‘No area of understanding is more relevant and important to mediation competency than a basic understanding of how the human brain functions, perceives events, processes emotional notions, cognitive response and formulates decisions. The awareness of cognitive neuroscience and psychology are at the heart of our work in managing conflict and problem solving.’ Robert Benjamin, 2009. Experienced mediators rely on instinct, intuition and experience to assist disputants and counsel with high-conflict personality and heightened emotions, over-confident case theories and assessments, deeply held beliefs and barriers to rational deals. Regardless of the outcome, it is difficult for practitioners to identify the precise microactions taken individually or collectively by the mediator(s), disputants and/or counsel that turns a mediation, and pinpoint exactly what worked and why. This session aims to explore the science behind the instincts, intuitions and experience of experienced mediators, and considers the latest research on how and why disputants and counsel behave the way they do at mediations. We survey the landscape of neuroscience and psychology behind mediators’ interventions that may turn an impasse into a successful outcome, and discuss how neuropsychology may help provide mediators and counsel with structures and tools to assist disputants.