What is Acceptance Therapy?
Acceptance Therapy, which is sometimes called “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” is a form of therapy designed to help patients come to terms with difficult situations, relationships, and personal deficiencies (physical, mental, and personality).
Acceptance therapy focuses on getting patients to accept things they cannot control or change after repeated attempts to change them. Acceptance therapy encourages patients to embrace changes actively and positively within themselves to help adapt, cope and accept the challenging situation. For acceptance therapy to work, it is imperative to let go of the toxic feelings of holding grudges, hopelessness, powerlessness. You have all the power and courage to change YOU when you can’t change anything else.
Here is an example:
You grew up with divorced parents, and you promised yourself that if you ever got married and had kids, you would never want your children to go through the same thing. Now, as an adult, you are married and have three kids. Your relationship with your spouse is challenging and you have reservations about their lack of involvement with the kids and household chores. You’ve tried many ways (including professional help) to get your spouse more involved, but it only works temporarily before they rebound to their previous state. However, you know that a divorce would come with its own set of challenges for yourself and your family. In this case, acceptance therapy would help you focus on what you can do to keep the marriage going and adjust your own expectations to accommodate the lack of involvement from your spouse. You have the power and courage to apply for a divorce, but you instead choose to use your power and courage to support the family and find ways to accept the things you won’t be able to change.