At its core, mindfulness refers to a felt sense of present-moment experience. This felt sense fundamentally differs from time caught in thought-driven judgements, interpretations, stories, fears, expectations, etc. These latter mental formations though “real” are far more than often not “true” and often serve to disconnect one
Read more →Defensive and aggressive reactions to conflict most often arise because of an inability to be heard and understood. At the heart of most conflict lies some core issue that, if recognized, acknowledged, and explored, would provide the seed for peaceful, optimal resolution, truly in the best interests
Read more →Within a wide swath of civil litigation can be found a common denominator: The tendency of people in contemporary American society to sidestep responsibility for their own happiness and well-being, instead looking toward external factors to blame for undesirable outcomes or consequences. Almost by definition, our predominant adversarial
Read more →In conducting more than two dozen mediation sessions in Alameda County Superior Court, what is most glaringly apparent is the extent to which mediation participants enter mediation with all-defined, hardened positions. Moreover, these individuals almost always are convinced that their interpretations of some event or events that
Read more →Where holistic law practice has at its core wisdom borne from a grounded sense of being, it is only within the mediation forum that individuals are afforded the freedom and flexibility to access this wisdom and have this wisdom guide participants toward optimal dispute resolution. In contrast,
Read more →An increasing number of studies point towards the integral role that compassion and empathy for others plays in cultivating happiness and well-being. Compassion arises from a felt connection to all of life in the present moment. Compassion lies beyond thoughts and preconceived notions about a person or
Read more →Whether in the throes of a divorce or family law dispute, criminal proceeding, or most any other type of litigation, the likelihood exists that certain allegations have been made that one has failed to conform his or her conduct to some level of expectation. For most people,
Read more →Partners facing marital breakdown typically are confronted with deep fears and insecurities that can trigger a wide range of emotional reaction. Divorce often has serious implications in family relationships, finances, daily routines, and can shatter one’s sense of security. Divorce involving children can magnify these challenges as
Read more →Through evolution, as an important means of survival, it was often critical when faced with challenges in meeting our basic needs that we were able to identify a cause in the environment that we could then act upon to remove the current obstacle. In many of these
Read more →Mindfulness has at its core the cultivation of a heightened ability to consciously connect with present-moment experience. Doing this often involves a process over time of dis-identification from “ego” or thought-driven notions about how “I am” or “you are,” as a “separate” individual. When we remain stuck
Read more →