The Journal of Animal Consciousness Vol 1, Issue 2 Vol 1 Issue 2 | Page 21

back to examine it cerebrally through tools of the intellect
(Seamon 1978, p. 243). Phenomenological psychology
uses transcendental phenomenology as a research method
(Scalambrino n.d.), essentially rendering
phenomenological psychology primarily a method of
collecting and analyzing data.
Therefore,
phenomenological psychology is not, at this point,
commonly found in clinical settings, as Slife’s 2004 article
referenced above shows. Obviously, the research data has
a trickle-down effect into practice, but it does not give
phenomenology an actual place in practice.
Existential phenomenology focuses on the everyday
experiences and situations of real people in real places
(Seamon 2008). This method of phenomenology is rooted
in Goethean science.
Phenomenological psychology
purports to base its methodology in Goethe’s way of
science (Giorgi and Giorgi 2008, p. 166). Nevertheless,
phenomenological psychology, as indicated above, gives
primacy to the viewpoint of the behaver (the patient)
through the research method. While there is nothing
wrong with that per se, it is an analytical relationality; it is
not a psychology of doing, of participation, and I assert
therefore is not rooted in Goethean science. The triad in
an EAP/L session is composed of ‘parts’ (therapist-patienthorse) coming together for a relatively brief period of time
of which an end ‘product’ is expected, that ‘product’
essentially being the analytical interpretation (by the
therapist) of the encounter between patient and animal; we
cannot say that the ‘healing’ of the patient is the end
product as that is tenuous – from any perspective. Such
analysis is many times dependent upon the behavioral
response of the animal.25
As has been previously
discussed there are several determinants within the
animal’s lifeworld that, if they become disrupted have the
potential to distort what would otherwise be a normal-forthe-horse behavioral response.
In essence, we have
attributed consciousness to animals, yet horses in
particular are still treated as ‘things’ – therapy tools –
within animal assisted therapy.
A true phenomenological attitude26 encompasses the
dynamics of the relationship itself as a synergistic or
strong (ontological) relationality. In a weak relationality,
the parts are seen as self-contained local entities that
influence each other causally across space and time. In a
typical equine assisted therapy situation this occurs when
the therapist ‘shows’ that, for instance, the horse’s
attention triggers a sense of belonging in a patient who
suffers from feelings of worthlessness.
This is an
immediate metaphorical cause-and-effect scenario