Acceptance is the willingness to make space for thoughts, feelings, and sensations, even when they’re uncomfortable. Its opposite, experiential avoidance, is when clients try to push away, numb, or control inner experiences. While avoidance can provide short-term relief, it usually backfires — pain rebounds, life shrinks, and the struggle intensifies.
In therapy, you’d work on acceptance when a client’s life is dominated by the “battle with feelings.” For example, someone might avoid social events to escape anxiety, or suppress grief to avoid sadness. Acceptance is not about liking or resigning to pain; it’s about dropping the fight so energy can be redirected toward meaningful living.
Metaphors (like the “tug of war with the monster” or “passengers on the bus”) can help clients see the futility of control and experiment with openness. Acceptance creates the flexibility needed to move forward despite discomfort.
