Mediation is Restorative Justice

I’ve heard the term “restorative justice”. What does it mean?

You may have heard it on the news regarding criminal cases. Restorative justice “seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed and those who take responsibility for the harm to communicate about and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime.” https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/rj-jr/index.html

The government’s definition is overly narrow. Yes, it’s an attempt to repair harm. But R.J. can be employed between people whenever harm occurs, not only in “the aftermath of a crime”.

In my practice as a family and workplace mediator, for example, I facilitate conversations to resolve disputes and repair relationships in cases where individuals feel harmed even though no crime has occurred.

Mediation is growing in popularity and provides an important format in which restorative justice can occur.

What are its goals?

Retributive justice is the typical response to harm. The justice system determines guilt and then punishes the guilty party, often by sending them to jail. Likewise, employers might fire an employee or principals expel a student.

Restorative justice has the opposite goal – to repair harm by allowing parties to communicate. The goal is to integrate parties and enhance connection.

How does RJ work?

In essence, it’s about hosting an opportunity for willing parties to communicate with one another. But the format varies enormously depending on the degree of prior harm and who hosts the conversation.

Can you provide some examples?

In Indigenous communities, which first developed restorative justice, the process involves a healing circle in which members of the community, not only the parties in dispute, have a chance to participate, listen and be heard. It’s an effort to unify the community. Restorative Justice Circles on this model have recently become more and more popular in non-indigenous settings such as schools and workplaces.

For cases within the criminal justice system, the “offender” and “victim” are brought into a safe, facilitated conversation, as an adjunct to the court process or in lieu of it, with lawyers and/or other support persons present. A sexual offender, for example, might hear a victim impact statement directly from the offended party. The process is dramatic and can be very healing.  http://restorativejustice.org/about-us/stories/how-i-got-an-apology-from-my-abuser/8/#sthash.bY4fbquS.dpbs

In my mediation practice with families and in workplaces I avoid terms like “victim” and “offender” since each participant is likely to feel harmed and a solution, not judgement, is the goal. Divorce cases can be particularly traumatic. Often both parties feel unfairly treated. Facilitated conversations help participants understand the impact of their behaviour on one another. Mutual understanding then enables them to agree on how to act in future.

What is the Main Benefit of Restorative Justice?

Restorative justice can’t guarantee to repair your relationship, but going to court or filing a workplace grievance does guarantee to harm it, since your objective in those settings is not to understand the other person but to prove them wrong.

The clients I work with were once in relationships that worked. They once saw the best in one another. In conflict we lose that insight. Building evidence in a case to prove the other person wrong tends to trigger them to defend and counter-attack. Repair becomes possible, and occurs surprisingly quickly, when the approach is one of speaking from the heart and being heard.

Not all disputes require restorative justice. But when they arise where relationships matter, then looking into a restorative justice approach is almost always the wisest first step.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

Introducing Mike MacConnell and Reflective Mediation

Ten years ago, in 2011, I came to a crossroads in my life when my first marriage and first business came to an end.  Blindsided by those failures, I was forced to re-examine my lifelong aversion to conflict and how it had prevented me from resolving disputes with my business partner and ex-wife.

I didn’t just rethink my approach, I spent three years studying dispute resolution at university and made it the centre of my new career.  Today I’m an Accredited Family and Workplace Mediator and Certified Communication Coach. In 2014 I founded Reflective Mediation, a dispute resolution and training service, and in 2016 published The Yoga of Divorce: A Mindful Route to Resolving Disputes.

It has been satisfying to help others repair relationships and relieve their distress.

When the process is properly managed, a well-trained mediator ensures a safe and confidential space in which to address emotionally charged topics, with or without a support person by your side. Demanding mutual respect between conflicting parties helps them move toward agreement.

A facilitated conversation really does work. It guides parties to slow down, to get curious about the other person and really LISTEN for what matters.  Curiosity motivates listening; listening builds understanding, and understanding generates empathy. I observe this with clients on a regular basis. Even when individuals have radically different values, needs and opinions, the dawning of respect enables them to work together to generate an agreement.

The effort pays off when relationships really matter. I have experienced success with:

·       Families and couples seeking to reconnect and rebuild their relationship;

·       Married and common-law couples seeking an amicable separation agreement that works for them and their children;

·       Solving workplace disputes between colleagues or between employees and management.

 Reflective Mediation provides four main services:

1.     Private coaching. I help an individual to clarify goals, build communication skills and refine strategies to realize those goals;

2.     2-party mediation. I serve two people who voluntarily agree to work with me as an impartial facilitator to negotiate an agreement suitable to them both. I manage the process (quite fiercely when needed) but don’t dictate the outcome. Participants are the experts in their problem and create their own solution.

3.     Multi-party Restorative Justice Circle. Offered to groups of up to 12, the circle process ensures that all parties get heard and the group can come to an agreement that acknowledges multiple viewpoints.

