Dis-solving Conflict from Within: How to Transform Conflicts into Opportunities for Growth, Connection and Dialogue

Dis-Solving Conflict from Within presents a new paradigm for looking at conflict. Written by a professional mediator (and an occasional adventure motorcyclist), this book presents a mindfulness-based framework for understanding conflict, and more importantly, responding to conflict with strength, clarity, and ease as opposed to reacting to it with fear, avoidance, or aggression. The first part of the book takes the reader step by step through the method, drawing on famous teachings in both conflict resolution and mindfulness, real-life examples from the author’s own practice, and colorful anecdotes from his personal adventures, which included riding a motorcycle across the Himalayas. The rest of the book is a very practical application for how these teachings can transform the way we live our lives – in conflicts ranging from arguments with your spouse and debates about current affairs at your dinner table to greater societal conflicts and existential challenges facing us.

At once spiritually based, and yet also immensely practical, this book is relevant not just for conflict resolution professionals, but for anyone who wants to live more peacefully with the people around them. In a signature style that is both educational and funny – and always all his own – Henry Yampolsky draws on his formal education, his life experiences, and his knowledge and acceptance that all people, no matter their beliefs, are infinitely connected. Distilling conflict down to our most basic needs as human beings leads the reader to the inevitable conclusion that we are not so different after all. While acknowledging the validity of the stories of conflicts created by humans, Yampolsky gently but firmly guides the reader to the same conclusion he has come to – that conflict can be transformed into an opportunity for growth, connection, and dialogue once we learn to turn within.

Henry Yampolsky is a mediator, educator, TEDx speaker, yogi and lawyer who serves as the Assistant Director for Education, Outreach, and Conflict Resolution at Virginia Tech’s Office for Equity and Accessibility. He also teaches Mediation, Conflict Resolution, and Peace Building as part of Virginia Tech’s Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Henry is a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Mediation Network and is a member of Mediators Beyond Borders International. Henry has worked with hundreds of complex conflicts and has taught and lectured around the world, including at: Virginia Tech, Columbia University School of Law, National Museum of American Jewish History, Bellevue Mediation in Zurich, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samidi (International Gandhi Center and Museum) in New Delhi and at the Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, India. Henry is also a master-level instructor of Sattva Yoga, having studied yoga in Rishikesh, India. Henry’s TEDx talk about what crossing the Himalayas on a motorcycle taught him about conflict, connection, and dialogue is available on TED.com. You can find Henry on his motorcycle in the mountains of Southwest Virginia and also at: www.livingpeaceinstitute.com.