When I or my child need to regulate - we go and stand with the alpacas.
For me when I am amidst the alpacas my system is calmed. For my daughter there is the added layer of her knowing that if she wants to get close she must be quiet, calm, slow and predictable (none of which come naturally to a four year old!).
We co-regulate with these beautiful creatures. In order for them to feel safe to approach us they must sense safety.
But it’s not that simple.
If a child or adult is dysregulated and struggling our most intuitive alpacas often make a B-line for that person.
So it seems to me that they have a sense of intent.
They have a deep intuition that allows them to know whether the feelings they are perceiving from the person in front of them are to do with them and therefore putting them at risk or if they are unrelated and worthy of investigation.
We often find when children who stim, make sounds or find it hard to be still come face to face with the alpacas they instantly stop stimming, get quiet and find stillness.
For me the antidote to the stress of farming alpacas is time spent with them. For my child they are a place where she can practice impulse control, find emotional regulation and experience the non-judgemental consequences of what happens if you don’t follow an animals rules of engagement.
And the rewards if you do.
Carly x
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