4.     Dispute Resolution Workshops. Customized for groups of up to 20, these highly interactive training sessions build practical skills of conflict management, tailored to the needs of your group.

I’m available week-days 9-5, most evenings and Sunday afternoons. I work primarily via zoom teleconferencing, although as Covid lifts I’m also meeting in person with clients in the Greater Toronto Area. I charge $200 per hour plus HST for each of the above services. That fee is split between clients when more than one participant is involved.

On my website www.ReflectiveMediation.ca you’ll find a virtual scheduling calendar, which allows you to book a free-of-charge initial consultation at a time convenient for you. I encourage you to schedule a free session to share your story and find out whether my service fits your goals.

To Speak or Not to Speak – That Is the Question (When To Press Pause)

“I try not to react, but one day I’m afraid I’m going to burst. Arguing just makes it worse.”

Every couple struggles at times to communicate. Some boil in silence; others snap back defensively. But lasting connection is built out of small, daily, often unnoticed efforts of patience and restraint that enable you to listen with respect and speak your mind clearly.

Instead of cold forbearance and withdrawal or hot counter-attack, try pivoting instead toward genuine curiosity about the other person’s feelings. Listening with deep sincerity is the first step toward an honest conversation. That’s when a couple can collaborate.

It’s hard to know how and when to speak, yet at some point, speak we must. The challenge to decide when to speak and when to let it pass requires an effort. Here are a few tips to make it easier.

If you tend to push at difficult topics:

Ask yourself about your intention. Are you trying to prove you’re right, explain yourself or push to a solution? If so, save your words for later.

If your goal is to work through a problem and to do so together, then the following tips help direct the conversation toward a deeper understanding:

·       Inquire into their feelings and what matters to them right now

·       Ask about what they would have liked, what they wish would have happened

·       Name something specific you observed and ask what its impact was on them

·       Summarize what you are hearing to check in if you are hearing correctly

If you tend to avoid difficult topics:

If silence is your fallback, try to keep in mind that all emotions are legitimate. They deserve to be heard. More than that, they offer a window into our deepest needs. Speaking about them will accelerate you and your partner’s awareness of what matters.

Negative emotions rise out of healthy needs that aren’t being met. They are worth exploring together to find more skilful ways to meet them. To get a healthy conversation going, the points above will help you to “get” what matters to the other. But chances are, you haven’t been heard. To help them “get” your viewpoint regarding the issue or conflict at hand:

·       Begin with a positive quality of the other that is honest and relevant

·       Identify the emotional impact, for you, of a specific thing that happened

·       Identify the underlying need, belief or value that matters to you and caused the feeling to arise

·       Ask the other person to summarize what they have heard you say

·       Inquire about their comments or questions and viewpoint

Beware of concluding too quickly that because you’re struggling you must be with the wrong person. Struggle sparks change and motivates growth. Resenting or avoiding the hard conversations can cause you to miss the fact that those difficulties can take you to a deeper place of intimacy and understanding. We need to be tested to discover who we are capable of becoming.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

In Search of Happiness? Then Sit First with Sadness

My friend is trying to find happiness and worries he is failing. In the eyes of the world, he’s a success: a gifted young professional supported by a warm partner, family and friends. When he’s busy he feels fine. Yet in quiet moments of reflection those external markers of success only make him feel emptier. “What’s wrong with me?”, he often wonders, “Shouldn’t my accomplishments be enough?”

His solution has been to push harder, work longer hours, train harder at the gym, take extra courses and do volunteer work in his community. He hopes, by doing more, to drown out the doubts, to feel worthy and find peace.

He isn’t a client, but knows I’m a life coach whose work is to help others make desired changes. He came to me for advice. I listened first to understand the change he wanted and after a few meetings I was able to respond. The advice I offered went something like this.

“We live in a culture that embraces observable, external success, that encourages doing more, acquiring or accomplishing measurable things. It works for some people. For you, however, the journey for meaning is inward. You need to continue performing in the world. Keep doing that. Then give yourself a break. Make time to stop doing.

It takes courage to stand still in the mess, “to sit with discomfort without trying to fix it”.  My friend has been trying to fill the void by doing more and more.  That’s worthy, but it’s only half the story for those of us working to ward off low-level depression. He encouraged me to continue.

“Time to try doing les and face the negative emotions that arise when you slow down.  Practise sitting still, facing the sadness, the fear, the uncertainty, before rushing to distract yourself with another task.

Even for just 5 minutes a day. It’s an exercise in emotional acceptance, a recognition that uncomfortable emotion is part of who we are. Study where the feeling lives in your body. Sit with it. Then watch as the emotion drifts away, unable to hurt you once you stop fearing it.”

My friend’s unhappiness arises in part from unrealistic demands he places on himself. He sees his distress as a failing, something that shouldn’t be there. I urged him to honour the sorrow without pushing it away.

