Victor La Cerva, MD, worked for many years as a pediatrician and eventually became the Medical Director of Family Health for the Department of Health in New Mexico. Through his work, he recognized the need for connection among men to improve their physical health. In the 1980s, he co-founded New Mexico Men’s Wellness with his co-workers.
The first conference was held in 1985 and focused on physical health, dietary recall, and exercise testing.
Over the years, the group’s focus became helping men become more emotionally fluent. “It was the emotional aspect of men’s awareness that seemed most important to develop,” says La Cerva.
La Cerva’s group recognized that some men struggled to improve due to their habits, life circumstances, or upbringing. Through the wellness group, even veterans have discovered healthier ways to express and release grief.
Today, New Mexico Men’s Wellness is a 501(c)(3) organization that helps men become more emotionally fluent, form safe connections with other men, and help others through service.
The all-volunteer organization helps men become better men. La Cerva says it’s a way for men to form safe connections with other men without competition.
“The goal is to have a positive connection with other men that isn’t based on competition,” says La Cerva. “It’s good to get around men who are caring, kind, and trying to be of service to others.”
“My belief is that if men can deal with the mad, sad, glad, and afraid, then they can deal with their emotions more skillfully,” says La Cerva.
For La Cerva, the connections he has made “have been an incredibly enriching part of the journey.” He believes when men meet regularly in small groups, their “level of satisfaction in their personal lives really increases.”
Statewide, about 35 individual men’s groups are affiliated with New Mexico Men’s Wellness. The group offers four annual retreats each year, as well as events for families and couples.
La Cerva says women are grateful their husbands found men’s wellness and notice they have become more communicative.
For Dan Scaduto, joining a men’s group was just the experience he needed. Scaduto worked as an outdoor recreation therapist. He has also helped children on the autism spectrum and individuals with cerebral palsy. After he suffered a traumatic brain injury, he needed spiritual, emotional, and physical work to get his life back.
In 2003, he discovered an international men’s group called the Mankind Project. “It changed my life,” says Scaduto. His personal growth came from introspective work with the group, which focuses on conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and goal achievement.
Scaduto says the group makes men ask, “What kind of person do you want to be?” Scaduto discovered authenticity was what he really wanted in his life. He formed his own functional authenticity program for others to follow in his footsteps.
Scaduto has also participated in seasonal events with the New Mexico Men’s Group. He believes men’s groups offer unique ways for men to grow.
“Both organizations are wonderful! The groups are a great chance to connect with men and connect with what kinds of ways we are making an impact on the world,” says Scaduto.
To learn about New Mexico Men’s Wellness, visit https://nmmw.org. To learn about the Mankind Project, visit https://mankindproject.org.
La Cerva says men learn to throw those heavy rocks at bad habits so we don’t have to carry them.