A pioneer in the field of equine-facilitated learning and an internationally-recognized developer of authentic leadership, self-discovery and personal transformation models, Linda Kohanov will undertake a rare European tour this June. A bestselling author of five books translated into multiple languages, Linda is a respected writer not only on the effectiveness of equine-facilitated therapies, she also shows how horses can teach people who don’t need therapy how to excel in life and work. A wide variety of events in France and Belgium will allow participants with various interests to sample the power of this work at larger conferences or attend in-depth workshops for smaller groups, or both. Along the way, Linda will share some of the latest research and techniques for employing horses and other animals in the work of human development.
Depending on which seminar(s) people decide to attend, participants will: 1.) learn surprising facts and inspiring theories about the history and untapped potential of the human-animal bond, 2.) discover practical ways of taking nature-inspired wisdom back to the human world, 3.) practice effective ways of diffusing fear and aggression in both animals and people, 4.) develop innovative “Sentient Communication” and “mindfulness in action” skills to positively affect relationships at home, school, work and in larger political or social activism contexts, 5.) attend a two-day experiential workshop or a three-day advanced workshop that supports a smaller group of participants to immerse themselves in the profound, transformational, life- and relationship-enhancing benefits of horse–facilitated learning.
“I’m so pleased to be able to present and facilitate workshops in a variety of settings,” says Linda. “This allows me to create events that are quite reasonable financially for those who are curious about the work but aren’t quite ready to go deeper, and other events that reflect the worthwhile costs and powerful benefits of attending full-fledged multi-day equine facilitated workshops.”
Here’s an overview of the lectures, book signings, larger seminars, and smaller, more intimate workshops Linda will lead, with links for more information and registration.
An Innovative Conference Near Paris
June 1 or 3: The Heart of Evolution presentation (3 hours) 90 euros (near Paris)
Linda will speak at the Salon du Bien-Être avec le Cheval (Equine Facilitated Learning and Human Well-Being) conference near Paris, the first international exhibition in France intended to inform the public on all professional practices using the horse as a mediator to bring health and wellness to humanity. You have two opportunities to attend Linda’s three-hour seminar during this exciting multi-day event: June 1 from 2 to 5 pm and June 3 from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. Both appearances will be offered in English with French translation, followed by a book signing.
The price for her presentation includes entrance to the trade show (worth 15 euros) and 20 % VAT included.
For more information on the entire event, location and registration:
https://www.billetweb.fr/salon-du-bien-etre-avec-le-cheval
To go directly to a description/tickets for Linda’s presentation:
“I’m very excited to be invited to speak at what promises to be an amazing conference with many exciting presenters,” says Linda. “I highly recommend this exhibition for anyone interested in how animals, and particularly horses, can help people heal, transform, and truly excel in life.” The conference will be held at the Hippodrome Enghien les Bains, 15 minutes Train from Paris Gare du Nord.
Here’s a quick overview of the topic of Linda’s presentation, which has been a popular feature of Linda’s tours of the US and Canada over the last two years, leading up to this European debut of the material at the Bien-Être avec le Cheval conference near Paris this June.
The Heart of Evolution: Exploring the Hidden History and Untapped Potential of the Human-Animal Bond
Did you know that increasing scientific evidence suggests certain animals reached out to our ancestors—befriending, empowering, and gentling people long before we were able to corral and control them? Did you realize that as early humans formed partnerships with animals, our own species became braver, stronger, and more compassionate as a result? Join Linda Kohanov for a moving, at times mind-altering exploration of humanity’s deep connection with the caring side of nature.
“In researching my fourth book The Power of the Herd, I came across some unexpected information that turns conventional theories about animal domestication inside out and upside down,” Linda marvels. “I quickly realized that this counterintuitive perspective on how ancient humans formed mutually beneficial partnerships with other species offers a model for how we can effectively gain the trust and loyalty of people who we may initially perceive as being very different from ourselves.”
In her latest book The Five Roles of a Master Herder, Kohanov was able to distill research on the human-animal bond into a remarkable eight-step process for 21st-century humans who want to enhance their relationships with other people in business, community, educational, and family settings, as well as with other cultures. The Southern Arizona-based author and educator has led similar seminars throughout the US, and Canada. This marks the first time she will share these insights in Europe.
“Linda’s books come alive in this visually inspiring and intellectually original culmination of her work,” says Beverly Kane, MD, Stanford School of Medicine, who attended the seminar near San Francisco last year. “She is once again the brilliant voice of associative thinking, using science, spirit, and stories to dig deep into our history and into our hearts. What evolves is a striking new narrative on our nonpredatory co-evolution with multiple species of animals.”