A healthy identity encompasses the full palette of emotion. Sadness does NOT define who he is, but in its place it’s an honest, healthy part. Pushing it away won’t get rid of it, only lend it undue importance as though it is to be feared.

I wanted my final words to be encouraging.  “Try connecting with the sadness. Listen to it, learn from it, comfort it, hold it. To paraphrase an eastern parable: “Instead of chasing after wellbeing, consider this: wellbeing might be behind you, struggling to catch up to you.”

My words didn’t fix anything. They weren’t intended to. But my friend told me recently that he feels more empowered now that he works less on controlling his difficult emotions and more on understanding and accepting them.

After we ended, I sent him the following quotation, which he now has posted on his wall.

“When we touch the center of sorrow, when we sit with discomfort without trying to fix it, when we stay present to the pain of disapproval or betrayal and let it soften us, these are the times that we connect with bodhichitta (awakened mind).”

From The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times, page 9

by Pema Chödrön

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

Managing Depression with Positive Psychology

Depression is a scary word. Not long ago it sounded worse, like a crippling illness that came with a life sentence. For extreme cases that can still be how it is, but thanks to the revolution in mental health known as Positive Psychology, for most of us that time has passed. The fear is unfounded.

When I recognized I was living with depression I was shocked and horrified. I was functioning at home and work, only without vital energy or a glimmer of joy. I imagined recovery would require a regimen of medications along with years of complicated psycho-analysis, uncovering dark, subconscious truths that lay hidden beneath my awareness. Otherwise, there was no hope of recovery. Or so I imagined.

The path back to life was much easier than that. In fact, it was free of charge and relatively quick. With a little coaching, I was able to do it myself, without medication or psychiatry. First, I found hope in a bestseller on Positive Psychology called Feeling Good, in which Dr. David Burns presents the basic insight that, in the vast majority of cases, depression is the result of faulty thinking.  Feeling Good link  Negative thinking causes negative emotion. If your internal monologue is on a loop repeating “I am unworthy” and “the world is hopeless” then it’s likely you’re depressed.

To resolve depression, just change how you’re thinking. Challenge the toxic thoughts that cause the negative feelings. It isn’t complicated. No need to spend a decade (and a fortune) uncovering unconscious motives or childhood trauma. Instead, pay attention to the thoughts you are thinking, right here, right now. If they are persistently negative then challenge them, put them to the test, look for counter-arguments. “Can I be certain that I’m so unworthy? Is the tale of woe I’m telling myself necessarily true? Are there any counter-examples? Is there evidence that some world problems are getting better?”. Make an active practice of seeking evidence suggesting you and the world ARE worthwhile.

Next, activate yourself physically and socially. Burn’s insistence on overall well-being led me first to relaxation classes and then to a daily practice of yoga. I also began connecting with old friends I had been “too tired” or “too busy” to see. By deliberately moving my thoughts and body in new directions I was able to recover my life. It only took a few months. I haven’t looked back since.

Positive Psychology is interested in practical, common-sense approaches to what makes life most worth living. It’s most well-known application, the one that worked for me, is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT. As my personal story demonstrates, CBT has become popular for one single reason. It works. Research consistently shows that recovery from depression using CBT (especially in combination with mindfulness practice and physical activity) far surpasses earlier, more complex forms of psychotherapy. Positive Psychology link

Most empowering of all: you can do it on your own by moving your body and mind in more positive directions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

Make Your Legacy Wishes Known

It isn’t enough to have wishes for your belongings after you die. Wishes need to be known.

Arlene was in her early 90s, with multiple medical conditions but a mind that was sharp as a tack. Since she did not have any surviving family members, she relied on her church community, friends and government services for support. She received meals on wheels and personal health care services, which allowed her to continue living in her home.

One friend, a recently retired neighbour named David, visited her every few weeks. He would chat with her for hours. Arlene’s friend Stella was the executor of her will, although David was probably her closest friend. They laughed a lot, shared personal stories and a great love of reading.

During one of David’s last visits she had said to him, “You see that bookcase over there, next to the fireplace? I’m going to leave a note on it to make sure you get that antique bookcase and all my books when I die. I couldn’t think of anybody besides you who would appreciate it and I really want you to have it.”

Arlene died not long after. After the funeral David was asked by another friend of Arlene’s if he ever received the bookcase when the house was cleared out and sold. “No” he said, “Not a word was mentioned about it. In all of the commotion I don’t think anyone saw the sticky note. Or maybe it fell off. I didn’t say anything to Stella because I didn’t want to look like I had ulterior motives for my visits.”

Arlene’s wishes were never honoured, despite everyone’s best intentions, because they weren’t formally made known.

This bookcase isn’t a huge issue. Some people die with unrecorded wishes worth millions. But it’s always sad when wishes go unfilled.

How can I ensure my wishes will be followed after I die?

