Iowa

Iowa City therapist pioneers new mental health therapy with horses

Published

1 year ago

August 26, 2023

Iowa City therapist pioneers new mental health therapy with horses

Psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll of Iowa City interacts with a horse during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. The retreat allowed participants to interact with horses to help ground themselves and work on personal issues like setting boundaries or focusing on your inner self. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — When the pandemic hit in 2020, psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll started working with a lot of overwhelmed people — clients who were exhausted and scared in ways more widespread than before.

After 14 years of practice, she was overwhelmed alongside virtually everyone else. So she started to look for an outlet for herself — one that could build her up her own emotional capacity in her responsibility to hold space for clients.

After growing up with horses, she decided to reconnect to her childhood. In her pursuit of finding peace, she attended a new type of training in California: an equine-based learning model.

Freyja Stoltz of Iowa City, left, and Anna Evans of Iowa City pet one of the mares as it grazes in a pasture during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, August 20, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette) — Freyja Stoltz of Iowa City, left, and Anna Evans of Iowa City pet one of the mares as it grazes in a pasture during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Now, using what she’s learned and how she’s been able to apply it to her own life, others in the area can take advantage of equine therapy for mental health, and other services focused on holistic wellness, through her new organization, The Well Lived Life.

“I was hearing people talk about how important self-care was, but I also wanted to move toward the collective practice and create spaces for people to really get in touch with what restoration looks like,” said Benway-Correll, of Iowa City.

If you go

What: The Well Lived Life and Beyond Barriers presents Lessons from the Herd, an equine guided course with licensed psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll. The retreat, designed for women, helps participants connect to an expanded sense of self and reclamation of personal power, to support a grounded sense of self and renewed trust in one’s intuition.

When: 5 to 7 p.m. Sundays: Oct. 8, 15 and 29.

Where: Wyndtree Farm, 1662 Amana Rd., Swisher

Details: Cost is $350 for all three workshops. Open to women 18 and over. No horse experience is necessary, and no horse riding will take place.

Sessions are designed to develop skills to support nervous system balancing, emotional regulation, embodied presence and reclaiming self authenticity.

Registration: Limited to eight participants; welllivedlife.org/new-page

How it works

The equine model is the first of its kind offered in Iowa City for mental health. Through programming called somatic exercises, no horse experience is necessary to take advantage of the mental health benefits with the techniques.

No riding happens. Instead, all interactions take place from the ground. Those who might have a fear of horses can especially benefit from the structure, too.

“The idea is we have a lot we can learn about right relationships and moving beyond the limitations of the mind, from the horses,” Benway-Correll said. “They’re present in the moment. Because they’re prey animals, they have 360-degree awareness of their environment at all times.”

By getting quiet and looking to the cycles of nature as a teacher, clients can learn how to restore themselves parallel to the order of nature. In the wild, horses show there can be a place for everyone — and that everyone in the herd shares a responsibility to each other.

Psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll of Iowa City goes through an exercise about picking up energy, during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

After a grounding exercise done in a circle, participants move into the field where they can stand and sit with horses. There, participants learn how to set clear boundaries with animals many times their size.

For this course, which is focused on empowering women in particular, the herd’s lead mare can be a particularly poignant example. The therapist leading the course says it’s helped her and other women find their own personal power by stepping outside the limitations imposed by their own minds and exploring the embodied feeling of claiming space.

“It’s really powerful when you’re clearly able to claim your space and your right to space, which is something that a lot of us — women in particular — have a hard time doing,” Benway-Correll said. “When you have a herd of 1,500-pound animals respect that, it’s really powerful.”

Like one feeling the exercise is meant to create, she said horses are embodied creatures that use all of their senses to keep themselves safe.

“Humans, we often live most of our lives from the neck up,” Benway-Correll explained. “The exercises are essentially emulating herd dynamics, in turn teaching you what interdependent relationships look like.”

Psychotherapist Natalie Benway-Correll of Iowa City watches the interaction as Rachel Smith of Coralville observes two mares grazing during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Why it matters

While elevated concerns about a new virus have faded over the three years since the pandemic started, the aftermath impacting mental health is as strong as ever. Therapists like Benway-Correll believe the effects will linger for years to come.

The name of this new retreat and wellness-oriented arm of her work was prompted by those combing through the existential questions posed by COVID-19.

Models like the new equine one are meant to create spaces for clients to discover the components of what it means to live their lives to the fullest. Her programming recognizes four primary pillars to explore: ease, pleasure, creativity and empowerment.

Working with horses is one way to allow the mind’s dust to settle to see more clearly how to achieve those ideals. Now, she said some of those who have experienced turbulence in recent years are starting to explore a new stage after the stages of grief: making meaning in their lives.

