The Collective Artisan Market 2024 Non-profit Beneficiary: Anam Cara
Written by Anam Cara Founder, Stacey Garcelon // March 24, 2024
Tell us about Anam Cara & its mission:
Anam Cara, from Gaelic, translates to "Soul Friend." The Irish believe that everyone is born with at least one Anam Cara, who accompanies them on their journey of self-discovery, offering non-judgmental support. Inspired by John O'Donohue's book of the same name, I knew that was what the horses provide us. Our mission at Anam Cara is to help people and the community heal from emotional wounds; cultivate resiliency; & promote mental wellness. We provide counseling, EMDR, Trauma-Focused Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy™, Equine-Assisted Services, & other healing modalities.
Tell us about yourself & your journey leading up to founding Anam Cara:
Originally born, raised, and lived nearly 40 years in California, I spent 5 years in the suburbs of Houston Texas before finding heaven on Earth here in La Porte. Before my move to Texas, I was getting "Mature Ladies" beginners riding lessons from my friend at Dragon Fire farm. I recall telling her as I was tacking up my horse, "Cheron, this is the best therapy ever." After some life changes, and moves across the country. I decided to go back to school for my Master's degree. I enjoyed a 20-year career in social work, specifically child welfare including Emergency Response investigations, statewide policy, interstate compact, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the federal child and family services review. I wanted to use the skills I had acquired and further develop them while incorporating something that brought me joy and healing. So, I went back to school specifically to get licensed to do Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. I started Anam Cara in 2016 while still in grad school, hiring a licensed therapist to fill that role. I have continued my education even after graduation because I am enthralled by and can't get enough of neuroscience. I am currently finishing up the first year of Bruce Perry's Neursequential Model of Therapeutics at PNW. (He's the author of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog and What Happened to You - coauthored by Oprah Winfrey.) I've been trained and certified in Eagala's model of Equine-assisted Psychotherapy, and trained in Natural Lifemanship's Trauma-Focused Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy™, Arenas For Change (ARCHs), and Horse Powered Reading. I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming (EMDR), and Internal Family Systems. Originally in 2016, I thought I'd just work out of my barn with my friend and Equine Specialist. But, as I began to see the needs in the community and witnessed firsthand the effectiveness and transformation that the horses facilitated - I knew the program had to grow. And growing is precisely what we're doing. We have just built our new arena with additional office space for more therapists. So now we can offer Equine-assisted services year-round.
Tell us about the most rewarding moments since starting Anam Cara:
My most rewarding moments since starting Anam Cara have been the privilege to witness how the horses show up in transformative ways and to accompany people on their healing journeys. We see clients of all ages and of all abilities. I have countless stories of transformative and experiential healing of how the horses have shown up for people right where they are.
For example:
We have a contract with a residential treatment facility that brings groups of 10 teenagers twice a week for EAP. On one particular day, we had a teenager who didn't want to be here and who was standing against the fence arms folded. One of the horses walked across the pasture in a straight line to her, nudged her shoulder took 1 step, and stopped. The teen said, "See! That horse hates me!" I was standing nearby and asked, "What else could it be?" She responded "I don't know. She hates me! She shoulder-checked me!" I asked if I could tell her what I observed. She shrugged ok. I said, "I watched Fancy, walk from that side of the pasture to over here. She could've gone anywhere. She chose to walk here and touched her nose to your arm, and stand next to you." She shrugged "Whatever" and walked away. 9 other kids were connecting with horses, so I trusted the process and held space. During our wrap up where shared about the experience, the youth were talking about how they connected with the horses and we talked about when we don't want to be someplace and we "check out" or disassociate. The horses know and can sense that and sometimes they either leave or they check in with you. And upon hearing "check in with you" this particular youth broke into tears. I didn't call them out in front of their peers, but they stayed back as their peers went to the van. They said, "Stacey, that's exactly what happened!! I was SEEN by that horse! I was actually SEEN!" They smiled from ear to ear with tears in their eyes.
Another example:
At a Herd meditation or Women's group, I can't recall which, we had a group of about 6 women. As we were in the pasture walking out towards the horses. Our Appaloosa looks up and walks purposefully toward one particular woman. Once he got close, he slowed down, and then put his head down and his forehead touched hers. I was particularly intrigued because he doesn't normally do this type of thing. She smiled and petted him. and we continued walking towards the rest of the herd and spread out to have individual experiences. I watched Guapo walk over to this woman again as she sat down on a stump in the field. He walked very slowly and gently up to her and this time put his nose to her chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck. I thought oh how sweet (& unique for Guapo lol). Later, as we were all sharing about our own experiences, she shared what she needed today. Her son had passed away a few weeks prior. It was especially meaningful to her when Guapo touched her necklace. She shared that's where she kept some of her son's ashes.
I can't train or orchestrate either of the above. The horses meet people exactly where they are on their journey in the precise way they need.
Tell us about Anam Cara’s services:
Anam Cara is the only organization in Northwest Indiana that provides both traditional mental health counseling (talk therapy) and Trauma-Focused Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), incorporating/inviting horses to be part of the therapy team. The focus of EAP is on building a connection with the horse from the ground. No riding is involved and no horse experience is required. This provides both an experiential and transformative healing process. As prey animals, horses are always mindfully aware of their surroundings. They have survived for thousands of years in the wild by noticing the slightest shift in their environment. There is a lot we can learn from being in their presence. As we connect with them, our heart rate slows, our breathing deepens, and the flurry of activity that occupies our brains begins to quiet. By partnering with horses in the healing process, Anam Cara allows clients to discover their own solutions to what brings them to therapy. This is done with a treatment team that includes a licensed mental health professional, an Equine Specialist, and a herd of horses.
We work with the understanding of the central nervous system of both humans and horses. It is a whole-body approach to healing, incorporating all five senses and movement, regulating the brain from the bottom up. Research shows that horses help the human nervous system to co-regulate by simply being in their presence. Humans are wired for connection from birth. Learning to co-regulate begins in the mother’s womb. Horses help facilitate learning/relearning how to coregulate with another sentient being. Humans can’t truly learn how to self-regulate emotions without first learning how to co-regulate in a healthy attuned way.
Why horses?
Horses are sentient beings, which means that they can perceive or feel things. Humans have an electromagnetic field that radiates about 3-5 feet from our heart. Horses have hearts that are 5 times larger; their electromagnetic field is 25 feet. As herd animals their survival is dependent on reading their surroundings. They can sense our emotions and first determine if we are safe then decide how they choose to interact with us. This helps us gain insights into what is happening internally while externalizing the story in an emotionally safe way. Just by being in their presence, we begin to feel better, and our nervous system begins to regulate. Western Science can now validate and measure what horses people have known for centuries: "I feel better when I am with my horse."
Traditional Mental health counseling services are also provided at Anam Cara and include evidence-based treatment modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Somatic experiencing, etc.
Monthly groups are offered that are donation-based so people can experience the healing presence of horses and see what works for them.
Monthly donation-based Groups
First Friday 1700 central time: Veterans Group - Cookout for veterans, active military, reservists, and their families; facilitated by Marine Veteran
3rd Saturday 10:00 Women's group
4th Saturday 10:00 Herd Meditation
Other Groups both are 6 weeks long
Recovery & Resiliency take the Reins - begins 4/1/24 - Mondays 11-12:30 investment of $175 for 6 weeks
Grief Group - Healing with Horses Wednesdays 11-12:30 Discounted investment of $75 for 6 weeks - we are currently on our 2nd of 6 sessions
Stacey Garcelon
Anam Cara
Founder