Kate Osmaston

You find yourself looking for reasons not to ride. You feel apprehensive before getting on. Things you would once barely have noticed suddenly matter. You start wondering what your horse might do, what might happen on the road, whether it is too windy, whether the bins are out, whether somebody is going to judge you, whether you're actually as good a rider as you thought you were.

Something can be completely safe and still be emotionally overwhelming. The brain is responding not only to whether something is dangerous, but also to how significant, sudden or unexpected it is.

If someone leaves every session feeling supported, but months later is still avoiding the same situations, is still making decisions based on fear and is still allowing anxiety to dictate the boundaries of their life, then I don't think we should congratulate ourselves on a successful therapeutic relationship. We should be asking why nothing meaningful has changed.