To avoid conflict and confusion after your death, or to ensure somebody receives something specific, either give it to them while you are alive or have it formally added to your will. Things said privately to one person can result in massive conflict when not formally recorded. We also recommend you make your beneficiaries aware of your wishes. Clear communication is the safest guarantee that your legacy will be honoured.

When should I do it? As soon as I know I am dying?

Don’t put these thoughts off. Nobody knows when they are going to die so it is best to act now. If you wait too long there is also a risk that someone might challenge claim you were not at full capacity when the changes were made. Earlier is the safest bet.

What if my will is already completed?

It is wise to update your will as circumstances change. Adjustments can be made to the will itself or by adding an addendum. The “how” is best discussed with your lawyer.

Co-authored by  Mark Silverman, MD, Family Physician and Mike MacConnell, Family & Elder

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

Motivating Change: Escaping an Abusive Relationship

Are you stuck in a behaviour you believe is unhealthy? Do you want to make a change, but have trouble getting started?   

As a life coach I come across this often. I worked recently with a woman who was trying to decide whether to end an abusive relationship. I employed Motivational Interviewing, a coaching strategy designed to help people follow through with the changes they want to make. She told me later that she wished she had been exposed to this approach much earlier in her marriage. Well-intentioned arguments previously offered by friends and family hadn’t helped her to decide. She had to come around on her own and summon the courage herself – and that’s exactly how Motivational Interviewing works.

Rather than reasoning or informing, a trained coach takes the opposite approach – bringing arguments to the surface that already exist in the mind of the client. M. I. was founded in the 1980’s by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick on the principle that clients already possess the knowledge and ability required for change, and will be more empowered to succeed when the motivation and confidence come from within.  success of M. I

Here’s a compressed summary of our conversation. (Broad categories of common questions are included in brackets)

(background)

“What brings you here?”

“I’m the mother of a 9 year old daughter, in a marriage that makes me feel frightened and alone. Without warning he becomes enraged, verbally abusive and contemptuous. Afterwards he may be fine for a day or two, until it starts up again.”

“Do you have a goal?”

“I know it’s unhealthy. I need to leave, to escape; but it’s been going on for so long I don’t know if I can. Everyone tells me to get the hell out, but I don’t have the confidence. Or maybe the courage. I just can’t decide.

(Why is change important?)

“On a scale of 1 to 100, how committed are you to leaving the marriage?”

“I’ll say about 80.”

“OK. Fairly high. Why didn’t you choose a lower number?”

“I feel miserable. It’s unhealthy to feel this unhappy and for my daughter to grow up this way. Something has to change.”

“What would it take to move you to a higher number?”

“Well, at this point his abuse is verbal. If it gets physical, I’ll be even more motivated to leave.”

(What matters most to me?)

“Your mental health and physical safety are important. Any other priorities?”

“My confidence and self-respect are taking a beating. I don’t even like myself.”

“Sounds like your confidence is shaken. What did confidence look like when you had it?”

“I used to be full of energy. I travelled on my own, made choices, was decisive.”

“Tell be about other things you value and that are a priority.”

“I want a loving, respectful relationship. For my daughter and I to be able to trust and feel safe.”

“Are you living those values now?”

“No. Not with him, for sure. My best friend and brother are supportive, but otherwise I feel like I’ve given up. Maybe I was naïve to expect something better.”

(Why am I having trouble making change?)

“You’ve shared important hopes for the future. How does your current behaviour fit in with that?”

“That’s just it. I care about those things, but I’m not sure if they’re possible any more.”

“Can you describe how you are thinking, what you’re saying to yourself when you feel unmotivated?”

Sure. I feel weak. Confused. Like what’s the point, I’ll never find anyone better, so why bother trying.”

“Is that an opinion you fully believe?”

“No. Not at all. There’s a part of me that feels disgusted and angry at that defeated part of me.”

“Can you recall how you pictured your future when you were young.”

“I saw myself as a free spirit, a writer, connecting with people and making a difference in the world.”

(In what ways do I want one thing, but do another?)

“What about the part of you that wants to give up. Is there any benefit to thinking that way?”

“I guess I’m trying to protect myself.  As if I can avoid feeling defeated by not trying in the first place.”

“How do you feel about that side of yourself?”

“I hate it. It’s the voice of weakness and fear.”

“And is that fear entirely misguided?”

“No. My partner really is frightening. It’s just that doing nothing means I’m frightened every day. I know I can only put fear behind me by leaving him.”

“Sounds like your hesitation has some legitimacy, yet you really want to make a change.”

“I’m pulled in both directions.”

(How do I build myself up to move forward?)

“Let’s explore your hesitancy. On a scale of 1 to 100, how confident are you that if you chose to make the change, you could change?”

“Not very. I’ll say 40.”

“I notice you didn’t say zero. Tell me about a time you made changes in your life. How did you do it?”

“I used to be a no-show for appointments with friends. When I realized how insulting it was, I stopped.”

“That’s a significant change. What strengths helped you succeed back then?”

