What Is Radical Acceptance? How to Apply the Emotional Practice in Daily Life

What comes to mind when you hear the word “acceptance?” Maybe it’s the idea of making peace with something or taking it as-is. For some readers, this concept might feel threatening or lead to questions of accountability. 

“Radical acceptance” is a phrase gaining popularity in the mental health community because it allows us to set down emotional burdens and see things through impartial eyes. However appealing it may be to some, it may feel truly unnatural to others. Neither approach is incorrect, and both can gain from engaging in the Buddha-inspired practice. 

Dr. Tara Brach popularized the thought in her self-guided book, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of Buddha. In it, she teaches the concept with attention to emotional turmoil, life changes, and things we wish we held more control over. In it, Brach practices acknowledging chaos around her (like a sneeze in her direction during yoga class) with a simple “yes.” “Yes,” this is happening. “Yes,” I cannot change it. 

Brach also offers the idea of welcoming “Mara” to tea (a reference to the demon in Buddhist literature) rather than fighting to be free of the negative energy. By welcoming discomfort in our own lives, we face it with acceptance, rather than pretending it does not exist or fighting against the feeling. 

While Brach dives much deeper into radical acceptance throughout the book, the takeaway is simple: we can find peace in all parts of our personal rollercoaster by acknowledging what is happening in the present. This may be how we’re feeling, an unchangeable outcome, or a deeply felt want. Acceptance isn’t about avoiding action. It’s about confidently embracing whatever stands in front of us, even if the emotion attached to it doesn’t feel like a positive one. 

By welcoming our current experience, we take away the power for it to shake, scare, or pause us. We grow strength in the here and now — a large teaching in Buddhism, as well as a cornerstone of some therapeutic techniques. 

In different wording, we practice radical acceptance in behavioral therapies like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which encourages us to tolerate distress and pause before reacting. Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) also focuses on a bit of acceptance through grounding in the 5 senses, common sense, and here-and-now sensory data. Even general mindfulness asks us to find peace and presence with our emotions, rather than ignoring how we feel to feel quick-relief comfort. 

The goal of these practices is not to remove discomfort but to meet it with acceptance. This proves to our brains, and our nervous systems, that we are valid in experiencing a feeling. It reduces personal shame and invites kindness to settle into all parts of the human experience.

No matter how you practice “acceptance,” applying the concept in daily practice can lower stress levels, build confidence, and grant us the ability to weather hardship through peaceful and powerful eyes. A quick reminder: any practice that addresses our way of thinking takes time and practice. It’s okay if it takes time to find comfort in the discomfort. In fact, it’s a great time to accept that growth isn’t always easy. 

For more information on therapy types using acceptance and emotional tolerance, click here.