At Journey Into Wholeness, we will provide you with a safe peaceful place to unfold what you have experienced … with the guidance of our equine partners. This coaching method is done in contact…it is not solution based or driven, it is a creative and experiential session that somatically releases what you’ve been holding onto … your unfinished business which in turn leaves you feeling wholeness which brings good health and happiness.
Integrity | Growth | Choice
Meet Darlene Colbourne
I am a certified Equine Gestalt Coach at Journey Into Wholeness. My mission is to make a difference helping people find their freedom and peace however it looks to them. This extensive certification program is a two-year intensive trauma training program with both classroom and hands-on instruction.
I was a trained Volunteer Firefighter for over 20 years and worked in a Safe House for women fleeing abuse. Over the years, I have taken many courses and workshops to facilitate my roles.
• Healing Trauma (Peter Levine PHD)
• Attended 2nd Annual Post Traumatic Growth & Peer Recovery & Resiliency Symposium (Daniel Sundahl)
• Road to Mental Readiness
• Mental Health First Aid
• Safe Suicide Alertness
• Managing Hostile Interactions
• Domestic Violence Safety Planning
• Jill Corey Building Bridges Workshop
• Foundations in Violence Against Women
• Strengthening Families Program Group Leader Training
• Co-coached teen girls – partnering with horses to build trust, smart choices, bully and safety
My life experiences and training gives me a solid foundation to coach you through your unfinished business. My ability will provide a safe and comfortable place, giving you the time and space to look inside. Along with my equine partners, I will guide you to explore and discover what you need to look at and will sit and support you through the process.
My Story
I want to start by saying I am grateful for my own unique journey which is why I am who I am today. At a very young age I began to learn to be an unhealthy caregiver. It was learned behaviour from watching my mother. One very strong memory of this was … in the evenings while watching TV my Dad would tip his coffee cup and look to see if there was anything left, seeing nothing and not saying anything he continued to watch TV. My mother would get up and head off into the kitchen and make him coffee and usually brought him a couple of cookies. This may not seem like much but watching it over and over again stuck with me … to serve and always make things right for others – keep the peace at all costs. My mother grew up in an abusive alcoholic home in England, where she took on the role of peacekeeper and caregiver as one of 8 siblings. We all have families that we have learned behaviours from, and sometimes faced trauma from abuse and neglect. These shape how we show up in this world, and how we process things and react to life’s challenges. I know that this learned behaviour of unhealthy caregiving shaped my life in so many ways.
I am a Gestaltist
Gestalt is the quest for wholeness
The EGCMethod is:
• Experiential
• Wholistic
• Sensitive
• Meets You Where You Are
You are in the right place if …
• You are Ready for Change
• You are Seeking Your Why
• You Want to Discharge Trauma
• You Don’t Know What to Do Next
I would like to give you a sense of the meaning behind the word Gestalt and the practice of living a Gestalt life and how it is part of my business and life….it is a German word that roughly translates into flowing or moving into Wholeness.
Wholeness is a way of living at which our mind, body and souls are all aligned and congruent. When one of those pieces of ourselves is out of alignment we usually have a sense or feeling that something isn’t quite right. Most of the time our bodies speak first, which could show up as pain in a part of our body, a knot in our stomach, a headache, a sense of feeling unsure or anxious.
In Gestalt, we look at where in the body your feelings are stuck and where negative energy is being held. This gives us a starting point to explore together and look at releasing that energy. Our methods are experiential and creative, we partner with horses who are incredible energy healers. They will connect to your feelings/energy as we work through the trauma or the unfinished business. Horses are natural healers. They live in the present moment so when you show up and are authentic, partnering with me gives them a voice to work with you to find what you’re holding onto which prevents you from living life in wholeness.
Many people ask …Are the horses trained to heal? The answer is No, they are naturally gifted with the ability to heal and often do it without us being aware of it. They are free to share their gifts with us and we Thank them for this incredible gift.
%
Agreed they felt better about themselves at the conclusion of the Equine Gestalt Coaching session than at its beginning.
%
Would participate in this coaching program again.
%
Agreed they felt more hopeful about their future at the conclusion of the Equine Gestalt Coaching session than at its beginning.
Meet the Horses
Our Healing Herd
“Don’t Stop Believing” Journey
One beautiful June day, I was sitting at the back of the barn. I had an urge to check out a horse site I had been following…and there he was, the perfect little man, “ Don’t Stop Believing” aka Journey. I messaged the breeder and the next month I went and met him and asked him if he wanted to come live with me…we instantly had a bond and the journey began.
Journey came to live with me November 19th, 2020. He is a funny, playful guy who is totally relaxed and easy going. He has shown at a very early age that he is willing to share his gifts of healing. He is learning herd dynamics and getting some basic ground work as he grows and matures. One Sunday morning I was laying in bed thinking about a name for my business…it just came to me…Gestalt which I was learning meant flowing into Wholeness and I was on that journey, and eventually Journey would be helping people on their journeys … Journey into Wholeness seemed perfect. ”Don’t Stop Believing” in yourself.
He is a sweet little man who will in time, welcome you and help understand and heal. Until then we will enjoy his humour and fun personality as he matures.
TULIP
Tulip was rescued from a northern Alberta feral pony herd in 2021, and had a previous foal prior to her rescue. Tulip joined the herd in 2021.
