Motivational Interviewing is a well known counseling vehicle. It frequently connected to the stages of change. Nevertheless, its scope and impact becomes expanded if connected to the subjective experience of the person receiving counsel as portrayed through the hero's journey. The case illustrated here is that of using MI to help offenders rehabilitate and reenter society.

1. Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD
www.epic-spirit.com
1

2. Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 2

3. It has been found that a condemnation script
often underlies recidivism
“I characterize the narrative of persistent offenders
as a condemnation script.
The condemned person is the narrator
(although he or she reserves plenty of blame for society as well).
Active offenders… largely saw their life scripts
as having been written for them a long time ago”
Maruna, S. (2002),
Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild their Lives
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 3

4. Opposite to a condemnation script
is the redemption script.
“… most consistent characteristics of reformed ex-offender self-narratives
include a tendency to find some meaning in one’s experiences of crime and
imprisonment, a desire to give something back
(especially to the next generation of young people in trouble),
and a sense of hope and control over one’s future.”
Maruna, S., et al (2006) Why God Is Often Found Behind Bars:
Prison Conversions and the Crisis of Self-Narrative
RESEARCH IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, 3(2&3), 161–184
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 4

5. Beyond redemption,
which highlights repairing the harm done,
a more powerful script for the future
would be about heroic self-transformation,
unleashing the offender’s potential
and in which the role of a hero is undertaken
as a human being in service to mankind.
Thus the name: “Mythogenic Transformational Script”.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 5

6. Motivational Interviewing can be defined as:
 A collaborative conversation style for strengthening
a person’s own motivation and commitment to change.
 A person-centered counseling style for addressing
the common problem of ambivalence about change.
 A collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication
with particular attention to the language of change.
It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for
and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting
and exploring the person’s own reasons for change
within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S., (2013)
Motivational Interviewing – Helping People Change.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 6

7. Traditionally, the aim of motivational interviewing’s
four processes has been on guiding the offender
through the five conventional
stages of change.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 7

8. When the aim of Motivational Interviewing
goes beyond the conventional stages of change
into a narrative of the Journey of Change,
a starting point for constructing a personal script for the future
becomes available. This could help fill the current lack of rites of reentry.
“Like the commission of a crime, the reintegration of the former outcast
back into society represents a challenge to the moral order,
a delicate transition fraught with danger and possibility.
However, unlike punishment, reintegration is not a process characterized
by well-orchestrated and familiar rituals. This lack might explain the
failings of prisoner reentry in contemporary society. “
Maruna, S. (2011) Reentry as a Rite of Passage
Punishment & Society 13(1) 3-28
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 8

9. Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 9

10. Healing, transformation & reentry is a process that can
take years to complete by the offender. Or it might occur
through a relatively short period of time. What is
important is that at its center is the purposeful
transformation of the offender.
This being an inner transformation, involves a shift in
self-perception and in the worldview been held within
which encompasses the offender’s participation in
society. Naturally, that will only happen as a result of the
offender’s choice and commitment.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 10

11. A offender’s purposeful transformational journey
coincides with Joseph Campbell´s monomyth
- The Hero´s Journey:
A hero is anyone who leaves the world of everyday life to
undergo a journey to a special world where challenges and fears
are overcome to secure a reward which is then shared with
others in the community.
Adapted from Campbell, J. (1973),
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 11

12. … “The hero, therefore, is the man or woman who
has been able to battle past his personal and local
historical limitations to the generally valid,
normally human forms”.
Campbell, J. (1973),
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 12

13. The Hero’s Journey is a universal pattern, an archetype
as conceptualized by Carl G. Jung:
A recurring pattern of images, situations, or
symbols found in the mythology, religion, art, and
dreams of cultures around the world.
Carl Jung
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 13

14. Joseph Campbell utilized Jung’s idea of the archetype
to establish the Hero’s Journey pattern of transformation.
The Hero’s Journey archetypical cycle
goes through three parts:
• Departure/Preparation,
• Initiation/Passage/Transformation and,
• Return/Celebration.
Joseph Campbell
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 14

15. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script
The Hero’s Journey can provide a template for the offenders’ script for the future.
Multiple variations to each part of the Hero’s Journey cycle are possible.
A usable template for the offender’s heroic journey can be set as follows:
The World as Usual
The Call to Adventure
The Journey
• Departure/Preparation
‐ Departure
‐ The Gate Keeper
• Initiation/Passage/Transformation
‐ Endurance Trials
‐ Abyss – Supreme Challenge
‐ Claiming the Treasure
‐ Convergence with the True Self
• Return/Celebration.
‐ Preparing to Return
‐ Arrival & Celebration
The Expanded World as Usual
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16. THE
WORLD
AS USUAL
Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
THE WORLD AS USUAL
• This is the mental place where things that are known dwell,
including self image, reputation, skills, habits and so forth.
• It is also not being aware, not believing in the possibility or not
having the intention to change, to self-transform.
• Locus of control is likely external, accompanied by a reactive
attitude product of a belief of a destiny-defined future.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
• Becoming aware of the potential within: Awakening to the
possibility of materializing the true self in spite of any past history.
• Visualizing a positive future for self.
• Hanna’s precursors to change are present:
₋ Mindsets: sense of necessity, readiness to experience
anxiety or difficulty, hope.
₋ Meta-cognitions: Awareness, confronting the problem,
effort or will toward change.
₋ Broad, Confiding Social Support
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 16

17. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
DEPARTURE:
• Committing to self-transformation.
• Envisaging a positive purpose in life.
• Searching for guidance & advice.
• Identifying probable challenges to overcome.
• The strongest aide would come from self knowledge; the worse
opponent emerges from the inner “shadow”.
KEY: Know Thyself.`
Preparation
THE GATE KEEPER:
• Clarifying the personal vision & recommitting to materialize it.
• Dealing with fears and facing concerns & doubts.
• Understanding and acceptance of those concerns.
• Identifying keys for the journey ahead.
KEY: Only those who dream can create realities.
1ST THRESHOLD:
Leaving the world as usual - Entering the extraordinary world of healing & transformation.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 17

18. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
ENDURANCE TRIALS:
• Knowing that at some level, every obstacle is FOR the best in self.
• Resolving to utilize everything to learn, grow & advance toward healing.
• Developing pro-social values & attitude.
• Going past inner blockades and external difficulties.
• Key: “The event is not important, the response to the event
is everything.” (From the I Ching)
Passage
ABYSS – SUPREME CHALLENGE:
• Overcoming the Greatest Fear: Death and Rebirth.
• Acknowledging that "Our deepest fear is not that we are
Inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”
Williamson, M. (1992) A Return to Love
• KEY: You have being preparing yourself for this all along.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 18

19. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
Passage (Cont.)
CLAIMING THE TREASURE:
• Thriving in discovery & fulfillment.
• Experiencing the true self and thus realizing that all rewards that come
with the healing and transformation are just its reflections.
KEY: Inner rich & abundance is a consciousness, not a material scorecard.
CONVERGENCE WITH THE TRUE SELF:
• Building a consciousness of Inner Alignment.
• Attaining balances between pairs of opposites: Inner - Outer, Material
– Spiritual, Temporal-Eternal.
• Treading the pathway to at-onement: Acceptance, cooperation,
understanding and enthusiasm.
KEY: Manifesting the true self.
2nd THRESHOLD:
Leaving the extraordinary world of healing & transformation and proceeding to reenter society.
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20. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
Return
PREPARING TO RETURN:
• Owning the healing & pursuing further transformation.
• Being grateful for the journey undertaken.
• Visualizing the reentry steps & challenges to overcome.
• Re-Assessing the original journey motives.
KEY: Self Acknowledge and Reconnect to Society.
ARRIVAL & CELEBRATION:
• Enjoying being free from Fear, Letting Love Lead Life.
• Being aware of having become a Master of Two Worlds: the ordinary
and the extraordinary.
• Sharing the learning and contributing to societal wellbeing.
KEY: It is time to reciprocate.
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21. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
Back to the Community - The E x p a n d e d World as Usual
THE
EXPANDED
WORLD AS
USUAL
• The experience of going through the journey of
transformation, healing and re-entry results in an expanded
comfort zone.
• Having mastered the ordinary and the extraordinary worlds
makes the ex-offender a person with an unusual potential
for contributing to society.
• Such potential empowers the returning citizen to pursue
further journeys and thus creating a myth about self,
a hero´s myth.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 21

22. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
CALL TO ADVENTURE
Awakening, Awareness, Envisioning, Readiness.
THE
WORLD
AS
USUAL
DEPARTURE: Commitment , sense of purpose in life,
guidance & advice, aides & opponents, and
challenges to overcome
THE GATE KEEPER: Dealing with fears &
concerns. Re-commitment to the vision.
ENDURANCE TRIALS: Utilizing
everything to learn, grow & advance.
Pro-social values & attitude.
ABYSS – SUPREME CHALLENGE: Death & Rebirth.
Overcoming the greatest fear:
Acknowledging that what most frightens us is our inner light.”
ARRIVAL & CELEBRATION: Freedom from Fear,
Letting Love Lead Life. Master of Two Worlds.
Sharing the learning and contributing to society.
PREPARING TO RETURN: Owning the journey.
Gratefulness: Giving & receiving. Preparing
for reentry. Recovering from inner wounds.
CONVERGENCE WITH THE TRUE SELF:
Inner Alignment & Balance. At-onement:
Acceptance, cooperation, understanding
and enthusiasm.
CLAIMING THE TREASURE: Thriving in discovery &
fulfillment. Experiencing the true self reflecting
in the rewards from healing and transformation.
1st THRESHOLD
Leaving the world as usual - Entering the
extraordinary world of healing & transformation.
2nd THRESHOLD
Leaving the extraordinary world
& Proceeding to reentry society.
Template Summary
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 22

23. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
Several specific heroic archetypes (Established by Carol S. Pearson) are at
play along the hero’s journey. As they become awake, they can bring support
as favorable “aides”.
The Heroic Archetypes
C. S. Pearson, Awakening the Heroes Within (1991)
•The Innocent
•The Orphan
•The Warrior
•The Altruist
•The Explorer
•The Destroyer
•The Lover
•The Creator
•The Ruler
•The Magician
•The Sage
•The Jester
THE
WORLD
AS
USUAL
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24. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
Pearson’s archetypes informs inner companions and aides for the script for the
journey, promoting attitudes and keys to go past the challenges at each stage.
C. S. Pearson, Awakening the Heroes Within (1991)
Major Parts
in The Hero’s Journey
Heroic Archetypes
& Their Behavior
Departure / Preparation
Sense of self-confidence.
 Innocent: spontaneity and trust - optimism to take the journey.
 Orphan: Informs that everyone matters. Teaches empathy.
 Warrior: Sets and achieves goals. Teaches fearlessness.
 Altruist: Drives to help others. Teaches compassion.
Initiation / Passage
/ Transformation
Transformational momentum.
 Seeker: Self-inquiries leading to insights. Brings courage.
 Destroyer: Supports in detaching. Brings renewal.
 Lover: Creates relationships & enthusiasm. Teaches passion.
 Creator: Manifests beauty and innovates. Impels expression.
Return / Celebration
Awareness of self-renewal and of making a difference in the world.
 Ruler: Strives for inner alignment. Teaches purpose.
 Magician: Transforms obstacles into opportunities. Teaches wonder.
 Sage: Cultivates wisdom, brings freedom. Fosters learning.
 Jester: Prompts enjoyment and fun. Brings lightness.
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25. Patterning the Offender’s Heroic Journey Script (Cont.)
The Heroic Archetypes are observable psychological patterns:
 They are measurable:
• Heroic Myth Index (HMI)
C. S. Pearson, Awakening the Heroes Within
(1991)
• Pearson-Marr Archetype Index (PMAI)
C. S. Pearson, Ph.D. and H. K. Marr Ph.D.
(2011) Introduction to Archetypes & PMAI™
 And they can serve as the basis
for evidence based practices
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26. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
Mindfulness is deliberately and non-judgmentally heeding
attention either to one's emotions, thoughts and sensations presently
occurring or to external objects.
 Self-enquiring the journey to be taken allows for self-appropriating and
energizing it.
 Developing mindfulness sets a stage for self-enquiring the hero and the
journey within.
 Using motivational interviewing in tandem with mindfulness to scaffold
the offender’s heroic journey will likely result in building a successful
transformational script for the offender.
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27. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
(Cont.)
Meditation is a widely practiced contemplative
discipline that provides an avenue to mindfulness.
Meditation is needed in developing mental qualities.
The mind is definitely something that can be transformed,
and meditation is a means to transform it.
Meditation is the activity of familiarizing your mind with
something new. Basically, it means getting used to the object on
which you are meditating.
H.H. Dalai Lama, (2000)
The Meaning of Life Wisdom Publications
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28. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
(Cont.)
H.H. Dalai Lama describes two types of meditation
Meditation is of two types-analytical and stabilizing. First, an object is
analyzed, after which the mind is set one-pointedly on the same object in
stabilizing meditation. Within analytical meditation, there are also two
types:
1. Something, such as impermanence, is taken as the object of the
mind and is meditated upon;
2. A mental attitude is cultivated through meditation, as in cultivating
love, in which case the mind becomes of the nature of that mental
attitude.
H.H. Dalai Lama, (2000)
The Meaning of Life Wisdom Publications
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29. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
(Cont.)
Motivational Interviewing and Meditational Practices
Can Support Each Other Working Together to Impel Transformation
Motivational Interviewing Processes Mindfulness Outcomes
Engaging: Connecting, Surfacing Dilemmas,
Exploring Values & Goals
Developing Calmness
Being Self-Aware
Observing Non-Judgmentally
Focusing: Seeking & Maintaining Direction,
Visualizing Goals
Heeding Centered Attention
Heeding Open Attention
Being Contemplative
Evoking: Change Talking, Expanding
Discrepancy, Developing Self-
Efficacy, Readying for Change.
Self-Knowing Motivations
Participating
Developing Oneness
Planning: Strengthening Commitment,
Developing a Change Plan.
Developing Values
Observing Future Life Path
Principled Actuating
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30. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
(Cont.)
Meditative practices can be directed to develop mindfulness
about the transformational journey which in turn
will bring into light its script as follows:
1. The attention is concentrated on the hero and the
journey within.
2. An inner image of the hero and the journey within is
enlivened through imagination as perceived and is
made to become vividly lively.
3. The image is allowed to dissolve and the attention
becomes wide, without any attachment. Inspiration
and insight arise naturally.
4. Intuition arises spontaneously and intimacy the hero
and the journey within develops.
Adapted from Zajonc, A. (2009),
Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry -When Knowing Becomes Love
Lindisfarne Books
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31. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
(Cont.)
If adopted as a personal life pattern,
the Hero’s Journey can serve as an guidance device
that allows one to re-frame one’s life path into an epic perspective:
seeing where one is currently,
where one has come from, where one is headed,
what challenges and rewards are involved,
and the transcendental meaning of the path.
Such a device can be used to understand further the personal
becoming, much as we use a navigational device when traveling.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 31

32. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
(Cont.)
Actually, the hero’s journey offers a subjective map
to move ahead toward greatness along the whole life.
In Joseph Campbell’s words:
“… A good life is one hero journey after another.
Over and over again,
you are called into the realm of adventure,
you are called to new horizons.
Each time, there is the same problem: Do I dare?
And then if you do dare, the dangers are there,
and the help also, and the fulfillment or the fiasco.
There is always the possibility of a fiasco.
But there's also the possibility of bliss. “
Excerpt from Campbell, J. (2004) Pathways to Bliss
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33. Scaffolding the Offender’s Journey via Motivational Interviewing
Depends Heavily on the Quality of Interpersonal Connection
The Motivational Interviewer’s state of mind & heart
will affect the offender’s state and journey script.
Expanding the interviewer’s capability includes:
 Being mindful of the own heroic journey.
 Being consciously aware of and cultivating
an appropriate inner state through
contemplative practices.
 Becoming consciously aware and entrained
with the offender’s journey.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 33

34. Becoming Mindful of the Hero and the Journey Within
Observing & coaching the unfolding of the offender’s transformational script
allows for motivational interviewing synchronization with the offender’s journey.
Emphasis is placed on the hero’s journey’s milestones:
• Heeding to the call to adventure
• Going past the 1st threshold
• Going past the 2nd threshold
• Expansion of the world as usual
The Motivational Interviewing process
will undertake at least a full cycle
for attaining each of these milestones
(Cont.)
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 34

35. Scaffolding the Offender’s Journey via Motivational Interviewing
Depends Heavily on the Quality of Interpersonal Connection
(Cont.)
The fundamental requirement is that the motivational
interviewer(s) will come from a place of understanding,
appreciation and compassion in order to enter and maintain a
productive collaboration with, and guidance to
the journeying offender.
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 35

36. Directing motivational interviewing to scaffold the offender’s script
for the mindful, heroic journey involved in the reentry:
 Creates a space of interaction between the interviewer
and the offender at a deep psychological level,
that of the archetypical world of the hero.
 Brings essential existential meaning to both the interviewer and
the offender.
 Establishes a more significant and far reaching connection with
constructing societal wellbeing.
 Brings to the offender a portal to becoming the hero in his own
life.
CONCLUSION
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 36

37. The ultimate freedom
lies in choosing to be the true being you
are,
in wisdom, beauty and love,
and in that light,
inspire others to choose likewise.
Arturo J. Bencosme
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 37

38. Questions Welcome !!!
Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD 38