Blog Post - Bilateral Movements and HHR

OSI-CAN’s Annual Healing with Horses Retreat program uses a number of methodologies for trauma treatment to introduce participants to those same methodologies during the program. One major application of the modality Meaningful Movements is the application of Bilateral Movements. In a previous blog we discussed how bilateral movements causes a rewiring of the brain when using both sides of the body during any type of exercise and how science has actually proven this principle is true for healing an Operational Stress Injury or OSI.

By using bilateral movements in everything including art therapy, the Healing with Horses Retreat or HHR introduces how bilateral movements can be applied into our everyday lives. Whether it is doing artistic endeavours like making bracelets or lanyards with paracord or working with wood or drawing on a sheet of paper, or if it is exercise like swimming or walking while working your arms … bilateral movements are important to healing. Bilateral Movements and the HHR allow you to see how you can use both sides of your body in all parts of your lives, even if it is only in the leading of a horse.

We showed in the previous Blog about Bilateral Movements that the treatment of Trauma like in the case of PTSD. In the case of Bilateral Stimulation, we discovered that bilateral principles began the basis for some of the treatments of trauma like EMDR. By using those same principles in the rest of our lives, the human brain has the opportunity to heal directly from actions taken by your own effort.

While it is important to have a team of specialists involved in one’s care like Psychologists, Doctors, and more … It is important for a person to take on their own care as their focus. Even Psychologists tend to assign work to their patients as part of their healing process. But it is also known to be important to exercise as part of their healing. And applying bilateral movements to one’s own activities make it that one can help themselves and develop their healing journey.

We at OSI-CAN do not see PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a Disorder, we see it as an Injury you can recover from. If you are suffering from the symptoms of an Occupational or Operational Stress Injury, then a PTSD or PTSI diagnosis is not required to get our help!

OSI-CAN Target Demographic:

The target demographic of OSI-CAN are but are not limited to: former and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Allied Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Frontline Protectors --- which include Municipal Police Services, CN Police Services, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection Services, Wildland Firefighters, Hospital Trauma personnel, Nurses, healthcare Workers, Social Workers, Animal Control Officers, Coroners, Indigenous Emergency Management, Victim Services Personnel, Emergency Communications Specialist, Corrections Officers, “Volunteer” First Responders, Conservation Officers, Aboriginal Emergency Services personnel, Tow Truck drivers who clean up accident scenes, Persons who in the performance of their jobs are exposed to criminal acts of Trauma like Prosecutors as one example, and their spouses/partners. This demographic was chosen due to the commonality of experiences they share through the service they provide to the country and community. We have a special interest and support volunteer first responders as they are not eligible for programs such as Workers' Compensation.