I listened to Tara Brach's webcast on Wednesday in which she discussed "The Mindful Path to Radical Acceptance." She explained her work using the acronym RAIN. She asks people to first pause and then to work on Recognising what is actually happening in that moment: Allow it, or say yes to it: Investigate it with Intimacy; and Not identify with it.

So the first step is to see clearly what is happening and what you are reacting to--this could range from the recognition that you are involved in an argument with someone, to a moment of sadness. The second step is accepting that this is what you are feeling and this is the situation that you are in and allowing yourself to experience it in its fullness. The third step is to ask yourself not why or how this is happening and see if the experience or feeling links to memory or beliefs. Stay with the feeling, ask the question and see what opens up for you. And it is important to do this in the spirit of gentle loving kindness, with out forcing or judging the experience. The final step is to allow yourself space within the experience. The feeling is not you, it is simply how you feel in that moment.

I love the use of the acronym to help people in developing a response to a situation and to manage their reactivity. She had many other important point to make, all of them validating the methods that I already use!

Last changed: Feb 13 2017 at 5:03 PM