“First I thought about it. Then I felt embarrassed. I decided to stop feeling like that, started wearing a watch and showing up when I said I would.”

“Would you say you found determination based on a concern for others and a desire to feel better about yourself.”

“Yes. I think that’s true.”

“What qualities enabled you to do it?

“I cared about my friendships and my self-respect. Once I decided, it wasn’t that hard.”

“So you’re capable of being decisive. Can you suggest how you might connect with those sides of yourself now?

“It might help to take small steps. Small decisions. Like being more active with my daughter.”

“What would you gain by that?”

“It would be fun. Also, I want her to connect with a stronger, livelier side of her mother.”

“Is it a step you feel able to take?

“Yes. I love her. I can do that. Leaving him is the problem. That’s where I feel stuck.”

“Tell be about your daughter. How’s she handling her parents’ stress?”

“I’m terrified for her. She tries to be brave but has been having meltdowns more and more lately.”

“That sounds like an important motivation for change.”

“Absolutely. Without her I might have given up long ago.”

“Are there benefits to the way your life is now?”

“Mainly the convenience of having a home and being financially dependent. Making a change is scary.”

“Would you say those are difficult obstacles to overcome?”

“For sure, at the beginning. Its hard to climb out of this rut even though I hate it and know I’ll be much better off when I get away.”

(What are some practical steps I can take?)

“I notice you’re talking now about “when” not “if” you get away. What resources do you already have to overcome your hesitation?”

“Just talking this way is making me more determined. I’ve gotta keep thinking this through like we’re doing now. Then act.”

“Act how? Do what?”

“Maybe call my best friend, Lisa, and my brother to get them onside. Ask for their help.”

What would you ask them to help with?

“It’s going to have to be a sudden separation, well planned in advance. I’ll ask them to help me set up the finances and I’ll need to have a place for my daughter and I to stay.”

“Very practical. Anything else?

“I’ll need help moving all my stuff out.”

“Getting support sounds important. How else can they help?

“I need them to help me think things through. My thoughts go around in circles on my own.”

“What about your own safety, and your daughter’s?”

“That concerns me a lot. I’m already walk on eggshells every day. Anything could happen when we leave, so the getaway will have to be sudden and complete.”

“We’re nearly done for today. How do you feel about what we’ve covered so far?”

“It’s the first bit of confidence I’ve felt in ages.”

 Lovely. What are your goals between now and our next session?”

“I want to research housing online and get a better understanding of my financial situation. Before we meet next week I’ll talk with my brother and Lisa and hear what they have to say.”

This is just a summary. The actual coaching session delved at greater length into each of these topics. Two further sessions were needed before she and her daughter did safely leave their abusive situation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

Helping People Change

How do you help when someone you care about is stuck in a rut? Some people leap in with advice, offering reassurance and insight. Others use logical argument and evidence.

These well-intentioned efforts may contain wise advice but rarely succeed in shifting behaviour. A clinical approach called Motivational Interviewing, developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick in the 1980s, has proven much more effective at helping people effect change in their lives.

Rather than teaching, reasoning and providing information, Motivational Interviewing coaches the client to discover his or her own motivations and capacities for change. The practitioner draws out and clarifies goals, listens to concerns and boosts confidence in the ability to change, eventually collaborating with the client on a specific plan of action. Learn more about M.I.

Here is a sample with a client who has struggled to begin getting in shape and change eating habits. The example employs standard M.I. questions, although actual sessions would dwell on each phase at greater length.

(Assessing the importance of change)

“On a scale of 1 to 100, how much do you want to get in shape right now?”

“I’ll say about 70.”

“Fairly high. Why did you choose 70 and not a lower number?”

“I’ve gotta do something. I’m worried about my health and miss having more energy.”

“What would it take to move you to a higher number?”

“Well, I guess if I had a medical episode, or if my partner left me, I’d be more motivated.”

(exploring values)

“Sounds like you value your health and your relationship. Any other priorities?”

“Admiration from my kids would be nice. And earning a living is important. I’m in sales and would like to feel sharper, more awake, which might come from being in better shape.”

“What would it look like if we were successful in our work to get you in better shape?”

“I guess I’d be feeling better about myself, more vigorous. Like I’ve accomplished something.”

(addressing ambivalence to change)

“You’ve shared important values just now. How does your current behaviour fit in with your values?”

“That’s just it. I don’t understand. I mean, I care about those things, really, but can’t motivate myself to do anything consistent to change them.”

“Can you describe how you are thinking, what you’re saying to yourself when feeling unmotivated?”

Sure. I feel weak. Confused. Like what’s the point, I’ll never change anyway, so why bother trying.”

“Thanks for your honesty about hearing that voice. Is that voice the whole of you?”

“No. Not at all. It’s kind of weird, but there’s a part of me that disagrees and feels disgusted by that defeated part of me.”

