Hi Everyone,
My name is Laira Gold. I am a Certified Instructor based in Buckinghamshire, UK. I run courses featuring Monty's principles. I also offer support in the UK for anyone that is interested in becoming a Certified Instructor.
One of the reasons I have been drawn to Monty's horsemanship method was that I could see so many parallels between my training as a Neuro-Linguistic Contemporary Psychotherapist and Monty's methods. A Psychotherapist is someone that helps to increase their client's sense of choice in the world. Just as in the horse world, there are lots of different types of Psychotherapies.
Over the years, I have been able to articulate what some of these parallels are - from intrinsic learning, internal state management, breaking down the outcome and respecting the robustness of the human or horse. For more details on how I apply Monty's methods to my work with people, check my latest article out here http://www.lairagold.com/blog.html
I also practice Equine Guided Psychotherapy, click here for more information www.humanthroughhorses.com.
Looking forward to hearing from some of you soon!
Laira
Dear Laira,
The above fills me with deep emotion, having seen Monty's methods work for people with psychological imbalance and help them raise their selfesteem. I'm only up for my Intro-exam in April, but maybe I'll come back to your offer of support on my way towards higher goals.
Thank you for writing about your work and this very specific way of making the world a better palce for horses and people too,
Miriam
Maria Montessori and Monty have a lot in common! I am a Montessori educator and find that the respect we offer to the children by allowing them to make free choices of activity and behavior, observing them in their natural state (without direction) to see what their innate needs are, and understanding how to fulfill their developmental, social, emotional, and spiritual needs first, then move onto a "lesson" is essential to have a relationship with any being. Everyone wants to be honored for who/what they are and what their accomplishments are or can aspire to be. Anyone interested to learn more about the parallels can pick up the book [Absorbent Mind] by Maria Montessori. If you have children, this is the Monty psychology to raising children with respect and no violence.
This is what education for all beings should encompass. I have trained dogs for many years using these principles as well. Off lead training and bonding are important parts of "training" a dog to think on his feet by his own free-will. The last thing we want (or are able to provide) is micro management of every move of the animal. That would be a drag, consuming, and impossible! Rather, we wish for the animal (and child) to learn how to plan, estimate, prepare, decide, investigate, explore, wonder, and most off all BE JOYFUL!
Hi Everyone,
Wauw, wauw, wauw,....... this is realy good. What a good work are you doing Laira. That's still one of my wishes as well to work with people who have an imbalance. But I am not a psychotherapist. I do know NLP but don't practice it.
I am a teacher who can teach children at school and I did also Montessori and Jenaplan. And I realy agree what you, Medicinalarts, say about the needs and free choices with children. I also trained dogs and I have myself a dog who is very well trained with kind words and NO aggrasion methods. Why should you do that...? It says something about the person itself who is doning that and it is not the horse or let's say the dog or child. What Monty says is; the need of the horse is the first thing. So I am still finding a way how I can work with horses and help adults who need special attention.
Thanks for reading, kind regards May.
Thank you for sharing your article, Laira. It was extremely interesting to read, and very well written. Having an interest in psychology, I would like to read more about this now.
Funny Montessori is mentioned here, because I have had some experience with it (used to be a kindergarten/daycare teacher)and the similarities between that method and Monty Roberts' has occurred to me before, if not in such articulate manner.
Hi Laira
Facinating, I am keen myself to train to include aquine assisted therapy as part of what I am doing, I begin a counselling course in the uk later this year and then will follow through to do equine asisted therapy training, off to have a look at your website. I am also looking for individuals to interview who use equine assisted therapy to work with human emotions as part of my study into how our emotions effect our horses for my MRPCH who I am working through with intelligent horsemanship - is this something you do and if so could I interview you, will also email through your website
Kind regards
Karen Bell
(based in scotland)
Hi again Laira
I have posted re my intelligent horsemanship project under the headings volunteers and effect of our emotions on our equine friends if you are interested in taking a look
This is a great conversation i work with children and i also see how much children have to teach us the early years learning frame work is encompassing a more holistic approach to learng for children allowing the children to lead the way as they are natural learners i work with 0 2 year olds and they amaze me every day !! just like oscar in the way he learns !!
Great post here and fun and challenging to read! Wow! May is that really you back with us??? Fantastice to see your cheerful face again. Do hope your life has taken a turn for the better!
Oops!I posted this prior to realising that May's comment was from June 2011. Aplogies to all.