JAYC Foundation helps recovery from trauma with the friendship of horses

Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped at the age of 11 and held captive for 18 years. Her reunification into the world was a widely discussed news story, and she has since written two books on her experiences. But the most important thing Dugard has done since her rescue is share her love and bond with horses with those in need.
After finding healing and conquering her fears through therapy horses, Dugard and her family started the JAYC (Just Ask Yourself to Care) Foundation to help bring healing to victims of trauma. The organization provides resources such as reunification programs and protected spaces for both victims and their families recovering from traumatic experiences. Clients have often went through suffering such as abduction, a murder or military deployment. There are also classroom groups that come to learn empathy and to combat bullying.
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"The opportunity to work with horses was just amazing [for recovery], you know," Dugard told Diane Sawyer on ABC News.
Rebecca Bailey is a family reunification specialist that worked with Dugard and her family. In the same interview, she noted the power of using therapy horses, saying, "You can look at them as metaphorical mythical beasts. You can look at them as highly intelligent...you can look at them in all different things, but the fact is when you get in there [the corral], your defenses go down...you're acting on fear in there."
Therapy horses are used to repair trust and teach valuable lessons with activities such as feeding, grooming, walking and riding horses. CRC Health notes that activities help promote independence, emotional awareness, problem-solving skills, and improve interpersonal relationships.
Bonding with the horses helps clients build their trust again as well as give them an opportunity to focus on having a fun time and make a new friend.
Dugard's interview with Sawyer also urged the importance of involving the whole family in the recovery process.
"When something happens, they don't think about the whole family. Like, there's a sister and there's a mother, and there're other components. It's not just the victim. I really hope to help families... when they need healing," said Dugard.
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Watch how the JAYC Foundation helps reunify families below: