idealawg

Psychology of possibility: Interview of Ellen Langer about a book my dad just ordered at my recommendation

Because of my enthusiasm about this book, many of my friends and colleagues have read Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility. I think it makes an excellent argument for readjusting your sense of what is possible, without being of the nonsensical New Age or saccharine self-help genres.

Behavioral Health Central has just posted a review of the book and an interview of its author Dr. Ellen Langer. From the review "Harvard Psychologist Ellen Langer to be Portrayed by Jennifer Aniston in the Film 'Counterclockwise'":

In her book Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility, Langer says that focusing on what’s possible, instead of relinquishing hope based on what’s thought not to be possible, can promote better health — no matter how old you are. Langer titled her book after a groundbreaking 1974 “Counterclockwise” study in which she virtually recreated the year 1959 in an area monastery. From the furnishings to the television programs, music, newspapers and daily discussion, everything was retrofitted to a time some 20 years earlier. Langer sought to discover whether returning the mind to an earlier, healthier era could also return the body to a healthier state.

When the study participants — elderly men who at first appeared to be frail and dependent — lived in this environment for a week, the results were nothing short of amazing. Their height, weight, gait, posture, hearing, memory, appetite, dexterity, arthritis, blood pressure and general well being improved in those mere seven days. “We even took photographs of them at the beginning, and at the end of the week,” Langer says. “People who knew nothing about the study evaluated the photos. And according to these unbiased witnesses, they [the elderly men] even looked younger. The ‘magic’ lies in being aware of the ways we mindlessly react to social and cultural cues.”

Many studies of this nature led Langer to the psychology of possibility — putting the mind in a healthy place and then measuring changes in the body. ...

I think my dad is going to like this book. Have you read it yet?

Review of new book Management Rewired and some words about our stubborn brain

Here's a review of another book I have in my possession that sits unread. Near my pile of books, I have a coffee mug with this emblazoned on it: "so many books ... so little time." That's how I feel so I'm always grateful for book reviews in order to help prioritize all my unopened books.

Here one from strategy+business of the book Management Rewired: Why Feedback Doesn't Work and Other Surprising Lessons from the Latest Brain Science. From "Books in Brief: Storytelling’s Value for Management":

[W]e don’t record an external reality so much as we create it, making multiple drafts as we try to fit it into coherent patterns. The drafts that survive determine what we notice and what we accept, what we ignore and what we reject. And we hold on to these drafts with great tenacity, resisting external efforts to change them. As a result, management actions based on Newtonian dynamics have perverse outcomes. Rewards may be seen as punishments, and vice versa, because people continually use deeper contexts to interpret them. Extrinsic rewards, as well as incentives, may undermine commitment because they trivialize the behaviors they are designed to encourage.

I certainly appreciate those first three sentences; that's part of what I teach about the brain. Nicely put!

Although this book is written for lawyers at midlife, anyone can gain much value by using it

Why do I say "using" instead of "reading"? Because Lawyers at Midlife: Laying the Groundwork for the Road Ahead is as much a very practical workbook as it is a valuable source of information. The book contains worksheets, questionnaires, and graphs so the reader can sit down with a pencil and do some real planning. Topics covered are wide-ranging. Nothing is missing; all the ingredients are included for designing next-step scenarios.

Using this workshop in a book, you will be guided wisely through decisions about your finances, health, estate planning, and career transitions. As regular idealawg readers know, I believe that stories are an effective way to communicate information. I am happy to say the authors included several engaging examples of transitioning lawyers to accompany you on your path through the book.

Although it's written for lawyers at midlife, anyone would do well to buy this book and spend some time taking the inventories and making the plans. Don't we all owe it to ourselves and our families to stop every so often and shine our mental flashlight on the road ahead?

Finally I can give you the link to buy a great book

I have been patiently waiting for this book to be available for purchase. It now is and I highly recommend that you pick up a copy or two. The book is an excellent resource for anyone with an interest in mindfulness, the brain, and stress reduction. Not to mention increased focus, attention, and awareness.

The book is titled Mindfulness for Law Students: Using the Power of Mindfulness to Achieve Balance and Success in Law School. From personal experience, I know that the author Scott Rogers is extraordinarily creative. That creativity, plus his thorough knowledge of neuroscience and contemplative practice makes this book a must-read. It is practical, and full of tips, resources, and exercises.

And it is not just for law students. Anyone can benefit from this book.

Scott wrote another just-released book—for lawyers—which I have not read. I did take a peek inside at the Amazon page and it appears The Six-Minute Solution: A Mindfulness Primer for Lawyers is similar to Mindfulness for Law Students. Knowing Scott, I can recommend either book without reservation.

Note: Click for information about the retreat Scott and I are holding in Santa Fe on contemplative practices for lawyers.

Should we change our assumptions about elders? Do we know as much as we think we do? Should we say no to aging?

When reading this blog post about elders and mediation, I was reminded of the new book Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility. The author Dr. Ellen Langer details the problems with mindless assumptions about such topics as aging. She also talks about the power of professionals, who operate on those assumptions, to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. She says, "Certainty is a cruel mindset."

Dr. Langer discusses at length the certain and sure assumptions we have about aging. She believes these mindless assumptions can take away control and hope. From "Just Say No to Aging?" (Newsweek):

Langer and her Harvard colleagues have been running ... experiments for decades, and the accumulated weight of the evidence is convincing. Her theory, argued in her new book, "Counterclockwise," is that we are all victims of our own stereotypes about aging and health. We mindlessly accept negative cultural cues about disease and old age, and these cues shape

To read a book or not? Apply The Page 99 Test

Ford Madox Ford put forth a method for deciding if you want to read a book. He recommended: "Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you."

