and leadership through a powerful witnessing presence. 

IFS offers the perspective that we ARE a witnessing presence (Self) holding together a system of individual parts that have unique personalities. We truly have a herd within ourselves.

I began to integrate IFS principles into the healing work I was doing with horses and eventually studied to become an IFS-inspired coach.

I love the way IFS supports the healing wisdom of horses because they both empower us to have a powerful relationship with our inner witness as a way to welcome all parts of who we are. Healing with horses and IFS are so powerful that just one experience with either of them can completely transform the way we understand ourselves.

IFS offers us a map of the psyche, 

and horses serve as guides for us as we navigate the landscape of our healing journey. 

Horses had spontaneously shown up in my mind and heart when I was not with them and helped me with my pain.

I knew that once they knew you, they could show up and help you at any time no matter how far away you were. 

The types of videos and meditations I create support people in starting that bond from afar. 

This means you never have to even meet the horse in the physical to create a heart-to-heart bond that will allow the horse to come help you in times of need.

These words, these experiences were powerful choices I was making. 

If you are reading this, its likely you have a similar relationship to your trauma and at the same time have also been making some really powerful choices deep inside. 

Once I learned how to be with myself fully - in a way that didn't completely overwhelm me, I became empowered to CREATE and GOVERN my own life, body, and soul. 

I became empowered in my life, health, purpose, and relationships. I became empowered to reclaim the wealth in my bloodline and my relationship with the earth. When you are empowered, you can face your feelings, you can be in your body, you can make aware choices.

I was also more and more able to access the present moment and thus: CONNECTION, SAFETY & ALIGNMENT. I was able to move toward relief from stress, relief from being plagued by burdens, powerlessness, and terror. I became anchored in my purpose.

Through this work, you will build a connection to your own authority that will stay with you lifelong. You will reclaim your sovereignty. 

Together we will empower ourselves to traverse the landscape of our own healing 

with a map (IFS) and a guide (myself partnered with the compassionate presence of horses). 

It is possible to gracefully tend to your trauma.

If a part of you has felt lost and wandering. If a part of you feels exhausted, is looking for guidance, or is seeking refuge.

If a part of you feels too devastated, ashamed, or terrible to even show itself to another human.

If you have been longing for healing. Longing for a transformation, a shift, a way forward, I honestly can’t recommend anything more than the love of a horse.

Horses are one pathway forward that exemplifies the way that beauty is healing. They offer a real relationship where it is safe to share feelings related to all types of trauma, INCLUDING sexual trauma. This experience that horses offer can be THE transformative step on our journey when it's not safe yet to talk to humans. Through working with horses - we can slowly re-enter a safe relationship with our truth, and begin to know and understand what has happened to us.

Registration Details

This class is for women including trans women and gender nonconforming women - who hold any degree of sexual trauma in their bodies and/OR their bloodline and are looking for a graceful and empowering way of turning toward the healing work.

We will meet on 7 consecutive Thursdays from 7 - 8:30pm Eastern Time from March 16th - April 27th, 2023.

This class is taught online via zoom in a small group and space is limited. I will sign-up participants on a first-come-first-serve basis after you have both completed an application and then paid for the class. If the class becomes full, I will start a waiting list. 

To join the class you need to fill out a short application. Within a few days, I will send you a link to make your first payment. Once you have paid, you will be registered. 

This class is offered on a sliding scale with payment plans available for every price. 

Tier 3 : $947, full price of course

• Pay $947 in full OR a payment plan: two monthly payments of $477 OR four monthly payments of $242

Tier 2: $647, price for folks with a limited amount of expendable income.

• Pay $647 in full OR a payment plan: two monthly payments of $327 OR four monthly payments of $167

Tier 1: $347, price for folks experiencing financial hardship.

• Pay $347 in full OR a payment plan of two monthly payments of $175 OR four monthly payments of $89

Your payment includes 7 live classes including a live integration call as well as lifetime access (as long as the internet exists) to my online curriculum The Herd Within: Healing with Horses and the IFS Model. I will give you this curriculum for free when the course begins. This course is hosted on an online portal which includes healing with horses videos, guided meditations, an introduction to IFS and Equine-Assisted Learning, and a full workbook). 

I get it. 

And I respect the immensity of this. Deep within, a part of you may feel suspicious and be questioning whether this is something that needs to be done at this moment - or if this is the right way to do it. 

Honor that. 

