In the News!

Hypnosis heals hitches in riding a horse

Kim Goetz
Special for The Republic
Apr. 14, 2006
Reprinted by permission

Debbie Barcon is a certified hypnotherapist. Debbie Barcon's knowledge of horses and hypnosis has come together to create an alternative for horse owners who want to become better riders.

"When most people think of hypnosis they think of smoking or weight loss," said Barcon, 49, from her office at Desert Sage Herbs Holistic Center in Chandler. "I can't think of any area where hypnosis would not be beneficial in anything that you would like to change or improve."

After years of training beginning riders and horses at her ranch in Apache Junction, Barcon said she was forced to take a break while battling lupus and fibromyalgia. It was her own long road to recovery that eventually led her to alternative healing, including hypnosis and reconnective healing. The improvements she saw in her health convinced her to become a healer herself.

It wasn't until she became certified in hypnotherapy in 2004 that she realized how helpful this tool would have been to her students over the years.

"I started looking back over my training and thought this could have really changed things around for a lot of people," she said. "The subconscious mind is so powerful."

Barcon said fear and anxiety issues people have with horses can stem from something that happened or was heard as far back as early childhood. Minor incidents on a horse are easy to handle for some while others have the subconscious mind working against them. It shows up in the form of an emotion instead of the actual memory.

"Everything that you've ever heard, seen or experienced is all still stored in your subconscious mind," Barcon said. "I think I have an advantage with horse people because I understand horses. I worked with training people for enough years that I understand their issues."

Barcon used positive visualization with her students long before she got into hypnotherapy. Now she uses it with hypnosis to make riders more confident.

Joan Bartels of Mesa and her daughter Delaney both tried hypnosis for the first time as a tool to help with their riding issues. Joan lacked confidence when riding her young horse and Delaney needed to be a more focused rider.

"I'm real open to that type of thing. I was a little more skeptical of my daughter," Bartels said of her teenager. "She loved it. She just became more in tune, more automatic."

Joan and Delaney each had three sessions with Barcon and felt a dramatic difference when working on the ground and in the saddle.

"I had more confidence. I knew I'd be able to handle anything that came up," Joan said. "You can have the best trained horse in the world but if you're not as a rider confident and focused, it doesn't do any good."

Barcon said hypnotherapists simply assist people in making changes. She said when someone uses hypnosis to become a better rider many times they will find hypnosis will also benefit other areas of their life.

"The subconscious knows the program," she said. "The hypnotherapist is just a guide. They don't really do the work. They don't make the changes. You do."

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