Nothing Special

You have to be the biggest and best to stand out. At least, that's what our culture seems to believe. However, as psychologist Dr. Leia Hughey points out, we are all special and deserving of love, even if we are nothing special. Through the nonverbal communication from an ordinary horse, she and others were able to reveal unhealed psychic wounds and provide a context for change and transformation. Just people and horses. Nothing special, really, but what a difference it made. A pristine beauty exists slightly beneath the surface of our perception and can be found when love is recognized in the ordinary, enjoying one another for no particular reason. In this book, you will see how interpersonal, interspecies interactions changed the world for a handful of people.


""Leia's personal account of her growing collaboration with horses in offering psychotherapeutic counseling to her patients is indeed special. Her developing capacity to listen and learn from these four-legged sentient beings and their seemingly deliberate interactions with her clients reveals heightened intuitive skill. Mutual benefits are the result. The reader is offered clues and case accounts in the realm of equine facilitated psychotherapy. Prepare for a good read.""
--Barbara K. Rector, Equine Director, Hacienda at the River in Tucson

""Nothing Special beautifully captures the essence of Leia's human need to socially interact, to be heard, to be seen, and to be understood. Dr. Hughey intertwines real life experiences with recommendations for the field that call for existential sensitivity, respect, and timely interventions outside of the context of traditional talk therapy methods. For Leia, horse and human connection initiated a deep-seated, soul-healing process that restored her relationship with 'self,' 'other,' and God.""
--Gene M. James, Associate Professor, Northwest Christian University


Leia Hughey earned her Ph.D. from Georgia State University in general clinical psychology, after which she served a one-year internship at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Following completion of her internship her family relocated to the Willamette Valley in Oregon where she opened a private practice serving adults, children and families. Her two school age sons developed an interest in horses propelling Dr. Hughey to become a horse owner for the first time at the age of forty-two. Soon after the first horse arrived, Dr. Hughey and her sons adopted a few more horses and opened a small business called, ""Horse Rides for Kids"". She quickly recognized the therapeutic impact these animals were having on the people with whom they interacted. She eventually sought out specialized training for equine facilitated psychotherapy. Dr. Hughey and her husband operate a program known as HorsePower in conjunction with their semi-rural clinical practice.