Today, Marielle and Ed discuss the skill of Radical Acceptance. Radical Acceptance is a Distress Tolerance skill that helps you stop fighting reality, however painful that reality is. When you can fully open up and radically accept what is happening in the present moment, suffering decreases.

Show Highlights:

Getting too focused on change can sometimes backfire
Radical acceptance is not against change
Radical acceptance is different than plain old acceptance
Our instinct is often to fight painful things that are happening
Radical acceptance is not negating a sense of justice or fairness
Denial of reality can keep us from taking steps towards change
Acceptance does not equal approval
Accepting painful things can be a process
The first step in moving forward from painful things is accepting that they did happen
Sadness often comes up when we radically accept
Pain is a part of life for everyone – it can’t be avoided
It’s a fallacy to think that if you accept things you don’t like about yourself you won’t change
Radical acceptance doesn’t mean we don’t have preferences
We need to radically accept the past
If you are practicing Radical Acceptance of something in the future make sure you are only accepting known limitations
Willing Hands is a skill that can help you Radically Accept
To practice Willing Hands, turn your palms towards the sky and relax your arms
When we fight reality, we are often holding a lot of tension in our bodies

Links & Resources

www.bayareadbtcc.com

DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition (https://www.guilford.com/books/DBTSk...)

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