Two Special Workshops for Taking Horse Wisdom Back to the Human World
June 4: The Power Behind Nonviolence (Day Long Seminar) 265 euros (near Paris)
June 5: Beyond Words: The Art and Science of Sentient Communication (Day Long Seminar) 265 euros (attend both seminars for 465 euros)
Linda will offer two, day-long trainings in a format that combines horse demonstrations with human to human experiential activities, nonverbal communication skills and innovative conversational techniques that teach people how to take horse-inspired wisdom back to the human world. Both workshops will be of interest to professionals who are already practicing equine-facilitated learning and therapy, as well as counselors, life coaches, executive coaches, social service agencies, leaders, teachers and parents who want to learn how to more effectively work with others in personal, business, and larger community contexts. These workshops will take place at the Hippodrome Enghien les Bains, 15 minutes Train from Paris Gare du Nord.
Here are brief descriptions of each of the workshops, and links for registration:
The Power Behind Nonviolence: Horse Sense for Challenging Times
In this engaging, moving, immensely practical seminar, Linda shares the skills she accessed to rehabilitate Midnight Merlin, a dangerous, formerly abused stallion, while showing how these principles can be translated into handling challenging people and situations.
The day-long seminar is for anyone who wants to learn new ways to transform interpersonal conflict, power struggles, bullying, and other challenges at home, school, work, and in political, religious, or social activism contexts.
Based on skills featured in her books The Power of the Herd: A Nonpredatory Approach to Social Intelligence, Leadership and Innovation and The Five Roles of a Master Herder: A Revolutionary Approach to Socially Intelligent Leadership, this workshop offers innovative tools for working with frightened, aggressive, abused, or potentially explosive children and adults—situations that call for considerable finesse and empathy backed by a skillful use of power.
In addition to its value for those already working in equine-facilitated learning or therapy, The Power Behind Nonviolence training is especially useful for mental health professionals, lawyers, divorce coaches, mediators, teachers, parents, health care workers, clergy, social activists, first-responders, law enforcement personnel, and people who work or live with those who act out in aggressive or intensely fearful ways at times.
June 4, 9 am to 5 pm: The Power Behind Nonviolence (lecture-demonstration workshop)
http://visionpure.ch/index.php/l-agenda2/les-formations/312-la-puissance-de-la-non-violence
website in English to buy tickets:
https://www.billetweb.fr/04-06-2018-linda-kohanov-presente-la-puissance-de-la-non-violence
Beyond Words: The Art and Science of Sentient Communication
This innovative seminar brings together the latest research on mind-body science and the healing power of the human-animal bond with specific techniques for reducing stress, enhancing health, and cultivating meaningful, mutually supportive relationships with people and animals. Linda offers her latest distillation of 20 years of research developed through writing five books, surveying and collaborating with leading professionals in multiple fields, leading hundreds of workshops worldwide, and being a part of recent studies on the physiological effects of the horse-human bond. The seminar debuts key principles and demonstrates a sequence of experiential learning activities designed to exercise what she calls Sentient Communication™.
The workshop is ideal for healthcare professionals, counselors, equine-facilitated therapy practitioners, parents, teachers, leaders, horse trainers, and animal rescue-workers who would like to learn skills to promote individual well-being, foster stronger personal relationships, boost professional effectiveness, and enhance interspecies intercommunication.
“Health is a multi-disciplinary phenomenon,” Linda emphasizes, “related not only to diet and physical fitness, but also to the quality of our relationships: at home, school, work, and in larger community settings. Stress, revealed to be a factor in 80 percent of serious medical conditions, is often caused by chronically unproductive personal and professional interactions. We go to school for years to learn how to read and write but we somehow expect to learn important emotional and social intelligence, stress management, leadership, and nonverbal communication skills accidentally.
“For many people, the latter is the biggest mystery: In the 1990s, psychologists revealed that only about 10 percent of human communication is verbal. To negotiate interpersonal challenges, we need to become more conscious of the nonverbal messages we send back and forth to each other. And perhaps more importantly, we need to learn more effective ways of handling all that nonverbal input by understanding how to more consciously process, respond to, and communicate what is essentially beyond words.”
“Luckily science has progressed to the point where it can start to show us what’s happening to people and animals physiologically at the level of nonverbal communication. Science is also giving us some real insight into how we can use this information consciously and purposefully to positively affect our physical, mental and emotional health, as well as our interactions with others.
“In any living organism, sensory information is crucial to basic survival. But we need to become more conscious and purposeful in how we manage all this information. After much reflection, research, and development, I came up with the term ‘Sentient Communication’ to describe principles and techniques for cultivating a finely tuned awareness of nonverbal cues—in oneself and others—as the first in a series of steps that enhance our ability to act on these cues by making thoughtful choices. Over the years, I’ve seen how horses, who are exquisitely tuned to nonverbal information, can help people learn to think and respond beyond the limitations of words.
