Radical Acceptance - A Poem

Many weeks there are themes in the visits at my clinic.

This week, that idea was radical acceptance. The technical definition is something like this:

Radical Acceptance is a term used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy that was developed by Marcia Linehan. The term refers to the ability to completely accept a situation exactly as it is in the moment without trying to change it.


In my way of thinking, radical acceptance is about not necessarily having to like or embrace something, but rather deciding that it is what it is and not taking all the extra energy it takes to wish, curse, scheme, or imagine it otherwise. Radical acceptance is accepting life on life's terms. This ultimately boils down to accepting that for everything that really matters, we have little control (and pretending or going through life with the belief that we do creates suffering as well as takes up a lot of your bodies resources and leads to lots of stagnation).

So, imagine my surprise when I was emptying an old basket of papers that were about 3 years old and I found this little note that I wrote when I was worrying about repeating the complications I had during the birth of my daughter at the upcoming birth of my son.

Here's what I wrote to myself...

Let Go
THIS is all there is
here is all there is
now is all there is

Let Go
fighting this
will not make it less true
giving in is freedom

There is a difference in being
aware
mindful
intentional
focussed
and control

There is a difference
in what is right
sane
balanced
and healthy
and what you desire.

Here is everything
everything is here.
You do not know what will come
you cannot know the outcome.

You can only be here
you can only make these choices.

Gratitude
Breath
Here
Perfection


Hope it helps you :)
Nicole