(identify the gap between values and actions)

“You’re describing a part of you that wants to let go, give up, take it easy. Is there any benefit to thinking that way?”

“I guess I’m trying to protect myself. Avoid defeat by not accepting the challenge of trying to change.”

“Sounds like that voice is trying to help. How do you feel about that side of yourself?”

“I hate it. It’s the voice of weakness and fear, but it’s usually in control”

“Then let’s explore this discrepancy between your values and actions. On a scale of 1 to 100, how confident are you that if you chose to make the change, you could change?”

“Not very. I’ll say 25.”

“I notice you didn’t say zero. Tell me about a time you made changes in your life. How did you do it?”

“I used to be late for appointments a lot. Then I decided it was insulting to others and stopped.”

(assess and build self-efficacy)

“That’s significant. What strengths helped you succeed back then?”

“I think I felt embarrassed. Maybe ashamed. I got determined to stop feeling like that.”

“Determination, and concern for others. If you decided to change now, what would enable you to do it?

“If I knew it mattered to my family that would help. I don’t think they think I can change.”

“Can you suggest how you might recruit them in inspiring you to begin?

“I’d have to speak with them about this first. Let them know it matters to me. Ask for their help.”

“Be specific. What would you want them to do? How can you guide them to help?

“Not nagging. That makes me feel worse. How ‘bout if we made a schedule of some physical activities we like doing together. Try to make it fun.”

“That’s a practical step. Fitness is clearly important to you in this change. Anything else?

“Shifting my diet is going to have to be part of it. I’m addicted to fast food. That’s the tough one.”

“What would you gain by changing the way you eat?

“Making meals at home would make for more family time. Better food. Healthier bodies.

“Yet you like fast food. What are the benefits to your diet the way it is?”

“Mainly convenience and craving. It’s just automatic and easy to buy fast food from a restaurant chain.”

“Then would you say convenience and craving are some of the main obstacles to overcome?”

“Yup. I think so, acting out of habit without thinking much about it.”

(decision-making)

“What resources do you already have to overcome those challenges?”

“Just talking this way is making me more determined. If I can feel good about improving my whole family’s diet that will help maintain my motivation.”

“These sound like important steps. You keep coming back to your family. How are they a resource?

“If I can encourage them to join in a bit then we’ll be able to share the load, support one another.”

“What first steps do you have as a goal between now and our next session?”

“I want to do some research online and talk with my family about making changes. Before we meet next week I’ll call a family meeting and hear what they have to say.”

Actual coaching would dwell at greater length on each of these topics, and require a number of sessions to progress through the stages that are covered more rapidly in this sample:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

3 Steps to Befriending Stress

In last month’s blog on Kelly McGonigal’s bestseller The Upside of Stress I summarized her argument that, contrary to popular belief, stress can be healthy, if we shift our relationship to it.

She isn’t suggesting that stress is always good for us. On the contrary, she points out that humans (and all social mammals) are capable of exhibiting a hardwired “defeat response” to extreme stress, typified by loss of appetite, depression and even suicide.  Stressors are particularly harmful when an individual feels trapped, depleted and isolated from others.  

Yet the same stress that harms you can become a catalyst for growth. McGonigal offers three practical, evidence-based strategies for converting unwanted stress into “post traumatic growth”. The hardiness to benefit from adversity appears to come naturally to some people. For those of us who lack that gift, it’s encouraging to know resilience can be learned.

We met Bridget in a previous blog, a single mother suffering from the stress of working at home while homeschooling her children through the pandemic. Let’s apply McGonigal’s three suggestions to see how Bridget’s stressful challenges could help her become stronger.

Step One: Tend and Befriend

The fight-or-flight stress response makes us want to withdraw from others. One way to build resilience is to cultivate a “tend and befriend” mindset, resisting the impulse to self-isolate and instead connecting and inquiring into the welfare of others and offering them help. When we engage with others, increasing our awareness of their pain and focusing on bigger-than-self goals, our biochemistry has been shown to shift. Studies have regularly shown that social contact activates the body’s production of oxytocin (the body’s “cuddle drug”, an enhancer of sociability) dopamine (a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and vitality) and serotonin (which stabilizes mood, counteracting depression, anxiety and agitation).

Bridget decides to try to overcome her loneliness by organizing a Zoom mothers’ group in the evening after her kids have gone to bed. The moms share best practices for keeping kids meaningfully occupied and exchange easy recipes. Exhausted, they share stories of running on empty, yet often end by telling Bridget how helpful the circle has been for them.

Step Two: Express Your Stress

Many of us have bury our pain and hide it from others. McGonigal presents research showings that it is more healthy to be open about your struggles, sharing your story in all its distress with interested others. We need to be selective, sharing at appropriate times with those who genuinely care. The effort to articulate your struggles provides an outlet that not only helps build connection, it helps you to see your stressors from a different angle, perhaps drawing out helpful perspectives and insights from family and friends.

