Recent Articles

Warnings about brain scans, empathy, and oxytocin

Stephanie West Allen
August 28, 2009 23:10

With the mass popularization of neuroscience in many arenas, including conflict resolution, one hears much dumbing down of how the brain works. I read an excellent blog post today at Lucid Thoughts titled fMRI and "locationism": Something Old, Something New and wanted to point it out to you since...

Which of these do you like best? I am trying to decide on an image for CARVE

Stephanie West Allen
August 05, 2009 00:15

As many of you know, I typically use an acronym in my training programs. The acronym represents what we try to promote and increase in conflict situations, as well as in our lives. The acronym in CARVE Disputes Model™ stands for C - Curiosity A - Attention R - reflection V - Value E - Ensemble And b...

Contemplative Practices for Lawyers: Retreat in Santa Fe on November 13 - 15

Stephanie West Allen
August 02, 2009 21:32

Click for all the details. On a related note, a recent post at idealawg: Colorado Contemplative Lawyers Society: "Meditating Lawyer No Oxymoron". Image credit: ms.kdat.

Why it's brain-friendly to clarify ideas through images

Stephanie West Allen
July 15, 2009 19:49

I have before urged you to make images a part of the conflict resolution process. Here's a TED video on why images assist in good communication. From the Web page of this video of Tom Wujec: Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images,...

Mistake making related to break taking: Time away from the conflict yields the best results

Stephanie West Allen
July 13, 2009 18:29

Want to increase the chances of going down the wrong alleys in conflict resolution? Don't take breaks. I have posted before about the need to put the problem out of your mind for a while to allow the brain to work on wise solutions. I was glad to see that Matt May guest-blogged about this process...

Want to communicate well in mediation? Here are a couple of tips for you

Stephanie West Allen
July 06, 2009 17:48

One of my favorite books about the brain and how we take in information is by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham. The book has a memorable title: Why Don't Students Like School. (In April, I blogged about the book before reading it and linked to a review in the Wall Street Journal.) What does...

New documentary on music and the brain is available for viewing until July 7

Stephanie West Allen
July 05, 2009 17:19

Click for more information on "Musical Minds," the documentary.

Your Brain at Work: Web site with lots of neuroscience resources and information

Stephanie West Allen
July 01, 2009 14:38

Click on over to http://yourbrainatwork.org/ to explore this resource-rich Web site brought to us by the Dana Foundation. Plan to spend a while; there's much to be found at the site.

Why use metaphors in conflicts? Because understanding is remembering in disguise

Stephanie West Allen
June 25, 2009 21:25

General Eisenhower to soldier: "Sarge, give me an assessment of the military situation." Soldier: "Sir, picture a doughnut. We're the hole." Quoted in Metaphorically Selling The brain considers new information from the point of view of what it already knows and remembers, so the use of good...

Download the articles from the 2009 Mind & Life Research Institute here

Stephanie West Allen
June 12, 2009 19:11

Click here to read the various articles assigned by this year's Mind & Life Research Institute faculty. The event was held this week and ends tomorrow. From the brochure [pdf]: The purpose of the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute is to advance collaborative research among behavioral and...