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New dates for Contemplative Practices for Lawyers retreat in Santa Fe

We have changed the dates because the place we wanted to hold the retreat was not available on the original dates. I am happy to say we are now set for November 13 through 15. We are working on the description and want to have it out very soon so people will have plenty of time to take advantage of the early bird rate.

For those of you who did not see the original post, here's what is happening . . .

On that weekend, Scott Rogers and I will be leading a retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico, titled "Contemplative Practices for Lawyers." As in all of Scott's programs as well as mine, the practices and materials we use will be grounded in neuroscience. And we will be incorporating some of the treasures of the unique state of New Mexico and of Santa Fe, "The City Different." This program is going to be unforgettable. Scott and I have had many conversations in planning and are truly excited.

Appreciate the work of Steven Keeva? Here's your chance to say why

The ABA is bringing out a 10th anniversary edition of Transforming Practices: Finding Joy and Satisfaction in the Legal Life; I am so very pleased. The editors are seeking testimonials for this special edition. If you have read the book and want to contribute a testimonial, send it to Erin Nevius. If you have not read this terrific book, you still have time as the testimonials are needed by mid-September.

Blog Glob: "Troops Use ‘Samurai’ Meditation to Soothe PTSD"

Excerpt:

It wasn’t all that long ago that if you told U.S. troops to meditate, you ran the risk of being called a kook — or worse, a hippie. Today, it’s becoming increasingly-common advice, for soldiers and marines looking to deal with battlefield stress, and prep for war.

At Camp Lejeune, "Warrior Mind Training," supposedly based on ancient samurai techniques, are being offered to marines with mental health issues.

"This is a way to turn off your thoughts and get razor-sharp attention. We kind of work out the muscles, before our troops ever see action, so that they have the mental skill set to stay focused in the heat of battle - and to be able to leave the horrors of war behind when it’s time to come home," instructor Sarah Ernst tells the AP. "Our motto is, ‘Take the war to the enemy, but leave the battle on the battlefield.’"

Click to read the rest of "Troops Use ‘Samurai’ Meditation to Soothe PTSD" (Wired).

Two more programs on mindfulness for lawyers, both sponsored by state bar associations

1st program: "Mindfulness and Neuroscience: Enhancing Lawyer Effectiveness, Stress Reduction and Well-Being From the Inside Out"

This seminar will be presented June 25, 2009, at the Florida State Bar Convention by Scott Rogers (with guests Professor Leonard Riskin, The Honorable Allen S. Gold, and Paul R. Lipton, Esq. in the last session). The agenda:

9:00-9:30 Introduction to Mindfulness: Overview of Jurisight’s Use of “Hearsay” “Pain & Suffering,” and “Torture,” to Teach Fundamental Mindfulness Principles.

9:30-10:00 Presentation of Recent Neuroscience Findings on Mindfulness Practices and “Neuroplastic” Changes to the Brain. Discussion of Jurisight’s Use of “Slippery Slope,” and “Meeting of the Minds,” along with Exercises and Discussion of Impact on Lawyer Effectiveness, and Well-Being.

10:00-10:30: Interactive Demonstration of Jurisight’s Use of “Stare Decises” and “Justice” to Explore The Stressful Effects of Uncertainty and Change on Attorneys’ Ethical Conduct.

10:30-10:45: Presentation and Group Discussion of “The (Neural Circuit) Courthouse” Metaphor to Hone and Make Practical the Mindfulness and Neuroscientific Material Discussed.

10:45-11:00 Break (and Opportunity to Practice Mindfulness in “Real Life”).

11:00-12:00 Mindfulness in Action: A Rare Look Inside the Mind of a Professor, Judge, and Litigator Reactivity and Mindful Awareness

The Honorable Alan S. Gold, Federal District Judge
Paul R. Lipton, Esq., Greenberg, Traurig, LLP
Professor Leonard L. Riskin, UF College of Law

Click for the rest of the seminar description [pdf].

2nd program: "Applying Mindfulness Meditation in Law Practice"

From the flyer:

Practicing law in times of economic uncertainty and dislocation presents special challenges to

Upcoming course: Mindfulness for the Lawyer's Brain

The course description:

The practice of law is a wonderful opportunity, but the challenge of working in a system that is explicitly adversarial can take its toll.

Grounded in cutting-edge neuroscientific findings on the brain’s capacity to change in response to directing awareness, Jurisight uses legal terms and images to communicate fundamental mindfulness principles. We learn to disrupt old patterns of thought and behavior to respond optimally to the pressing needs of the moment. With continued practice, we begin to experience challenges as opportunities to find greater joy, success, and satisfaction in the practice of law and life.

This workshop is open to lawyers and other legal professionals, as well as those who interact with attorneys.

The dates are October 11 through 16, 2009. The place is Rhineback, New York. And the teacher is my friend Scott Rogers; click for an interview of Scott. More about the workshop here.

Please click here for information about a program Scott and I are presenting in September.

Meditation being used in schools, hospitals, and by lawyers

I now know of five groups of lawyers nationally that get together monthly for meditation; they meet in DC, New York City, Portland, the Bay Area and Denver. Just this month the Florida Bar is offering "Mindfulness & Neuroscience: Enhancing Lawyer Effectiveness and Stress Reduction from the Inside Out" at the Bar's State Convention; the agenda is here [pdf]. Many more seminars and events are happening around the country, including in law schools. (Click here for related resources and articles.)

