Tracy Wood, EGCM®
Touch of Equine
Introduction: This capstone project examines how establishing contact within an EGCM session allows for deeper learning and understanding. What is Contact and how is it important in an EGCM session?
Significance: The verb “contact” is defined as “a purposeful state of being in which one is totally in the present moment, with oneself, the environment, or another being who is also fully in the present moment, while maintaining an awareness of self.”
When clients arrive for sessions, they bring with them unsolved issues that they expect to work on. By making contact between myself and the client, we begin the process of connecting. A connection based on trust and vulnerability.
Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone was to shine a light on the importance of establishing deep contact in an EGCM session.
Setting and Participants: In Manitoba, this research was completed in both group and individual settings. Participants were both female and male between the ages of 30 and 60 who were exploring personal pain or trauma, self-empowerment, and growth.
Capstone Description/Process: Before clients or group sessions began, I sat quietly for one to two minutes, focused on my breath and the surroundings. Melisa Pearce’s I-Thou approach is an essential element of my daily routine and preparation for coaching sessions with clients.
Allowing the outside world to fade away puts me in a state of openness and readiness to collaborate with clients. Individual and group clients were received with openness and asked about their emotional state upon arrival. Some clients arrived hesitant or anxious; others were raw, on the verge of tears of frustration. Recognizing and creating space for these emotions enabled clients to feel supported and begin the process of connecting.
Capstone Results/Impact: By making genuine relationships and listening intently, clients felt comfortable and understood, and sessions progressed to a deeper level. My equine partners, who naturally live in the present moment, helped clients become more conscious of the importance of setting clear boundaries and speaking their truth. The intimate connection formed between coach, client, and equine allowed clients to be vulnerable and experience bodily releases of emotional anguish and frustration, resulting in self-awareness. Clients reported having a weight removed, a sensation of lightness, and comfort in revealing their truth without judgment.
Capstone Evaluation: Through both personal work and working with clients in EGCM sessions, it is clear that being in contact with ourselves, others, and our environment helps us break old habits, release previous trauma, and develop new methods. This allows for more honest interactions and experiences, which help us live our lives more fully and completely.
Future Directions: With the insights gained from this first capstone, I intend to continue my daily practice of living in the now while also making space for others to join me and the horses on their path to a reimagined existence.
Acknowledgments: I am in awe of the amazing horses who have blessed my life since a young child. I am forever grateful to them for standing with me as I have grown over the years and for the amazing partnerships that we share. This work would not be what it is without them. Thank you to Melisa Pearce for your guidance and wisdom as I have journeyed through the TBAH programs. I am grateful to have been supported by an amazing group of women in the GCM Dammit Doll cohort, coaches, fellow students, women I call my friends. I am forever grateful to my husband Cam and family, who have supported me wholeheartedly.
References:
Pearce, M – Touched by A Horse EGCM Certification Program
Pearce, M (2019) – What the Heck is Gestalt
Burg, B & Mann, J.D.(2014) – The Go-Giver