Motivational Interviewing and The Horse Whisperer

Have you seen the Horse Whisperer video? 

Monty Roberts, “the horse whisperer,” is working with a wild mustang in a round pen, with the goal of guiding the wild horse from halter to rider in under 25 minutes. 

It’s pretty awesome.

It’s the opposite of traditional “horse breaking,” like you imagine from old cowboy movies, where the goal is to dominate the horse into submission.

So what does horse training and Motivational Interviewing have in common? 

Spirit. 

That’s right folks, it’s all about the spirit or ‘attitude’ we bring to our work. It’s all about how we approach folks.

Are we in John Wayne mode or Monty Roberts? Are we ready to tell clients what to do, or listen, partner, and guide?

My absolute favorite line from the Horse Whisperer video is when Monty Roberts says this:

“There is no such thing as teaching, only learning.”

Monty Roberts continues, “If you are a teacher, you have to create an environment in which your students can learn. You can’t take knowledge and push it into the brain, the brain has to pull it in.” 

I have an image here of trying to push information into a client’s brain (or my kids’ brain!).

Their brain is closed. My helpful suggestions and ideas bounce right off.

Our goal is to create a safe environment where their brain is ready to “pull in” information.

And, for clients to look within for motivation for change.  

Motivational Interviewing offers us a pathway to this type of change.

I was recently talking with a retired educator. She shared with me the Latin root of the word “education.”

Educare: to nourish, to bring up. Educere: to lead forth, to draw out, to come out.

So ‘education’ means we seek to nourish the good qualities and draw out the best. 

This is what we are doing as helping professionals when we utilize Motivational Interviewing! Nourish the good and draw out the best! Create an environment for those we support to open their brains to change?

Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: The first of the MI skills we bring into our work with clients is showing up with the spirit of MI. How can you be more curious about ‘drawing forth the best’ from clients? What will help you increase your clients’ curiosity about change, not because we are trying to get them to change, but because they are more connected to their own motivation for change?

Watch my full video here!