Why meditation and contemplative practices? This article details some of the benefits. From "'Mindfulness' meditation being used in hospitals and schools" (USA Today):

Challenges are landing fast and furious on Capitol Hill. So Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, feels he has to arrive at the top of his game every day. And Ryan says he has found a way to do that: He meditates for at least 45 minutes before leaving home.

...

Once thought of as an esoteric, mystical pursuit, meditation is going mainstream. A government survey in 2007 found that about 1 out of 11 Americans, more than 20 million, meditated in the past year. And a growing number of medical centers are teaching meditation to patients for relief of pain and stress.

More than 240 programs in clinics and hospitals teach the same type of meditation that Ryan

"Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness"

Those of you working with mindfulness in any capacity will probably find this research [pdf] of interest. I did. The factors of mindfulness studied were nonreactivity to inner experience; observing sensations, perceptions, etc.; acting with awareness; describing thoughts, feelings, etc.; and nonjudging of experience.

The article abstract:

The authors examine the facet structure of mindfulness using five recently developed mindfulness questionnaires. Two large samples of undergraduate students completed mindfulness questionnaires and measures of other constructs. Psychometric properties of the mindfulness questionnaires were examined, including internal consistency and convergent and discriminant relationships with other variables. Factor analyses of the combined pool of items from the mindfulness questionnaires suggested that collectively they contain five clear, interpretable facets of mindfulness. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analyses suggested that at least four of the identified factors are components of an overall mindfulness construct and that the factor structure of mindfulness may vary with meditation experience. Mindfulness facets were shown to be differentially correlated in expected ways with several other constructs and to have incremental validity in the prediction of psychological symptoms. Findings suggest that conceptualizing mindfulness as a multifaceted construct is helpful in understanding its components and its relationships with other variables.

Hyper-parented Gen Y are not latchkey kids: Latchkey would be Gen X

I am not sure why Adrian Dayton (who has stepped forward to speak for the Millennials) says that Gen Y is part of the latchkey cohort. For example, he posts on his blog:

Let me tell you a little bit about our generation (both X and Y).  We grew up in the suburbs.  We came home from school to empty houses.  You may have heard of us being referred to as the “latch-key” generation.  We had two cars, and in most cases money to buy all the food and clothes we needed.  We would have traded it all just to have parents that were around more.  We don’t want to make the same mistakes our parents made.

Gen Y were not left alone, quite the opposite. The hyper-parenting they received is a hallmark of that generation. Read the last sentence of this excerpt from a book review (Harvard Business Review) by John Landry of Not Everyone Gets A Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y.

Here’s cold water for people thinking we’ll need less management and hierarchy in the age of the knowledge worker. Tulgan, a consultant, agrees that employees born after 1978 are the best educated and the most resourceful cohort ever. Early reports suggest that they can do impressive work at younger ages than other generations did. Yet because of their hyperscheduled upbringing with “helicopter” parents overseeing their every move, they struggle to learn the basics of organizational life and self-discipline – a dramatic shift from the previous generation of latchkey kids.

 Gen X latchkey? Yes. Gen Y? No!

Hot, cool and cold worms: A contrarian look at work-life balance and so-called "workaholism"

 Positions all along the work-life balance (WLB) continuum can coexist. There will be those who want to work hard and serve the client well and they have the right—and responsibility—to populate their firms with others embracing that same work ethic. Those who want to take life a bit easier will find havens where they can balance their needs with that of the client.

I get exasperated when those in the latter group, the WLB people, want to work in the former firms. I hear some WLBers shouting, "I am different; you change." No wonder the debate is so heated.

In the legal profession, we see lawyers of different temperaments and with varying ideas of what it means to be a member of a service profession. Yes, they can coexist, although maybe not in the same firms. Hot worms and cold worms may not belong in the same pond.

What's this about hot worms? Last year TRIAL magazine contacted me to write an article for their edition on work-life balance. They wanted me to write from the contrarian point of view, putting together some of my thoughts from past blog posts. The article I wrote is called "What we can learn from hot worms, or why it's okay to be a 'workaholic'." I link to it with permission. They asked me to include this:

Reprinted with permission of TRIAL (December 2008). Copyright American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®).

Let me know what you think of the article, please.

Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) can improve attention, self-regulation and performance, and reduce stress, in just 5 days

Several articles have been published recently about research done by Doctor Yi-Yuan Tang and his team, and presented by Doctor Michael Posner. From "Of Body And Mind, And Deep Meditation" (Science Daily):

Chinese researchers have unlocked the mechanism of an emerging mind-body technique that produces measurable changes in attention and stress reduction in just five days of practice.

The practice -- integrative body-mind training (IBMT) -- was adapted from traditional Chinese medicine in the 1990s in China, where it is practiced by thousands of people. It is now being taught to undergraduates involved in research on the method at the University of Oregon.

Click to read the research article "Central and autonomic nervous system interaction is altered by short-term meditation" [pdf]. E-mailed to me by, and posted with permission from, Dr. Tang.

Click to read an article about some earlier research done by Tang and Posner on IBMT: "Body-mind Meditation Boosts Performance, Reduces Stress" (Science Daily).

Image credit: Photo of Tang and Posner by Jim Barlow.