I want to tell you two things: 

1) Your system is incredibly brilliant. It's important to trust your body and listen to your feelings. There is no need to join this work if it isn't right for YOU or isn't right at this moment. YOU are who matters most. Each of us needs to have support on the inside and on the outside in order to move through certain levels of our struggle. We need to have a certain amount of stability. If your body is saying don't do this - please listen to it. There are many cycles moving your life. What is for you will show up for you when the time is right. You don't need to rush. I hope that just reading this page has offered you a sense of grace, acknowledgment, and hope. 

2) You have a purpose on this earth. That purpose is carrying you and guiding you. Your gift is needed. It is powerful beyond measure. The bulk of trauma you have experienced and the fact that you are trapped in the burden of it is not an accident. While this might sound scary - it's important to acknowledge. Most trauma originates from systems intentionally designed to keep us from healing and stepping into our purpose. 

This is because your purpose WILL contribute to the awakening of the planet - to freedom from slavery and exploitation paradigms. If you feel called to join this class it could be because the strength of your purpose brought you here. It could be because the grace of your purpose is bringing you the horses; it's reconnecting you to the earth and your innate abundance and power. 

The task of learning to face and tend to your trauma is daunting. This class is one way of rising to the challenge that offers a breakthrough not only in ways of thinking but into entirely new ways of walking in your life. My goal is to root you in spiritual strength and confidence. I want to welcome you into a room filled with empathy and understanding. I want to you leave empowered to step out from under the shame and burdens placed on you and step into your purpose - the reason you are here. The world needs your gifts. 

We are empowering our own compassionate witness through aligning with horses - and respecting the timing and intelligence of the system to lead us in our healing.

Our trauma is at the root of so much of our distress - trouble sleeping, anxiety, economic hardship, depression, physical pain, immense stress, fear of intimacy, struggles in our relationship, etc. 

Instead of numbing out, feeling overwhelmed, terrified, stuck, blocked, isolated, and your only option being hiding from this wound - I invite you to step into a graceful way forward. I welcome you with all of my heart! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a therapy group?

No. I am not a therapist or an IFS practitioner. I am an IFS inspired coach, a trauma-informed 500hr yoga teacher, and an Equine-Assisted Learning practitioner. This is not therapy - it is a class that teaches you self-coaching skills. 

Will we be sharing our trauma stories?

The focus of this class is not on our individual trauma stories. We will be focusing on learning self-coaching skills and cultivating bonds with the horses. I will teach meditations and IFS skills. That being said - if an aspect of your story or experience arises in meditation and you feel called to share it when we have space for reflection, both myself and the container I have designed can witness all of who you are and what you have been through. I will ask that if you are going to share specific details of an abuse or assault experience - you say so before sharing so that anyone who may feel triggered can leave the room for a moment and/or take care of themselves. 

How is it possible to work with horses online?

Horses can work with us through energy. I teach using video, stories, and meditation to help you connect to my real actual horse through meditation! This is amazing because it makes working with horses affordable and accessible for your entire life. 

What exactly will we be doing each class?

The most important aspect of this class is that it is a way to join a safe community space to be whole within. Having access to a relationship with me, the horses, and the other women in the class will lessen feelings of isolation and shame.

The second most important aspect of this class is that you will get the chance to learn and practice a set of tools, supports, and strategies to tackle one of the biggest hurdles of turning toward our sexual trauma: doing so without getting extremely dysregulated, being overwhelmed, and feeling so deeply upset that we can't go forward. 

We will engage in specific listening and empathy exercises that help us to connect as a group and teach us how to relate to our own inner system with more skill and compassion.  

We will practice: listening to (and singing if you like) sacred sound (mantra), breathwork, and rest practices to honor our system, connect to the horses energetically from a distance, and work with trauma gracefully.

I will share stories, videos, and guided meditations to help you build a real heart-to-heart relationship with the horses that you can call on for the rest of your life. 

And finally, throughout the entire 7-weeks, I will be training you in an introduction to using IFS as an empowered self-coaching method that will aid you on your healing journey life-long. 

I will also be giving you unlimited access to my online curriculum.

What if I join the class but get overwhelmed and want to quit - can I get my money back?

Yes! I will refund you fully after the first class. And for each class after that, I will refund you the full amount you have paid divided by 7, and then multiplied by the number of classes left that you will not attend.

I have questions not answered above, can I email you?

Yes! Please reach out to me, Jamila, at: embodiedleadershipproject@gmail.com