Bridget becomes close friends with June, with one of the mothers from the Zoom group. They meet online or exchange phone calls once, sometimes twice a week to unload. It isn’t all complaining. Listening to one another’s struggles they realize how much they have in common, laughing at things the children have said and joking at times that their emotional survival skills could fill a self-help manual.

Step Three: Find Restorative Stories

Narratives that reaffirm the possibility of resilience have been shown to improve the ability to recover from stress. We can select these kinds of stories not only by limiting our consumption of toxic media, but by seeking out stories (true and fictional) that portray redemptive struggles. In our personal lives we can pay closer attention to the resourcefulness we hear in the stories told by family and friends, even as we attend to their pain. Also, let’s not overlook evidence of emotional strength and success that is present in the memories from our  past.

The calls with June have taken on a new tone. Bridget has joined the IVOH (Images and Voices Of Hope) Facebook group and found other self-help websites with tips for helping her friend. She listens now for evidence of June’s resilience, and points out examples of qualities that have made June such a gifted parent. The new tone of the conversation helps them both feel stronger, with June often returning the favour.

Directing her attention toward realistic, positive thoughts has become an uplifting practice, with connection to nature as the way to get there.  She takes brisk walks in the park, breathing deeply and observing nature, experiencing each time a positive change in her mood and perspective. She almost feels like thanking her stress for the motivation to get outside.

Stress hasn’t ended for Bridget, but thanks to a shift in her mindset, stress has shifted its meaning. Would she prefer the stress and the pandemic to end? Of course, she would. In the meantime, by changing her relationship to stress she has come to feel less helpless, less lonely, more enthusiastic and empowered.

The Upside of Stress

I published “The Yoga of Divorce” in 2016 to describe how I used yoga to manage the stress that was hijacking my life during my divorce and to forge a win-win amicable parting. I was responding to my fear of stress, based on the widely-accepted view that it could damage my physical and mental well-being. Although the stress reduction practices I outlined there are valid, that viewpoint turns out to be only half of the truth.

Recent research presents compelling evidence that stress can in fact be good for us if we change our attitude to it. In her famous TED talk How To Make Stress Your Friend and in her bestselling book The Upside of Stress, Kelly McGonigal, a researcher from Stanford University, argues that how we think of stress can determine whether we have a full-throttle fight-and-flight style threat response, or whether those same stressors result in increased energy and higher performance.

The evidence comes, in part, from “mindset intervention” experiments developed by David Yeager, a mindset researcher at the University of Texas, in which students listened to a brief talk on the energetic benefits of stress immediately prior to a stressful examination. Students who heard evidence of the upside of stress had improved recall and focus because they viewed stress as an ally rather than an enemy. Those who received the “intervention” not only scored better than those who didn’t, but their grades remained significantly higher throughout the academic year.

McGonigal isn’t denying the debilitating impact of stress. It can undermine your ability to cope and harm mental and physical health, nor does she discount the evidence-based benefits of mindfulness as a tool to manage stress. Her point is that for most of us, most of the time, viewing stress as harmful increases the risk of feeling overwhelmed and hopeless when facing stressful situations. Our fear of stress is the source of its power to harm our health. Her advice is that rather than seeking to avoid or control stress, we can choose to change our relationship to it. She argues that welcoming anxiety and stress, seeing it as a natural source of energy and alertness, can boost confidence and improve resilience.

She reports on a Gallop World Poll spanning 121 countries which showed that the happiest people were not those who report less stress, but those who manage high stress without becoming depressed. The “stress paradox” is her term for the discovery that high stress correspond with distress, and also with a sense of meaning and accomplishment.

When you take this view, life doesn’t become less stressful, but it can become more meaningful. Our culture often celebrates a risk-free life of ease and comfort. McGonigal suggests that we find greater satisfaction from challenging ourselves to meet uncertain goals. Quoting from Antonella Della Fave, she concludes that “the more directly one aims to maximize pleasure and avoid pain, the more likely one is to produce instead a life bereft of depth, meaning and community”.

In this month’s blogpost I’ve introduced this radical shift in thinking about stress; next month I’ll describe McGonigal’s recommendations for HOW we can build a richer, more authentic life by speaking out about our stress and reaching out to serve others.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

Learning to Look On The Bright Side

Last month’s blog looked at “learned helplessness”, a kind of paralysis which can take over a person’s life in response to overwhelming stress.  Martin Seligman, the researcher who first named the condition noted its association with pessimism along with a high risk for PTSD and depression.

He used 3 Ps to explain why people give up after being knocked about by life. They come to believe:

1.     Adversity will always occur (is Permanent);

2.     It will occur in all areas of life (is Pervasive) and

3.     They are powerless to change it (is Personal).

This month, the good news. Martin Seligman, who coined the term “learned helplessness” also came up with the concept of “learned optimism”.

Really? Can optimism be learned?