“Sentient Communication shows us how to elevate instinctual impulses and physiological processes to a language combining purposeful changes in breathing and heart rate, with a finely tuned awareness of emotional cues, body posture shifts, energetic awareness, and intuitive insights that we learn to consciously respond to rather than unconsciously react to. Among many other benefits, this translates into the ability to calm yourself and others, diffuse aggression, gain cooperation, and motivate groups to take productive action. These skills are more important now than ever before.”
June 5, 9 am to 5 pm: Sentient Communication (lecture-demonstration workshop)
link to ticketshop available in English.
https://www.billetweb.fr/traduction-simultanee-presentation-avec-chevaux-places-limitees
(Linda will also be offering an advanced, three-day equine-facilitated workshop for 12 participants on the same topic. This smaller group allows each individual to practice Sentient Communication skills directly with horses at a facility near Toulouse June 9 through 11. See the description for the Beyond Words Advanced Workshop below the next entry.)
An Evening in the South of France
June 8: The Five Roles of a Master Herder (3-hour talk) see link for price (near Toulouse)
This larger public lecture offers the perfect opportunity for people from all walks of life to learn an innovative new model for socially intelligent leadership that Linda developed based on an ancient source of wisdom. The subject of her latest book, The Five Roles of a Master Herder, this engaging, thought-provoking introduction to the model has been captivating audiences worldwide.
Actor William Shatner, who attended the lecture in Los Angeles two years ago, praised The Five Roles model as “an innovative and practical nature-based approach to leadership, and life. [It’s] not just for corporate executives. Parents, teachers, community organizers, film directors, and especially politicians would all benefit from these skills.”
Linda presented the European debut of this model in Paris in 2014 at the Executive MBA Program “Leading Innovation in a Digital World” de l’Institut Mines-Telecom. Didier Tranchier, Director of the program, said that this seemingly simple, 3-hour indoor seminar “Changed my life and the life of everyone in the conference room. Explaining the differences between a dominant and a leader, and the usefulness of predatory power when balanced with nonpredatory power were real insights to understand how companies are working and how we can improve our efficiency. With great examples coming from the world of horses and traditional herding cultures, Linda explained the power of groups and how to build relationships that can enable any individual to steer and leverage large and powerful organizations.”
Information: https://eponaquest.fr/sagesses-anciennes-pour-defis-actuel/
Ticket available online: https://www.billetweb.fr/eponaquest-france
Linda’s Only Advanced Workshop in Europe
June 9 to 11: Beyond Words: The Art and Science of Sentient Communication (3 Day Advanced Equine-Facilitated Workshop) 1700 euros (Near Toulouse)
This is an in-depth advanced workshop, limited to 12 participants, for people who have previously attended an Eponaquest Introductory workshop. (Those who would like to attend Linda’s only advanced workshop in Europe can contact an Eponaquest Instructor in their area who is qualified to offer the introductory skills needed for this special training. See links at the end of this workshop description for a list of instructors.) While Linda will be sharing some of the theories, research, and human-to-human skills associated with Sentient Communication at her one day workshop near Paris on June 5, there are a number of skills that can only be taught through direct work with horses. For this reason, she has agreed to do a small group training that will allow each participant ample time with horses in an equine-facilitated learning environment. The cost of the workshop reflects the considerable expense in renting an equine-facility in France, hiring experienced staff, including a French translator well-versed in the Eponaquest modality, and leasing the specially-trained horses needed for this powerful experiential work.
The Sentient Communication™ tools, research, and equine-facilitated learning activities mark the latest innovation of Linda’s unique approach to teaching advanced human development skills through engaging, gently transformational interactions with horses. “All of my books pre-date the Sentient Communication approach,” Linda says, “which was in part developed based on some research that simply didn’t exist until last year. I’m pleased to be able to not only share this research, but to show how we can put it into action through a sequence of equine-facilitated activities designed to build Sentient Communication skills. This workshop will be useful for people who are working in the field of equine-facilitated learning/therapy, as well for healthcare professionals, equestrians, animal rescue personnel, teachers, parents, and leaders of all kinds.
What is Sentient Communication?
The Latin root of the word “sentient” simply means to “feel.” But definitions in other modern dictionaries describe a state “characterized by sensation and consciousness,” one “marked by comprehension, cognizance, and perception” in beings “able to receive and respond to external stimuli.”
After much reflection, research, and development, Linda came up with the term “Sentient Communication” to describe principles and techniques for cultivating a finely tuned awareness of nonverbal cues—in oneself and others—as the first in a series of steps that enhance people’s ability to act on these cues by making thoughtful choices. Participants in this advanced workshop will experience how horses, who are exquisitely tuned to nonverbal information, help people learn to feel, think and respond beyond the limitations of words.
