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Layers of Sound

April 23, 2021 By Joy Rosenthal

I have been meditating for a few years, and was part of a workshop recently where the facilitator had us listen to “layers of sound.”  I didn’t understand what she was talking about at first.  It sounded a little mysterious, and a little woo woo…. But I decided to try what she was asking.  And it’s not hard – I’ll show you. (This is an interactive blog post!) Listen – right now – first, to the sounds that are farthest … read more »

Filed Under: Divorce, General, Mediation, Mindfulness, Negotiation, Nonviolence Tagged With: common ground, compassion, conflict, inner voice, listening, mediation, negotiating

As I Live and Breathe…

April 30, 2020 By Joy Rosenthal

As I Live and Breathe… by Joy Rosenthal

In early February, before the whole world turned upside-down, I traveled to a tiny village on the Pacific coast of Mexico to attend an intensive, week-long training for conflict resolution professionals from around the world. Led by master trainer Gary Friedman of the Center for Understanding in Conflict and Zoketsu Norman Fischer of the Everyday Zen Center, the program was called Inside Out: Conflict and Compassion. We were there to look deeply at our reactions to the conflicts we witness … read more »

Filed Under: Happiness, Mediation, Mindfulness, Spousal Maintenance Tagged With: Center for Understanding in Conflict, Conflict Resolution, Everyday Zen Center, Gary Friedman, meditation, Zoketsu Norman Fischer

We Hear What We Want to Hear!

March 10, 2020 By Joy Rosenthal

Two business women having a casual chat or discussion in the city perhaps on their lunch break. Shallow depth of field.

But how did you flunk the test? We studied together! I know you were prepared!” Katie and I were study buddies during our first semester in law school. I had no idea what to expect on the exam, and I had been worried. But Katie had been so confident. She and I had gone over all of the cases for our Constitutional Law class, which focused on the civil rights cases. She knew the facts, the holdings and reasoning that … read more »

Filed Under: Mindfulness, Negotiation Tagged With: Communication, listening, mediation

Love in the Time of Coronavirus

March 10, 2020 By Joy Rosenthal

White board with list of things to do during the Coronavirus scare

Coronavirus is showing us how incredibly connected we ALL are. Who knew that we are only six degrees of separation from the good people of Wuhan, China? Or that Italy, South Korea, Japan and Iran are actually neighbors? We are all, actually, so close. And, of course, we are learning that the virus does not seem to care who is rich or poor, what race or religion we are, who we love or what we believe. What matters is that … read more »

Filed Under: Caregiving, Happiness, Mindfulness Tagged With: Coronavirus, Self Care

Promises, Promises

February 11, 2020 By Joy Rosenthal

close-up on 2 hands making a pinky promise

The Oscar-nominated film, Marriage Story, by Noah Baumbach, is really a divorce story. It centers on the relationships between Nicole, an actor, her husband, Charlie, a Broadway director, and their eight-year-old son, Henry. The family lives together in Brooklyn until Nicole gets a job on a TV series in Los Angeles – and moves to LA with Henry. From Nicole’s perspective, she and Charlie had a deal that, someday, they would move to Los Angeles, which is where she grew … read more »

Filed Under: Collaborative Process, Divorce, Families, Marriage, Mediation, Mindfulness, Negotiation Tagged With: Communication, Love’s Promises: How Formal and Informal Contracts Shape All Kinds of Families, Marriage Story, Martha Ertman, Relationships, Separation Agreement

… And the wisdom to know the difference

January 15, 2020 By Joy Rosenthal

Landscape with sun shining through clouds

At the start of this new year and this new decade, it seems like a good time to take a self-assessment and to think about my goals for the new year. I am asking myself, “What can I change in my life, and what can’t I?” Then I ask, “What do I want to change so I can meet my goals?” There are so many things that we cannot change — for instance, we cannot change the things that happened … read more »

Filed Under: Happiness, Mindfulness, Negotiation Tagged With: Life Changes, Life perspective, Personal Goals

Being a Guide

November 6, 2019 By Joy Rosenthal

moonlit path

This weekend, I saw the movie, Harriet, a riveting film about Harriet Tubman. We know the basics of the story — that she not only escaped slavery herself but kept going back down south, facing incredible danger, to help others make the journey to freedom. But seeing her life enacted onscreen (albeit a Hollywood version) gives the viewer a visceral sense of what it looked and felt like — I was riveted the whole time and went back to see … read more »

Filed Under: Clients, Collaborative Process, Mediation, Mindfulness, Negotiation Tagged With: Couples separating, Divorce Process, Harriet the movie, Harriet Tubman

Off to a Good Start

August 7, 2019 By Joy Rosenthal

Off to a Good Start by Joy Rosenthal

After my beautiful, slow and plodding dog, Riley, died last summer, I had to come up with a new routine. No longer tied to our wonderful morning walk in the park, I wanted to try something new. Like those walks, it had to be contemplative and beautiful and put me in touch with nature. So almost every morning for the last year or so, I’ve been meditating for 15 minutes or so upon waking up, using the Headspace app on … read more »

Filed Under: Mindfulness, Nonviolence Tagged With: Andy Puddicombe., Headspace, meditation, Morning Routines

Facing Your ‘Other’

December 11, 2018 By Joy Rosenthal

Facing Your 'Other' by Joy Rosenthal

  When I mediate, I am sometimes struck by the fact that our lives can be profoundly affected by  the actions of others. It can be frustrating to think about our lives being out of our control. I am happier when I focus on what we can control — particularly our own thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions. Of course, change is difficult, but certainly possible. I have used my thoughts and actions at critical points to change the course … read more »

Filed Under: Families, Happiness, Mindfulness, Negotiation Tagged With: Empathy, Jacqui Lewis, mediation, Middle Collegiate Church, Revolutionary Love, Tolerance

The Power of Dignity

November 8, 2018 By Joy Rosenthal

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of giving a Continuing Legal Education presentation on the Dignity Model with attorney-mediator colleagues Teresa Calabrese and Andrea Hirshman. Here is a clip from it, where I am talking about the concept that we ALWAYS have dignity — no one can take it away, no matter how badly they treat us. It is an important part of negotiation— you have to honor your own self-worth before you can honor that in others. … read more »

Filed Under: Happiness, Mindfulness Tagged With: Andrea Hirshman, Communication, Dignity, Donna Hicks, Mandela Consciousness, Teresa Calabrese

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