Kara Krapfl of Iowa City observes a horse feeding in a pasture during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, August 20, 2023. The retreat is horse-oriented and allows participants to improve their mental health by learning from the behaviors of horses. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette) — Kara Krapfl of Iowa City observes a horse feeding in a pasture during The Well Lived Life retreat at Lovely Bunches Farm in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. The retreat is horse-oriented and allows participants to improve their mental health by learning from the behaviors of horses. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

“It’s not just at the retreat that you experience the meaning-making and the learning,” she said. “You take it into your life.”

Comments: (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com

Source link

Iowa

What channel is Iowa State vs. West Virginia game tonight (10/12/24)? FREE LIVE STREAM, Time, TV, Channel for college football, Week 7

Published

6 hours ago

October 12, 2024

Press Room

What channel is Iowa State vs. West Virginia game tonight (10/12/24)? FREE LIVE STREAM, Time, TV, Channel for college football, Week 7

The No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones, led by quarterback Rocco Becht, face the West Virginia Mountaineers, led by quarterback Garrett Greene on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 (10/12/24) at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va.

How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of DirecTV Stream or fuboTV. You can also watch via a subscription to Sling TV.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NCAA Football, Week 7

Who: Iowa State vs. West Virginia

When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024

Where: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial)

***

Here are the best streaming options for college football this season:

Fubo TV (free trial): fuboTV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS.

DirecTV Stream (free trial): DirecTV Stream carries ESPN, FOX, NBC and CBS.

Sling TV ($25 off the first month)– Sling TV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC and NBC.

ESPN+($9.99 a month): ESPN+ carries college football games each weekend for only $9.99 a month. These games are exclusive to the platform.

Peacock TV ($5.99 a month): Peacock will simulstream all of NBC Sports’ college football games airing on the NBC broadcast network this season, including Big Ten Saturday Night. Peacock will also stream Notre Dame home games. Certain games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock this year as well.

Paramount+ (free trial): Paramount Plus will live stream college football games airing on CBS this year.

***

Here’s a preview capsule via the Associated Press:

No. 11 Iowa State (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (3-2, 2-0), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Iowa State by 3.

Series record: West Virginia leads 6-5.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Iowa State is off to its best start since 1980, and a win would make them 6-0 for the first time since 1938. The Cyclones are looking to extend their road winning streak to seven games. West Virginia is going after its third straight win after a 1-2 start. Iowa State and West Virginia are 2-0 in conference play. One of them will forge a first-place tie with idle Texas Tech.

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa State’s defense vs. West Virginia QB Garrett Greene. Of the dual-threat quarterbacks the Cyclones have faced so far, Greene could be the best. He had runs of 39, 15 and 10 yards against Oklahoma State last week and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 59 yards per game. Run defense hasn’t been a strength for the Cyclones, who hope to force Greene to try to beat them through the air. Iowa State has the Big 12’s top defense, allowing just 10 points and 272 yards per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Iowa State: LB Kooper Ebel has led or co-led the team in tackles in three straight games. He made just three tackles in eight games as a freshman last year. He added 15 pounds to get up to 240 on his 6-foot-4 frame and has made at least six stops in all five games. Last week he had eight tackles and a quarterback hurry against Baylor.

West Virginia: RB Jahiem White. The sophomore ran for a season-high 158 yards in the lopsided win at Oklahoma State and the Mountaineers compiled 389 on the ground. White hopes to be back on track after being limited to 94 yards combined against No. 4 Penn State, No. 22 Pittsburgh and Kansas.

FACTS & FIGURES

Anthony Becht, a tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996 to 1999, will be honored during the game for his induction into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. His son, Rocco, is Iowa State’s quarterback. … The Cyclones have won 12 straight when scoring at least 30 points. They’ve scored at least 30 in the last five meetings with WVU. … ISU had nine plays of 20 or more yards against Baylor last week, tied for the most by a Power Four team against a conference opponent this season. … The Cyclones’ defense gets better as the game progresses. They’re allowing an average of 4.0 points and 112 yards in the second halves. … West Virginia will wear all-black uniforms in honor of the state’s coal mining industry.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.

Source link

Iowa

Rosemount H.S. Marching Band wins at Iowa competition

Published

13 hours ago

October 12, 2024

Press Room

Rosemount H.S. Marching Band wins at Iowa competition

The Rosemount High School Marching Band is celebrating a big victory from a competition earlier this fall. In late September they took home the Class AAA Championship trophy at the Bands of America regional competition in Waukee, Iowa. Members of the band joined the FOX 9 Morning News to talk about the win and share how they are getting ready for another big competition this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Source link