Radical Acceptance

Book Review

At first, I was pretty skeptical about this book.  As a scientist by training, I was worried that this book was going to be a little too “hippy dippy” for me.  For example, there’s a flower on the cover of the book, and it talks about living with “The Heart of a Buddha!”

As I began reading, it didn’t take long before I was blown away by this book. It almost felt like the author, Tara Brach, was speaking directly to me and consoling my soul.  Somehow, she knew exactly what I desperately needed to hear.

The essence of this book is that you need to have a really honest conversation with yourself and assess what you are doing to mask your own pain. Damn.
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As many of us with chronic health issues are aware, we’re in a lot of pain - often both mental AND physical - and this takes a toll.

For us, anger and fear are often served alongside a healthy dose of pain.  

I used to often ask myself in anger, “Why has my body failed me? What have I done to deserve this?”  Tara helped reframe my view of my health issues - describing a Buddhist teaching that “to be human is to suffer”, and since we all suffer, we hold compassion for ourselves as well as others.  In essence, we can choose to practice Radical Acceptance.

And fear? The Title of Chapter 7 is: Opening Our Heart in the Face of Fear.  

This chapter was particularly impactful for me because I had lived in a constant state of fear with my mast cell disorder - fear that my symptoms would flare at work, at dinner, while sleeping, anywhere.  I felt that my body was “out of control,” and I had no idea what to expect.

Viewing both my body and suffering through a self-compassionate lens was revolutionary for me.  Once I stopped being so angry at my body and symptoms, I actually started to heal!

Along with The Last Best Cure and The Body Keeps the Score, this is one of the books that comprises my “Healing Trilogy”.  I highly recommend it for a different perspective on how to view your life and suffering from chronic illness!