Most mothers will tell you their children were born with either a cheery or fragile disposition. To some extent those traits are hardwired. Yet despite inborn temperament, the evidence is conclusive. Humans have the capacity, with effort, to adjust their disposition and enhance their own well-being. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_optimism

Seligman’s model presents a 5-step ABCDE sequence. Here’s how it might work in the case of Bridget, who I introduced last month. A single parent, she was overwhelmed with having to work, manage the house and monitor her children’s schooling in a pandemic

1.     Adversity: she’s feeling stuck and overwhelmed, yet hasn’t reached out to her mother or best friend.

2.     Belief: she predicts her mother and best friend will give unwanted advice and react impatiently to her complaints. She fears they don’t really care about her.

3.     Consequence: the result of these negative beliefs is that she remains isolated, unheard and lonely and feels powerless to help herself.

Steps A, B & C present the dilemma. Points D & E outline what Bridget can do to overcome her feeling of helplessness.

4.     Dispute: She challenges her assumptions, asking herself how certain she can be that they’ll respond the way she fears. She brings to times her mother and friend were attentive and helpful. She realizes she can’t really know how they will respond if she calls.

5.     Energization: she begins to feel hopeful, that it may be worth reaching out. She notices that she’s still nervous. She’s vulnerable. It will take courage to phone – to share her pain and uncertainty. Only one way to find out - she picks up the phone.

The goal isn’t a quick fix, but to help empower Bridget to think about the situation differently. She can more energetically assess her options and thereby act to improve her mental health.

In his bestselling book Learned Optimism, Seligman suggests that people suffering from learned helplessness pay attention to the underlying thoughts that influence their emotions and behaviours and actively challenge their own hasty conclusions. His technique is a variation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Seligman is NOT claiming we should always be optimistic. He recommends Balanced optimism, deciding NOT to choose an optimistic prediction if the risk of being wrong would be catastrophic. For example, Bridget might consider quitting her job on the optimistic prediction of winning the lottery. If the prediction is wrong, she could end up homeless, so optimism wouldn’t be wise. With respect to calling her mother or friend, however, the risk of being wrong would be no greater than a difficult conversation. It therefore makes sense to make the call.

Next month’s blog looks at “The Upside of Stress” by Kelly McGonigal. Her research concludes that meaning and purpose are enhanced by changing your relationship to stress – by choosing to make discomfort meaningful rather than trying to avoid it – and provides tips on how doing so can empower you to be strengthened and enriched by stress. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.

When Misfortune Leaves You Paralyzed: The Dilemma of “Learned Helplessness”

Bridget is a single mother, suffering in the midst of the pandemic. She feels overwhelmed by the weight of homeschooling her children while working from home at half her former wages. In addition to the necessities of shopping, cooking, cleaning and caregiving, she can’t stop thinking of how she dropped out of college, about the great job she lost, and how her marriage fell apart. After a sleepless night, her life seems to her like a litany of failures with no way out of the gloom. She worries she’s reached the breaking point, yet can’t muster the motivation to call her mother or best friend for support. She imagines they’re tired of her complaints and will just offer unwanted advice. She emails her ex to pick up the kids and crawls back under the covers, trapped and alone.

Many of us have felt something akin to Bridget’s emotional paralysis. You may have experienced a sense of futility that temporarily sapped your motivation. Often it resolves on its own. However, for some, “learned helplessness” becomes a permanent frame of mind, often associated with PTSD and clinical depression. People stuck in a situation, unable to change tracks.

The Oxford dictionary defines “learned helplessness” as “a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed and becomes unable or unwilling to avoid subsequent encounters, even if they are escapable”. The term was coined by Martin Seligman in 1967 after observing the behavior of dogs who lacked the initiative to escape following repeated exposure to electrical shock, despite being offered the opportunity.

Some of my clients express feeling this way in their family or work life. These are intelligent, well-intentioned individuals who may have felt overwhelmed by divorce, health issues, job-loss or stress at work. They are unable to visualize steps to improve their situation. There is no issue of blame here. Given a world in which external forces impose relentless, unwanted pressures beyond their control, the temptation to believe their situation to be hopeless is entirely understandable. But the sense of hopelessness mires them deeper. It blinds them from seeing the one thing they can control, which is their response.

“Learned optimism” is the answer, and Seligman has emerged as a world expert in the field. Along with other positive psychologists such as Kelly McGonigal, (see her TED talk and book: The Upside of Stress) a powerful movement has emerged making a convincing case that learned helplessness can be overcome, and that an attitude of balanced, realistic optimism can, with effort, be acquired.

Bridget may not be able to transform the circumstances that gave rise to her distress, but she can energize and transform her response.  By challenging her automatic thoughts, by expressing her needs in honest, vulnerable conversations and by connecting with others she can shift the lens through which she sees herself and her world.

In next month’s blog I’ll present a more detailed description of practical steps to overcome learned helplessness, and not only to survive, but to grow stronger in response to unwanted stress.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 100 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.