Mindfulness

"Mindfulness, she tells the medical school audience, is the process of actively noticing new things, relinquishing preconceived mindsets, and then acting on the new observations. Much of the time, she says, our behavior is mindless. She recounts one of her favorite anecdotes: “I once went to make a purchase and I gave [the cashier] my credit card and she saw it wasn’t signed.” The cashier asked Langer to sign it, which she did, and the cashier then ran it through the machine. When the receipt was generated, she asked Langer to sign that as well. With the newly signed card in one hand, and the receipt in the other, “[the cashier] then compared the two signatures,” Langer says, with deadpan delivery. She nods, as if counting beats, waiting for the audience to catch up. A moment later, the room rumbles with laughter. Mindlessness blinds us to new possibilities, says Langer, and that is what drove her to study its flip side. Often, researchers in psychology describe what is, she explains.

Question Presented
Whether Pain and Suffering, and the damages associated with them, are irrevocably joined together in the mind and body, or might they be bifurcated to minimize the impact of unpleasant events?

Answer
Pain and suffering are two distinct aspects of the human experience. They are generally found accompanying one another, like a body and its shadow. But that connection - the product of a mind conditioned to distract and soothe, as opposed to directly addressing or embracing the unpleasant - can be illuminated through mindful awareness. With such illumination, the suffering ebbs and life is experienced more completely in the present moment.

Discussion
To answer this question, we will distinguish the inevitable arising of unpleasant events in life and the law from the ways we choose to relate to them. The direct impact of unpleasant events can be termed "pain"

"The Mindful Lawyer: Practices & Prospects for Law School, Bench, and Bar is a national conference that will bring together the pioneers who have been developing programs integrating meditation and contemplative practices with legal education and practice, and others in the legal profession who are interested in exploring this work.

Many law professionals have found that meditation practice has sharpened their legal skills, helped them to manage the stresses of their challenging work, increased their empathy, and deepened their commitment to creating a more just society. The conference will offer a blend of scholarly presentation, practical experience and discussion, and recent developments in neuroscience and psychology relevant to meditation practice. We invite lawyers, law professors, judges, mediators and other dispute resolution professionals, and law students to explore the connections between law and meditation, and to learn and practice meditation."

Divorce Hardwiring Can Be Toxic, And It Can Be Overcome!

Jennifer Kresge, M.A., L.M.F.T. and attorney Nina Meierding put on an excellent institute at the 2010 AFCC convention in Denver last week entitled "How the Brain Reacts to Conflict." I wanted to share of few of their pointers as they relate to the importance of mindfulness, because considering them might be helpful in dialing back reactivity for people in relationship transition.

But first a seeming digression.