What does acceptance mean?

“It’s not about getting the feeling out of the mind, or hiding it, but about experiencing it with acceptance” - Carl Rogers

If something is painful or terrifying, or just a bit prickly, it's only human to deny it, to run away or attack it. But that doesn't help; it's still there. In time, you need to acknowledge it, so you can work out how to live with it. And to live fully, not just exist under the weight of it, or drag it behind you everywhere you go.

Counselling can't change what happened, but it can offer a space to explore why you feel as you do. I am with you, while you uncover the impact and find your way through. To sit with someone and help them see that whatever happens, you are still human, you are still you, you are accepted, is the heart of counselling.

If it sounds passive, try it. Take radical responsibility for your life, all of it. It takes more courage than avoiding it. And it will free you, from the tug of war with yourself, from the misery of life long patterns.

To return to Carl Rogers, "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change" Is it time for a change for you? Let me know.

Photo by Dejan Zakic on Unsplash