On a cool fall day, a group of women recovering from eating disorders pile out of a van.

From an outside perspective, these six women  have nothing in common. They dress differently, are different in age, and range in profession from a doctor to a government worker. However, they couldn’t have more in common.

Along with two others, these women live in the Arabella House in Naperville. In Italian, "arabella" means “answered prayer” and since January 2007, the house has lived up to that name. Associated with Edward Hospital, it has served as a home for more than 20 women who suffer from bulimia or anorexia, and a place of transition from in-patient treatment.

Women work towards gaining control of their lives through alternative forms of therapy. On this day the group engages in equine therapy -- the use and handling of horses. The participants don't ride the horses, but instead communicate with them.

According to Kendra Weber, a therapist at Arabella, horses are used because 80 percent of their communication is nonverbal.

“With eating disorders you can’t verbalize things,” Weber said, “so you use your body as a nonverbal way to communicate that you are in pain. It is your voice.

"So just as much as the horses communicate nonverbally, so do people with eating disorders. But unlike horses, people with eating disorders do it in a destructive way.”

The horses help the women communicate in a healthy way.

Christina (not her real name), a 24-year-old resident, said, “I found, especially when I am in the most depressed times, when I am out there with the horses I feel such a bond and so much connection. It’s like I can laugh and be silly. I find myself. I forget about all the serious stuff in life.”

“They might label the horse as their eating disorder,” said Amy Blossom, founder of Reigns of Change, the Elgin stable they visited.  “Maybe the horse could be the obstacle. We use a lot of metaphorical thinking. “

Other forms of therapy include learning fishing, knitting, art and musical instruments.

J.J. Barrows, a former resident, said that after she told the staff she loved music, her therapy involved playing the guitar.

“They got a musician to come over and give me guitar lessons,” said Barrows, 24, formerly of South Carolina. “That was what got me motivated. It was getting me back into something that I really loved.

"They held a candlelight vigil one night. It was the first time I ever played in public. That was the night I went home and said that I want to live, because I want to do this.”

In addition to these therapies, Arabella requires its residents to recognize a higher power and a personal spirituality.

“We have gone to Buddhist temples, we have gone to Jewish synagogues, to Catholic masses and to nondenominational churches,” said Bev Watson, Arabella's clinical leader. “It’s not that we are pushing a certain religion; it’s that we are pushing a belief on a higher power. And we want them to really focus on connecting with a higher power in assisting them in their recovery.”

This helps residents find an identity and realize that life is worth living.

“For a long time I had a hard time even thinking that God cared,” said Barrows. “I always believed that there was a God, but I never believed that he loved me.”

After her graduation from the house in July, Barrows was baptized, and now she has a faith of her own.

“I realize now that God has a purpose for me,” Barrows said.

This is a very common story in an uncommon program. Uncommon also due to insurance coverage issues with eating disorders.

Despite being one fourth the cost of leading in-patient programs, affording it can still be a problem without the help of insurance, said Watson. Arabella chose not to disclose the cost of its program.

With the support of Edwards Hospital and various donors, eight patients at a time can receive treatment at the house. Yet there are many more that suffer. According to the South Carolina Department of Health, only one in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment.

Insurance coverage is not a sure thing, but the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 may help. The bill, which has passed the U.S. Senate, would not allow delineation between mental health and physical health issues. Passage would give those with eating disorders access to insurance coverage and perhaps open the door for thousands to communities like Arabella.

For now, Arabella makes what impact it can. Days like the one at the stable help gradually mold people into who they are meant to be and who they forgot they are.

“When I was in my eating disorder, that was my reality and that was my world,” said Barrows. “I completely forgot the things that I liked and the things that I enjoyed. I honestly don’t know where I would be without Arabella.”

With each person helped at Arabella, and places like it, a prayer is truly answered.