Tulip is the keeper of order in the pasture and ensurer of companionship. A feisty, saucy Mamma – the type to make sure everyone stays in line and won’t take any lip off anyone.
Tulip is the first to turn tail at the first sign of incoming human affection – never a lover of hugs.
What you need to know
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this therapy?
I am not a licensed therapist, but many people find Gestalt therapeutic. Often, clients are seeing a licensed therapist and find Gestalt rounds out their healing process.
Are there always horses involved?
No. Horses definitely add to the experience and healing process. However, I frequently work with people via telephone and over zoom as well as in person without the horses.
What happens in a session?
A session may look like…you in a round pen with a horse on free liberty as we dive into what is coming up for you – if you allow yourself to feel and speak your truth, the horse will show up and guide us to the negative energy. The horse is able to draw the energy into itself and release it freeing it from your body. Our soul or our well-being or spirit, however you interpret it, will become calm. We will give you tools to come back to this sense of calm…your mind creating release in your body leaving your soul to rest and become whole.
What if I'm afraid of horses?
Horses are large and some people find them intimidating. Don’t worry. I have ways of working with you where you can gain the benefit of having a horse’s energy present and you don’t have to go in the pen with them. I will always consider your comfort and safety first. There is no riding in this method.
gardMy Story Continued
My first marriage at the age of 20 to a man that was 10 years older than me, turned out to be a marriage of control and abuse with an alcoholic. I lived in fear for many years. In those 13 years, I had a son and started volunteering as a Firefighter / First Responder still trying to fill the need of caregiving and making everything right in everyone else’s world, which is an impossible dream that I believed in. I left that marriage and ended up walking into another relationship, one which still had me as a volunteer Firefighter, mother and now in a relationship with volunteer Fire Chief. Yes, things became more difficult to navigate as we worked and lived together. Over the next sixteen years we both absorbed a great deal of trauma…call after call, you were always on duty as a volunteer. Someone had to be right?
Things changed when my spouse applied for a paid Fire Chief’s position which meant we would be moving away from family, friends and a community we had lived in for more than 20 years. When I arrived in my new community to join my spouse after being apart for 5 months, I was instantly struck with wondering who he was, something had changed. The next 4 years were some of the hardest years as he began to drink heavily, and his mood swings and bursts of anger increased. I struggled to deal with him, plus I was having to deal with my aging parents who needed more from me. I ended up losing my Mum… so what better way to deal with all of this…let’s add more on top…I started to work at a Safe House for women fleeing abuse. I also joined the local Fire Department in our new Community. The pattern was clearly being repeated, trying to fill the void and the need to be a caregiver.
(What was the void? – The need to feel enough, loved, needed and worthy)
In those 4 years, I tried to learn all I could about mental health and addiction just to be able to cope with my spouse and his issues. It didn’t change anything. Things began to fall apart in our lives, so we changed communities and repeated the same…a new job, same high functioning alcoholic and dysfunctional relationship mirrored mental health issues. Four more years passed as things progressed into a chaotic nightmare.
I had moved my Dad to my community so I could spend his final years with him…more caregiving. I was burning out and I was burning out fast. The only time I felt like I could carry on was when I was with my horse Kamau (Kamau means Quiet Warrior). He would listen to me as I buried my face and sobbed away my pain. He would hold space for me, he would take away my fears and my loneliness and replace it with love and understanding until I gained enough strength to head back into my chaos and return the next day to be put back together again. Things came to a head when my spouse was forced into an medical assessment by his employer. He entered a treatment facility and was treated for alcoholism, his mental health issues and later being diagnosed with complex PTSD. While my spouse was in treatment, I lost my support system. My horse, Kamau, was injured and I had to say goodbye to him as well, my Dad had a stroke and died. I was alone and I had to stand up for myself and finally take care of myself. How was I going to do that?
The turning point – while attending a symposium on Resilience and PTSD Recovery, which was suggested by our psychologist as she felt we both needed to be there, during one of the breaks, I wandered around the vendor tables. I was drawn to a particular vendor, where there were cards with beautiful horse’s heads on them. I picked one up and there was a message on the back. I read it and the lady said you can have it, we began to talk and she showed me these books for sale, “Touched By A Horse Equine Coaching Stories”. I bought them all and started reading them. It was like destiny, a road to recovery and healing for me. I found out there was a Program to not only heal yourself but to learn how to heal others. The program “Touched By A Horse” is a two-year program of Gestalt learning to partner with horses to help people with their unfinished business. An unbelievable gift that came into my life so unexpectedly when I needed it the most. I applied and was accepted into the program. The incredible healing that took place over the next 2 years was life changing, bringing me to a place I never knew could exist…living life in the moment…living life with freedom, peace and the ability to choose to respond and not react. To be able to make a difference in people’s lives, caring in a healthy way to help others without losing myself and becoming overwhelmed and done!
I found my way back to my happy place, as a child I grew up in the country exploring nature and connecting to animals. I lived a simple and healthy life…today I enjoy and marvel at life’s simple pleasures. I enjoy the quiet and peace that nature offers, a soaring eagle, a gentle breeze and sun’s warmth in the summer. If I am not riding or partnering with my horses, you will find me wood carving, gardening and enjoying all that life has to offer.