ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that mediators push engagement with feelings further to make mediation a truly embodied process. Mediators can go beyond honouring the expression of disputant feelings to including the tactile environment and disputants’ physical and neurological responses. Mediators care about how disputants feel and expert mediators know just when and how to intervene in order to make the most of disputants’ feelings. Popular culture mediators have expert intuition and they prioritize feelings, recognize emotions and value stories. Disputants’ stories need to be validated because sometimes their stories involve real blame. Intuition born of expertise can help a mediator make sense of an event or decide on her next intervention, and, according to Greg Rooney, it comes from the in-the-moment experience in the mediation chamber. The best mediators are those who encourage the expression of feelings, create more embodied sessions and base interventions on their expert intuition.
