Mediation is best conducted in the present moment. The challenge for the mediator and the parties is to remain in the present as each moment unfolds rather than rush to find a solution.
When participants to mediation connect with each other through safe, constructive conversation the outcomes are better for both. Mediators who focus on being totally present in the moment are best able to engage with the participants. Mediators need to suspend a desire to solve the problem and seek an understanding of the participant's human experience by having a reflective, imaginative, and often unconscious mental state. In social science this is called reverie. Reverie is used as a tool for reflexivity, helping mediators become aware of their own emotional responses and unconscious biases during the mediation process. It allows mediators to move beyond imposing their own solution on the participants to engage more deeply with participants’ lived experiences.
Reverie enriches the mediator’s capacity to hold space, interpret emotional signals, and guide parties toward resolution.