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49. From Fear to Curiosity: Exploring the Seeking System with Dr. Rachaël Draaisma
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In today’s episode Brenda continues her conversation with Dr. Rachaël Draaisma. In part two of this discussion, they move deeper into what it means to support emotional health in animals—not just by shaping their behavior, but by helping them feel safe, curious, and motivated from within.
Dr. Draaisma shares how she builds training sessions that work with the animal’s emotional state instead of against it. Drawing from the neuroscience of Jaak Panksepp and Lucy Biven, we focus on one powerful emotional system: the seeking system. In both animals and humans, it’s connected to feelings of motivation and joy.
One of the simplest ways Dr. Draaisma helps animals engage their seeking system is through scentwork. Instead of teaching horses to follow commands, she sets up activities where the horses use their noses to search for treats or identify scents. Through these small moments of discovery, dopamine—one of the brain’s significant chemicals—is released, helping the animal shift from a state of stress to one of focus and enjoyment.
By helping the horse enjoy the process of searching and learning, Dr. Draaisma creates an emotional shift that lasts beyond the training session. Throughout the episode, we also discuss how to recognize when an animal is operating from curiosity versus fear. Dr. Draaisma explains the calming signals you might notice. These small shifts in body language give us valuable clues about how the horse is feeling and whether our work is supporting emotional safety.
This episode encourages us to look beyond surface-level behavior and instead ask: is the animal curious and engaged, or simply complying out of fear? Whether you work with animals or people, the same principle applies. When we help individuals feel safe enough to explore, we create space for meaningful emotional change.
To learn more about Rachaël’s work, visit calmingsignalsofhorses.com or check out her book Language Signs & Calming Signals of Horses (2017).
References:
Jaak Panksepp & Lucy Biven. (2012). The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) 1st Edition. W. W. Norton & Company.
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