The purpose of ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS™ (AIA) is to develop awareness and expand consciousness while enhancing an individual's ability to be responsible for self, and thus, contribute to the safety of the group, through work with horses.

This equine facilitated experiential learning process work is suitable for individuals of any age interested in achieving clarity of life purpose, rewarding interpersonal relationships, and compassionate heart centered communication skills. Carefully structured interactive exercises are designed to create bonding, promote team building, and develop personal insights. The AIA process promotes working with horses as reflective (mirror principle – "what I see in you, is also in me") of our personal and interpersonal relationships.

Learning what horses can teach us about basic life skills in an interesting and often fun approach to awaken our capacity for authentic empowerment. Self empowered individuals make healthy behavior choices and practice mindful awareness of thoughts, feelings and emotions as determinants of personal reality.

For those people unfamiliar with group process, this equine facilitated experiential learning process work, a form of equine guided education, provides a self-determined opportunity to practice the participant/observer principle. It is a significant opportunity to expand cross species communication while enjoying the healing ambiance of Nature.

During your AIA session(s) you may:
Learn an effective communication tool; especially useful for periods of intense emotion when it is crucial to express yourself in a non-adversarial manner. The, "When I perceive you..., I feel..." "Is any of this true for you?"

Practice the Participant/Observer Principle: the influence of our feelings on the quality of our reality with active witnessing and inner awareness.

Be introduced to elementary principles of energy as expressed through the horse's behavior and concept of archetypes.

Develop an awareness of Energy; "reading – sensing" The Field.

The AIA process connects mind, body and heart in relationship with a sentient being, the horse. AIA engages the Sacred while exercising the body, calming the mind, and nurturing the Soul. Working with and Riding horses may be experienced as "Joyful meditation in motion".

The Purpose of ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS™ (AIA) is to develop awareness and expand consciousness while enhancing an individual's self-confidence through work with horses. Horses are compassionate teachers of basic life skills. During an AIA session participants learn principles of responsibility, relationships, and communication, including inter-species communication.

AIA's interactive exercises with horses provide an interesting and fun process for awakening self empowerment skills, while promoting team building, and interpersonal relationship development. A growing body of clinical evidence suggests that people experiencing authentic empowerment through work with animals make healthy behavior choices; thus, contributing to reduced societal violence.

Requirements: Signed AIA application and release, long pants, closed toe shoes, sun visor/hat, personal water bottle, and an OPEN HEARTMIND. Participants are not to expect to ride during their first AIA session. Our purpose is to develop relationship, investigate leadership requirements, and build trust and communication skills. Students in the 5 session AIA curriculum may expect to learn classical principles of equitation.

Available in Phoenix - Scottsdale Esperanza Center

The purpose of ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS™ (AIA) is to develop awareness and expand consciousness while enhancing an individual's ability to be responsible for self, and thus, contribute to safety of the group, through work with horses.

This equine facilitated experiential learning process is suitable for individuals of any age interested in achieving clarity of life purpose, rewarding interpersonal relationships, and compassionate heart centered communication skills. Carefully structured interactive exercises are designed to create bonding, promote team building, and develop personal insights.

The AIA process promotes working with horses as reflective (mirror principle - "what I see in you, is also in me") of our personal and interpersonal relationships. Learning what horses can teach us about basic life skills in an interesting and often fun approach to awaken our capacity for authentic empowerment. Self empowered individuals make healthy behavior choices and practice mindful awareness of thoughts, feelings, and emotions as determinants of personal reality.

For those people unfamiliar with group process, this equine facilitated experiential learning process provides a self-determined opportunity to practice the participant/observer principle. It is a significant opportunity to expand interspecies communication skills while enjoying the healing ambiance of nature.

The AIA process connects mind, body and heart in relationship with a sentient being, the horse. AIA engages the sacred while exercising the body, calming the mind, and nurturing the soul. Working with and Riding horses may be experienced as "Joyful meditation in motion".

In 1989 - 90, at The College of the Holy Names in Oakland, CA, she obtained a Master of Arts degree with an emphasis in Spiritual Psychology. While at the Institute of Culture and Creation Centered Spirituality, she worked as an intake counselor and group facilitator for near death and dying youth, and women with homebound disabilities, at the Center for Attitudinal Healing in Tiburon, CA.

In the early 90's Barbara developed the therapeutic riding programs at Sierra Tucson Hospital and co-founded FETE, Medicine Horse, in Flagstaff, AZ. At Sierra Tucson, a private psychiatric hospital, she developed and coordinated Sierra Tucson's Integrated Riding Resource Program for adolescents, family week treatment, the eating disorders and trauma resolution units, while training the hospital medical staff in her model for equine facilitated experiential process work - now trademarked as ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS™ (AIA).

Barbara has developed the AIA/EEL Institute workshops and training seminars where the professional facilitation skills and teaching techniques of the AIA interactive equine exercises are learned and practiced. Educators, health, horse and other animal professionals are provided a residential experiential "learning through doing" opportunity to develop competency in the principles, theory, and practice of Equine Experiential Learning (EEL) and practice of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) utilizing the structural format of AIA.

Barbara co-founded EFMHA (Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association), a section of NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped. She is both a NARHA and an EFMHA board member. Barbara serves on NARHA Ways and Means and Standards Committees and EFMHA's Curriculum Development and Standards Committees. Her first book, is The Handbook of Equine Experiential Learning - through the lens of ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS™. Book #2, AIA's JOURNEY RIDE is a work in progress. Barbara is a founding board member for Animal Therapy Association (ATA - recently fused with PAN) which seeks to develop animal assisted therapy as a profession, link existing 'model' practices, and generate educational degree programs. Barbara is also serving as Secretary on The Commission for Certification of Equine Facilitated Mental Health & Education Professionals.