As Linda emphasizes, “The Sentient Communication process shows us how to elevate instinctual impulses and physiological processes to a language combining purposeful changes in breathing and heart rate, with a finely tuned awareness of emotional cues, body posture shifts, energetic awareness, and intuitive insights that we learn to consciously respond to rather than unconsciously react to. Some of the techniques can be described as sophisticated forms of ‘mindfulness in action.’ Among many other benefits, this translates into the ability to calm yourself and others, diffuse aggression, gain cooperation, and motivate groups to take productive action. These skills are more important now than ever before.
“Modern life encourages us to dissociate from feeling and withdraw from in-person exchanges while focusing our attention on a fast-paced, increasingly mechanized existence that overemphasizes the intellect in some circles, and encourages aggressive outbursts of emotion in other subcultures. These habits literally affect the bottom line in professional settings. According to the World Health Organization, stress costs American businesses, for instance, up to $300 billion yearly and 66% of employees report difficulty focusing at work due to stress.
“Counselors across the U.S. have also reported that the current political atmosphere is raising anxiety and stress in clients at alarming rates. This not only compromises physical health, it creates a sense of desperation that leads to unproductive, even dangerous behavior. To heal the growing rifts in our cultures, we must learn how to calm and focus ourselves and others in tense situations, manage fear and aggression in groups, respectfully communicate with those who hold different viewpoints, and create innovative solutions to age-old problems.
“Sentient Communication helps us move beyond stressful states of disconnection, while dramatically enhancing personal fulfillment, creative problem solving, and success in relationships.”
Ironically, key aspects of the new Beyond Words workshop illustrate that some of the research leading to the development of this modality can, in fact, be translated into words and graphs.
“I’ve been honored over the last two years to be included in research efforts by Ann Baldwin, PhD, who is one of the leading scientists studying the physiological effects of the horse-human bond,” Linda says. “I will be sharing some of her previously published work and introducing participants to important, innovative studies by other respected researchers. I’m particularly excited to highlight conclusions drawn from scientific research Ann hasn’t yet had a chance to write up for publication. Over the last few years, I’ve asked Ann to present her latest findings to the Eponaquest Apprenticeship classes as an adjunct faculty member, and at some of my public lectures. The Beyond Words workshops offers a sequence of equine-facilitated activities that my colleagues and I have developed based on this research. I really believe that now is the time for everyone to embrace this compelling, arguably life-changing information and learn how to translate it into action.”
Both Linda and Ann emphasize that people can’t truly master these skills by reading a book or logging into an online course, and that’s where the horses come in.
“The nonverbal, interpersonal elements must be practiced experientially, and horses are proving to be exceptional teachers of these skills,” Linda reports. “During the workshop, we will see how these techniques are relevant to working with animals—with pets, in professional horse training contexts, and in the field of animal rescue. We’ll also learn how to translate these skills into human contexts. Whether you’re helping a crying child relax on a plane, managing stressful situations at home or work, teaching your employees new techniques for reaching optimal levels of performance, or taking these principles into community activism settings, Sentient Communication cultivates mindful, heart-centered intelligence for personal wellbeing and social transformation.”
For more information on the three-day advanced workshop: https://eponaquest.fr/ateliers-eponaquest/linda-kohanov-au-dela-des-mots/
Registration: https://eponaquest.fr/formulaire-inscription/
For information on Eponaquest Instructors in France: https://eponaquest.fr/instructeurs-eponaquest-recommandes/
For info on Eponaquest Instructors in other countries: https://eponaquest.com/recommended-instructors/
On the Belgium — Holland Border
3 Events June 28 through July 1
This series of lectures and workshops will take place at: Hofter Weyden, Greefstraat 1, B-2910 Essen, Belgium, just on the Dutch border.
You can access some basic descriptions at the links below:
Link to English language info Presentation: “The Heart of Evolution” by Linda Kohanov on Thursday, June 28, 19:00-22:00
https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/tickets-presentation-the-heart-of-evolution-linda-kohanov-41571495462
Link to English language info One Day Indoor Leadership Training on Friday, June 29 “The Five Roles of a Master Herder” by Linda Kohanov:
https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/tickets-one-day-leadership-training-the-five-roles-of-a-master-herder-by-linda-kohanov-43277271484
The June 29 Five Roles workshop is also considered Day One of a multi-day equine-facilitated leadership training on “The Five Roles of a Master Herder” model for a smaller group. The workshop tuition of 1000 euros includes attendance at the One Day Indoor training described above, with the following two days of practical experiential work with horses. For more information on this option: https://www.krachtvandekudde.nl/lk-master-herder-training/
For specific questions on the Belgium — Holland events and the venue, please contact Josselien Janssens at the info@rayamedicine.nl email address.