The Deepest Acceptance

So much of our lives are spent running—from pain, from vulnerability, and from everyday struggle. Jeff Foster understands that sense of pursuit. After years of depression and illness, he came to realize that what he had been seeking had been available to him all along—he needed only to shed his resistance and step into the limitless ocean of the present moment. In Jeff’s words, "The armor we wear to protect ourselves from the full experience of life does not really protect us—it just keeps us comfortably numb." In The Deepest Acceptance, Jeff provides readers with a series of insights intended to help strip away that armor and embrace life now, as it is and as you are. This warm, humorous, and candid offering invites us to stop trying to "do" acceptance and start falling in love with "what has already been allowed."

How can we bring an effortless yes to this moment? How do we stop running from “the mess of life”—our predicaments, our frustrations, even our search for liberation—and start flowing with all of it? In small venues throughout the UK and Europe, a young teacher named Jeff Foster is quietly awakening a new generation of spiritual inquirers to the experience of abiding presence and peace in our ever-shifting world. His informal gatherings, blogs, and kitchen-table video posts have created a rising tide of interest in his teachings. With The Deepest Acceptance, Jeff Foster invites us to discover the ocean of who we are: an awareness that has already allowed every wave of emotion and experience to arrive. While Jeff delightfully admits the irony of writing a book to convey something that is beyond words to teach, here he confirms his ability to guide us in unexpected new ways to a space of absolute acceptance and joy, no matter what’s happening in our lives. Candid, thoughtful, humorous—and deeply compassionate toward those searching for a way out of suffering—this refreshing new luminary inspires us to stop trying to “do” acceptance … and start falling in love with “what has already been allowed.” "Wise, spacious, and loving. Teachings that can free the heart." —Jack Kornfield, author of A Lamp in the Darkness and A Path With Heart "There is a transmission in this book: an alive, compassionate presence that invites awakening right here, this very moment, no matter what is going on in our lives." —Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge "A beautifully written guide to the fearlessness and simplicity of living fully immersed in each moment of our lives. The Deepest Acceptance rings with the power and authenticity of Jeff Foster's deeply felt, deeply lived wisdom. His affirmation of life and compassion for the full range of human experience is a much needed contribution." —Judith Blackstone, PhD, author of Belonging Here and The Intimate Life "Jeff Foster is an honest seeker who has unraveled the many trappings of seeking through his faithfulness to the humble ground of being here, now, and his book is a gentle and helpful companion on the journey." —Mark Nepo, author of Staying Awake and Seven Thousand Ways to Listen "The Deepest Acceptance is the story of a merciful awareness, which offers us the heart's inborn destination we were born to discover. Love is the highest form of acceptance. Judgment is the mechanics of non-acceptance.” —Stephen Levine, author of A Year to Live "The Deepest Acceptance is a multi-faceted spiritual gem. Every page transparently illuminates our real nature as naturally accepting, centerless awareness. Jeff has performed a great service in revealing awareness as the already-present source for living our lives in the most loving and meaningful way possible. I am immensely grateful to Jeff for bringing forth the essence of his teaching with such great power, love and sensitivity. A timeless classic through which numberless people will connect with the source of ultimate fulfillment." —Peter Fenner, PhD, author of Radiant Mind and The Edge of Certainty "Jeff has achieved something wonderful with this honest and insightful book - something that benefits all of us and sheds much-needed light on the mystery we call life." —Stephen Gawtry, Managing Editor, Watkins Mind Body Spirit magazine "Throughout The Deepest Acceptance, Jeff Foster offers sentence after sentence that penetrate the mind and heart in a fresh, thrilling, life-changing way." —Raphael Cushnir, author of The One Thing Holding You Back and Surfing Your Inner Sea

The life-changing guide to finding freedom from our self-doubt through the revolutionary practice of Radical Acceptance from the renowned meditation teacher, psychologist, and author—now revised and updated with a new introduction and an in-depth guide to the author’s signature mindfulness techniques. “Radical Acceptance offers us an invitation to embrace ourselves with all our pain, fear, and anxieties, and to step lightly yet firmly on the path of understanding and compassion.”—Thich Nhat Hanh “Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork—all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s forty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students. Writing with great warmth and clarity, Tara Brach brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations. Step by step, she shows us how we can stop being at war with ourselves and begin to live fully every precious moment of our lives.

A new teacher writes lucidly from his own awakened state to show the way out of spiritual seeking and into the acceptance of "all this, here and now."

"Are you in love with the man beside you now or with the man you wish he could one day be? What if you were able to let go of your itch to fix, judge, improve, control, or even nag your partner? There is tremendous empowerment and liberation that comes from loving someone--and being loved--unconditionally. This is called Radical Acceptance. Whether you're looking for Mr. Right or learning how to build a life with him, this is your ... five-step guide to creating a happy, lasting relationship"--

An intense account of Adam’s life and legacy, Soar, Adam, Soar is told both by his loving priest-turned-dad and by Adam himself, through his many included Facebook posts.

Metaphors and exercises play an incredibly important part in the successful delivery of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). These powerful tools go far in helping clients connect with their values and give them the motivation needed to make a real, conscious commitment to change. Unfortunately, many of the metaphors that clinicians use have become stale and ineffective. That’s why you need fresh, new resources for your professional library. In this breakthrough book, two ACT researchers provide an essential A-Z resource guide that includes tons of new metaphors and experiential exercises to help promote client acceptance, defusion from troubling thoughts, and values-based action. The book also includes scripts tailored to different client populations, and special metaphors and exercises that address unique problems that may sometimes arise in your therapy sessions. Several ACT texts and workbooks have been published for the treatment of a variety of psychological problems. However, no one resource exists where you can find an exhaustive list of metaphors and experiential exercises geared toward the six core elements of ACT. Whether you are treating a client with anxiety, depression, trauma, or an eating disorder, this book will provide you with the skills needed to improve lives, one exercise at a time. With a special foreword by ACT cofounder Steven C. Hayes, PhD, this book is a must-have for any ACT Practitioner.

One of the most beloved and trusted mindfulness teachers in America offers a lifeline for difficult times: the RAIN meditation, which awakens our courage and heart Tara Brach is an in-the-trenches teacher whose work counters today's ever-increasing onslaught of news, conflict, demands, and anxieties--stresses that leave us rushing around on auto-pilot and cut off from the presence and creativity that give our lives meaning. In this heartfelt and deeply practical book, she offers an antidote: an easy-to-learn four-step meditation that quickly loosens the grip of difficult emotions and limiting beliefs. Each step in the meditation practice (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) is brought to life by memorable stories shared by Tara and her students as they deal with feelings of overwhelm, loss, and self-aversion, with painful relationships, and past trauma--and as they discover step-by-step the sources of love, forgiveness, compassion, and deep wisdom alive within all of us.