It’s in our nature………..
Our little boy was born September 2012.
Why is this significant?
Katarina Felicia Lundgren from the MiMer Centre during the recent training that we hosted at Athena Herd talked about and recently shared a post on facebook called the “Imitation Game”. Reminding us that we are all minds in motion and when we enter this world (both humans and animals) we use imitation.
Becoming a parent can give us an amazing opportunity, if embraced, to be reminded of this process of imitation that we may find ourselves doing throughout our lifetime either consciously or subconsciously depending on the position we find ourselves in.
Have you ever thought or said out loud, gosh I sound like/I am becoming my mother/grandmother/father? I know I have.
I acknowledge that I am a reflection of my own experience gained from those that have been in my life both personally and professionally and wow that is a very profound consideration.
The significance, therefore, of becoming a parent back in 2012 is of huge significance here.
We have embraced parenthood. Our child is very much part of our lives, we haven’t, in the most part, changed our life to fit in with him. A dear friend said to me not so long ago, you come as a three. Whether this is because we had our child that bit later in life or it
has just been a conscious decision, who knows. Our approach to parenthood has meant that we have been fortunate enough to really observe, reflect and embrace the experience.
The day our child was born, I wondered how I could ever love anyone else as much. I thought to myself, how do people go on to have multiple children?
Myself and my husband have had quite a few chuckles along our journey of parenthood because of the imitating behaviour. Goodness how aware am I as a parent of our child imitating, mimicking if you like, both mine and my husbands behavior. Experiencing each stage of development and learning has been and continues to be a gift. This “Imitation Game” as described by Katarina really does seem to be ….in our nature.
Whilst considering that written in Katarina’s post and my own experiences of observing this so-called “Imitation Game” as a parent, it is notable that this skill, if you like, seems to be something that we are born with and either consciously or subconsciously stays with us throughout our lives.
…and beyond…..
Considering this further, I am amazed by every unique interaction we have with our horses at Athena Herd. Having
multiple horses I am also very aware that I love each one so very much just in very different ways. I also recognise just how powerful the work we do with horses really is. Whether that be an individual or group learning and
development interaction. Whether that be “labelled” as “Equine Facilitated Learning”, “coaching”, “counselling”, “psychotherapy” “hypnotherapy” or even “leadership” work. Isn’t this an engrained “Imitation Game” that comes into all of our life experiences, given that it is in our nature?
Labels: “Equine Facilitated Learning”, “Coaching”, “Counselling”, “Psychotherapy” “Hypnotherapy” or even “Leadership” work……
Delving, therefore, a little more into this “Imitation Game”, is there really a fundamental difference?
Why do we look to “label” the learning in a horse environment as “Equine Facilitated Learning”, “Coaching”, “Counselling”,
“Psychotherapy” “Hypnotherapy” or even “Leadership” work? I am not considering the specific training required to becoming a Counsellor or even a Lawyer. I am talking about tapping into those core skills that one looks to learn from birth, which we have considered here as the “Imitation Game”. This is our rationale at Athena Herd for our accredited Equine Facilitated Practitioner training. Part of this journey could then well be going on to specialize through choice and further studies to become a mental health professional, a coach, a leader in a corporate environment. Isn’t this how we progress through our GCSEs, A Levels, Degrees, Masters Degrees?
Is it fair to state that even if you are a “Coach” or “Legal Counsel” or have run your own business your team and/or
colleagues and/or employees and/or suppliers may face mental health and wellbeing challenges? Being able to connect with, build a relationship with, offer support and guidance presumably could well be a life skill derived from the “Imitation Game” right? Or do we absolutely need to be a qualified “Counsellor” or “Psychotherapist” to recognise and support such a colleague/individual? As a Senior lawyer I often work with business people looking for legal support but ultimately the decision to go ahead and sign the contract is a business/commercial risk decision. Not a legal one. One of those identified grey area. Having said this, even though I am a qualified Solicitor where do my commercial, relationship building, resilience, brand protection/approach skills
come from? Does it all come from my legal training? Or the so-called “Imitation Game”? Or both?
What about “coaching” someone to realise their dream job/career? If you do a quick internet search “Top tips” can include appearance, personal brand if you like, posture, looking the interviewee in the eye, smiling, good handshake, connection, be authentic – again does this come from specialized training or is it the learned behaviour gained through the “Imitation Game”? Or both?
Athena Herd Equine Facilitated Practitioner a combination of the “Imitation Game” and a qualification…its in our nature……
