Welcome to Acceptance. In this module you will learn about the key elements of acceptance, including what it is, why it is practiced, and how it may be beneficial for you.
All modules follow the same 3 part format. Part 1 is for grounding. Part 2 is for learning. Part 3 is for practicing. Along the way you’ll see prompts to check in with how this module feels, and you can use the workspaces provided to reflect (if it suits you).
Part 1: Grounding
-
Part 1: Grounding -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Take a moment to be still and ground yourself in the way you know to be right for you.
To get started, please choose an exercise for regulation and grounding. For this exercise, whichever option you select, try to notice what happens to your body when your mind tells it what to do. It may accept the instruction, knowing you are working from a place of safety and growth mindset, it may resist in anticipation of future discomfort. You don’t have to do anything with this feeling, simply notice it.
Once you have finished regulating your nervous system and taking control of your attention, you may wish to get a small ‘fidget tool’ or a pillow to hold. This can help with maintaining attentional control, comfort, and a feeling of security.
Part 2: Learning
-
Part 2: Learning -
Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. ~ Epictetus
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) views acceptance as willingness to experience thoughts, feelings, and sensations without trying to change, avoid, or suppress them. It involves opening up to these experiences, even if they are uncomfortable or distressing, and allowing them to exist without judgment or resistance.
To do this, we don’t have to resign ourselves to suffering, or passively endure hardships, instead we pay attention to the experiences we are having internally, and make room for them in our lives. We acknowledge them and create space for them to exist, even the difficult ones. When we pay attention to, acknowledge, and create space for our internal experiences to exist, we become more psychologically flexible, and can better adapt to life’s challenges and pursue our goals, even in the presence of difficult experiences.
Acceptance can feel raw and vulnerable, because we have natural tendencies to make snap judgements and, consciously or not, label things as good or bad. Accepting something ‘bad’ can be extremely difficult. We naturally tend to work away from those feelings of discomfort, and sometimes even danger. Acceptance does not mean standing still when you’re on fire. Rather it means tuning into the fire, the source, and the environment such that you can more effectively respond to it. Paying attention and acknowledging the fire instead of pretending otherwise, or misunderstanding the source of the pain, is a critical step in addressing the true issues at hand.
Practicing acceptance allows us to build a more compassionate and non-judgemental relationship with ourselves, and our inner experiences, which is a foundational element in personal growth, transformation, and healing. Acceptance can also help with emotional regulation, allowing us to engage with our emotions with non-judgemental awareness and openness. This can help us to really see and feel what’s going on inside as often we get caught up in emotions or experiences that aren’t really the core of the issue. Engaging with our experiences this way can also promote resilience, and improve relationship harmony as we learn how to engage with more compassion, and less judgement.
Module Preparation WorkSpace
Before you start a practice within a module, it is best practice check in with your mind. This workspace will help you notice your own thinking and can help to guide family or other supports in how best to support you through this module. Your answers are likely to change a bit each time you come to this workspace, and with each new area of focus you decide to work on. Take your time. YOUR answers are the right answers.
Part 3: Practice
-
Part 3: Practice -
This section offers descriptions of two different exercises you can try to tap into the concepts detailed within this module. Feel free to try one, or both, and see what suits you. One may resonate better than another, or one may feel more accessible today. Well done for taking the time and making yourself a priority.
Exercise one
One effective Acceptance and Commitment Therapy exercise to foster acceptance is called "Leaves on a Stream." Here's how to do it:
1. Find a Comfortable Position: Sit in a comfortable and relaxed position. You can do this exercise with your eyes open or closed, whichever feels more comfortable for you.
2. Imagine a Stream: Visualize a gentle stream flowing in front of you. Picture the water moving steadily, carrying leaves along its surface.
3. Place Your Thoughts on Leaves: As thoughts, emotions, or sensations arise in your mind, imagine placing them on leaves and letting them float down the stream. Don't try to control or change these thoughts—simply observe them and allow them to pass.
4. Notice Without Judgment: As you watch the leaves float by, notice any judgments or reactions that arise. Practice observing these judgments with curiosity and without getting caught up in them.
5. Return to the Stream: If you find yourself getting carried away by thoughts or emotions, gently bring your focus back to the image of the stream and the leaves floating by. Remember that thoughts are like leaves on the stream—temporary and ever-changing.
6. Practice Acceptance: Throughout the exercise, cultivate an attitude of acceptance towards whatever arises in your mind. Embrace each thought, emotion, or sensation as a natural part of your experience, without trying to push it away or hold onto it.
7. Repeat as Needed: You can continue this exercise for as long as you like, allowing yourself to become more comfortable with the practice of acceptance over time.
"Leaves on a Stream" is a simple yet powerful exercise that helps us practice acceptance by observing our thoughts and emotions with mindfulness and allowing them to flow without resistance. It teaches the valuable skill of observing experiences without getting entangled in them, fostering greater psychological flexibility and well-being.
Exercise two
An exercise from Dialectical Behavioural Therapy for fostering acceptance is called "Willow Tree." Here's how to practice it:
1. Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or stand in a comfortable position in a quiet space where you won't be disturbed.
2. Imagine Yourself as a Willow Tree: Visualize yourself as a majestic willow tree, with roots extending deep into the ground and branches swaying gently in the breeze.
3. Ground Yourself: Feel the solid support of the earth beneath you, like the roots of the willow tree grounding you in the present moment.
4. Notice Your Thoughts and Emotions: As thoughts and emotions arise in your mind, imagine them as leaves or birds gently landing on the branches of the willow tree.
5. Let Them Come and Go: Instead of trying to control or suppress your thoughts and emotions, allow them to come and go freely, like leaves rustling in the wind or birds taking flight.
6. Practice Non-judgmental Awareness: Observe your thoughts and emotions with curiosity and without judgment. Notice them as passing phenomena, neither good nor bad, simply part of your inner experience.
7. Embrace Impermanence: Recognize that, like the leaves on the branches of the willow tree, your thoughts and emotions are impermanent. They will eventually pass, making room for new experiences to arise.
8. Cultivate Acceptance: Embrace each moment as it is, accepting yourself and your experience with kindness and compassion, just as the willow tree accepts the leaves and birds that come and go.
9. Return to the Present Moment: Whenever you notice your mind wandering or becoming caught up in thoughts, gently bring your focus back to the present moment and the image of the willow tree.
The Willow Tree exercise is a metaphorical visualization that encourages individuals to approach their thoughts and emotions with acceptance and non-judgmental awareness. By embodying the qualities of a willow tree—grounded, resilient, and accepting—we can cultivate greater acceptance of ourselves and our experiences.
After practicing an exercise is a great time to check in with your mind. This workspace will help you notice your mind, and maybe if anything has changed since you started the module. Your answers are likely to change a bit each time you come to this workspace, and with each new area of focus you decide to work on. Take your time.