Marshal Zeringue has created a blog where the Test is applied to new books—by each book's author. Yesterday Todd Kashdan looked at page 99 of his new book Curious?.

I am pointing out this particular Page 99 Test because I recommend Kashdan's book and agree with him about the importance of curiosity. In fact, in my CARVE Disputes Model™, "C" stands for curiosity.

As Sulynn says in her book review, the seventh chapter is reason enough to buy Curious?:

[T]he chapter that’s worth buying the book for, is Chapter 7: The Anxious Mind and the Curious Spirit. This chapter is effective through the metaphor of the twin control dials labeled Curiosity-Explore and Anxiety, borrowing from Stephen Hayes’ Two Systems (curiosity and anxiety) in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Anxiety destroys our capacity to tolerate ambiguity and complexity ... and our obsession with managing Anxiety preoccupies our mind, leaving space for little else. We try in vain to control the unyielding Anxiety settings and the more we try, the worse it gets. When Anxiety is at a maximum 10 and Explore is at 0, our openness to accepting our experience or considering novelty is zilch. The trick is to focus on the less obtrusive Explore dial which incidentally is more responsive to manipulation. Kashdan swears on it that when we turn Explore up high, Anxiety stops being stubbornly high even though it may fluctuate over time and situation. Mindfulness is the key here. ... Readers will find strategies to harness the spirit of curiosity to lift the anxious mind - mindset shift, defusion of negative thoughts, or choosing a life of meaning and purpose.

After you read the book, let me know what you think, please. I am curious.

Neuroscience, jazz, New Orleans, Alzheimers: Ingredients of a new book

Una Vida, written by neuroscientist Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, sounds like an intriguing novel, one that I am looking forward to reading. Excerpt of an article found in New Orleans Magazine:

“Una Vida mirrors many facets of my own personal and professional life, including why I strive to understand and combat the ravaging diseases and disorders that afflict the eyes and the brain,” notes Dr. Bazan. “Using jazz and the fascinating chaos of the city I love most as metaphors for the workings of the brain and the human mind, the novel reveals the joys and frustrations that seem to go hand in hand with neuroscience research. Every new bit of information we uncover adds one more piece to the puzzle, bringing the bigger picture into focus a little more and providing us not only with new knowledge, but also with renewed hope.”

In Dr. Bazan's novel, neuroscientist Alvaro Cruz finds himself haunted by a recurring dream of a banjo player in an elusive cornfield that leads him on a personal quest to uncover the mysterious

New edition of THE COMPLETE LAWYER now online: Focus is doing business internationally

Once again The Complete Lawyer is a tad overwhelming with the number of articles included. Nevertheless, several of them look excellent. Hop on over and pretend you are in an article cafeteria. Digest what will nourish and sustain you; read the articles that will make you grow. The Complete Lawyer builds strong lawyers more than 12 ways, to paraphrase a commercial many of us will remember.

Some of the articles that look filling to me:

• Become Your Foreign Clients’ Favorite Lawyer
• In China, You Play By Another Set Of Rules
• Fostering Cultural Competence Is Necessary—And Profitable
• Master The Geography Of Collaboration
• Stress-Free Living: The End of Life As You Know It
• Change Orders: What A Concept!
• Learn To Live In A Flat World

Lots more over here from which you can pick and choose. Snack or devour soon.

Recommending a new book on mediation—CHALLENGING CONFLICT: MEDIATION THROUGH UNDERSTANDING

I am about halfway through a new book on mediation and wanted to immediately urge both mediators and those who use the services of mediators to read Challenging Conflict. The book deftly explains each stage and skill of the understanding-based model of mediation with complete how-tos and whys. For those not familiar with the understanding-based model, it stresses the value of joint sessions, and the right and responsibility of the parties to resolve the dispute.

From the book:

Mediation is a voluntary process in which the parties make decisions together based on the understanding of their own views, each other's, and the reality they face. The mediator works as a non-coercive neutral to help the parties negotiate an agreement that serves them better than their alternatives.

One feature of the book that I am particularly valuing is the ten examples of mediations that are woven throughout to illustrate points being made about the model and the philosophy of the authors. Frequently the reader is allowed inside the mediations to "hear" what was said by the mediator and parties. These stories and dialogues add beating-heart reality to the authors' thoughtful wisdom.

When I have finished the book, I will write a more complete review but wanted to give you all a heads up to start reading. Even if you are an experienced mediator, reading this book will result in much learning and thinking. What is presented in this book by two veteran mediators is not the norm or status quo in today's world of mediation. Bravo!

The book is not available through Amazon but is easily available through the ABA. Click here now to buy Challenging Conflict: Mediation Through Understanding. Or buy here from the Project on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.

Update: Nancy Hudgins's review of Challenging Conflict.

Note (added March 30, 2009): A post about the book (Human Side of Conflict). The blogger says she will be adding other blogs about the book; I believe she means posts. Although a whole blog about the book sounds like a fine idea.

July issue of ABA's Law Practice now online

Start your reading with my column "Reading Minds" to see what three lawyers with a combined longevity of over a century of law practice advise young lawyers. Take a look to see what books Brooke Wunnicke, Linda Kornfeld, and the anonymous editor of BlawgReview recommend to those just entering the practice of law.

Then browse among articles in this edition of Law Practice. The focus is international practice and includes:

• Global Rainmaking Tips
• Collaborative Technologies: Working with Others Around the Corner or Around the World
• Growing Successful International Offices: 10 Key Steps for Law Firms
• Case Study: Pursuing International Business

Many more articles to be found online. See what meets your needs or fits your interests.