Radical Acceptance

“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book.

This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, addictions and perfectionism, loneliness, and overwork—all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s twenty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.

Writing with great warmth and clarity, Tara Brach brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations. Step by step, she leads us to trust our innate goodness, showing how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion that is the essence of Radical Acceptance. Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity.

Instead, it empowers genuine change: healing fear and shame and helping to build loving, authentic relationships. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we can fully live every precious moment.

Many of us, in our daily lives, deal with feelings of deficiency. It doesn’t take much—just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, or making a mistake at work—to make us feel that we are not okay. Radical Acceptance is the first step toward connecting with whom we are and what it means to live fully.