Legion Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Heathens, I'd appreciate your input here. These are emotional matters, and I have the emotional maturity of a 20 year old. I first heard of this several years ago. It's an idea called radical acceptance. The person who told me about seemed to think it was relevant to me. But I'm dubious. Here's an article on it... http://www.tarabrach.com/articles/trauma.html I don't know what to make of it. I didn't really even know which forum to post it in. I sort of wanted to put it in the Den so that we could rip it to shreds if we so desired. Anyway, yeah. I would value your perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Heathens, I'd appreciate your input here. These are emotional matters, and I have the emotional maturity of a 20 year old. I first heard of this several years ago. It's an idea called radical acceptance. The person who told me about seemed to think it was relevant to me. But I'm dubious. Here's an article on it... http://www.tarabrach...les/trauma.html I don't know what to make of it. I didn't really even know which forum to post it in. I sort of wanted to put it in the Den so that we could rip it to shreds if we so desired. Anyway, yeah. I would value your perspective. Sounds like inner child work with a new name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailBlazer Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 “Radical Acceptance,” which means clearly recognizing what we are feeling in the present moment and regarding that experience with compassion. I'm noticing a few different things in this article; it's like a hodge-podge of a few good therapeutic ideas meshed together with Buddhist values. I will keep a running commentary as I read: Brach's description of what brought her to "Radical Acceptance" sounds like a phenomenon some shrinks label "Confirmed Negativity Condition". Basically, it's a negative mindset that is perpetuated by a harsh inner-voice and a tendency to either live too much in the past, or too much in the future. Treatment involves bringing the person into an increased awareness of the present then eradicating the negative mindset by challenging it with positive affirmations. A technique called Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) would be most useful to help individuals fully accept traumatic memories. It involves opening up past issues while keeping oneself fully aware of the present moment (that they are safe in their therapist's office) by distracting one part of the brain with a sensory task like following a light (hence the eye-movement part of the name) or tapping their hands, or any other repetitious sensory stimulation. This allows another part of the brain to accept and reprocess the memories without going back to the past to relive the memory. Rosalie could benefit from Xanax, EMDR, and therapeutic techniques that allow her to express herself, such as art therapy or equine therapy. She may have been a good candidate for Remuda Ranch. What Brach did with Rosalie under hypnosis was a form of integration therapy in psychoanalysis. The goal of this is to get the client to go back and accept themselves, so as to un-dissociate from their childhood memories and reprocess those buried emotions. The meditation technique Brach later taught her is frequently used with clients who suffer from anxiety. Had Rosalie been more than "mildly anorexic" I would have criticized Brach's approach, but whatever she did seemed to work. My immediate gut feeling is that this therapy has some validity. When I was recovering from anorexia myself I used several meditation techniques and EMDR therapy. Brach seems to have found a way to simplify a lot of more complex therapeutic techniques and principles and she's added her own Buddhist spin to it. Good for her! Not right for every therapist and certainly not right for every client, but "Radical Acceptance" does seem to have some validity under the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Alright, thank you Midnight and TrailBlazer. I don't know. It sorts seems like an amorphous, nebulous, kind of all purpose emotional salve or placebo to me. It's too soft and non-specific to be of much use to me. But perhaps others may gain from it. Thank you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Oh! I wanted to ask you TrailBlazer... Why does your knowledge here seem so extensive? How did you come to know all these things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailBlazer Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Oh! I wanted to ask you TrailBlazer... Why does your knowledge here seem so extensive? How did you come to know all these things? It's like this, I am a psychology nerd with ADHD. I spend much of my free time in my cave of a bedroom reading psych research, case reports, DSM V revisions, psychology textbooks, and anything else I can get my hands on. Freud and Jung are my homeboys and I'm pretty tight with Berne and Erikson. I'm also a few credits shy of completing my BS in psychology in hope to someday earn a PhD. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Oh! I wanted to ask you TrailBlazer... Why does your knowledge here seem so extensive? How did you come to know all these things? It's like this, I am a psychology nerd with ADHD. I spend much of my free time in my cave of a bedroom reading psych research, case reports, DSM V revisions, psychology textbooks, and anything else I can get my hands on. Freud and Jung are my homeboys and I'm pretty tight with Berne and Erikson. I'm also a few credits shy of completing my BS in psychology in hope to someday earn a PhD. Nah, nah. It's like this. See? BRAVO! I've long had a fascination with the mind too. I was recently reading a textbook called "The Adaptive Mind". But I had to set it to the side because I was extrememly disappointed that the authors seemed entirely unaware of anticipation. They seemed to be operating under a reactive paradigm. Not that you need suggestions from me, but... If you are so inclined, then I highly recommend acquainting yourself with anticipation in the context of psychology. It could very well put you ahead of the pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailBlazer Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Anticipation? Hmm I'll look into it! And don't be hatin' on the placebo effect, just because it's not real does not discredit it (Wow, I just drew a disturbing religious parallel.) The placebo effect is an amazing testament to the power of the human mind, and if Radical Acceptance can draw from that to heal people, then great. Personally, I think Jesus used the placebo effect all the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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