Radical Acceptance Skill

Radical acceptance in DBT is all about accepting reality rather than fighting it. At the core of radical acceptance is the belief that when a distressing situation is beyond your control, it is pointless to fight it. But even if you cannot change a situation, you can still change how you respond to it.

Radical acceptance is one of the most effective coping skills in DBT, which encourages you to accept the reality of overwhelming situations without judgement. Through acceptance and mindfulness, you can then change how you think about it. The result is a response that helps you manage and cope with the situation better than being defeated by it. Radical acceptance is complete acceptance in mind, body, and soul; it helps you avoid fighting stressful situations despite their intensity, which can make you act impulsively. Accepting a situation and reacting positively or efficiently makes you an emotionally stronger person.

Main points in Radical Acceptance

• Complete acceptance,
• Avoid a mental conflict
• Detach from the anguish or negativity of the situation
• Be mindful of your emotions
• Learning that rejection of a crisis will not make it go away
• The future is limited
• Everything happens for a reason
• Explore solutions
• Life is about living; it involves happiness and pain, but nothing is permanent; everything will pass.