Did anyone but me detect that "Bizarro Mel Lois" had her "notify finger" flexed and poised to strike?

Just Deal With It? Really?

"There is great evidence that what clinicians do works. In fact the average treated client in most studies is better off than 80% of the untreated sample in those studies... I'm saying that there is something about these people [therapists] that makes them better at their work overall... These [therapists] are people who seem to get reliably better outcomes, and here's what they are: they are open to feedback, in other words they listen to what the consumer is saying, as opposed to relying on their ideology or treatment technology, or training."

On the one hand, "just deal with it" strikes a certain down-to-earth common sense note. On the other hand, it is hardly a radically new concept. To me, learning to "deal with it" suggests learning to accept some of the unpleasant givens in one's own physical condition, genetic predisposition, or existential situation. There is a whole mindfulness tradition emanating from Buddhist meditation practices having to do with acceptance. For example, Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance, says in an interview:

"Radical acceptance has two elements: It is an honest acknowledgment of what is going on inside you, and a courageous willingness to be with life in the present moment, just as it is. I sometimes simplify it to �recognizing' and �allowing.' You can accept an experience without liking it. In fact, let's say you are feeling stuck in anxiety and disliking the feeling. Radical Acceptance includes accepting both the feelings of anxiety and the aversion to it. In fact, acceptance is not real and not healing unless it honestly includes all aspects of your experience."

Similarly, a number of Western psychotherapeutic approaches have embraced the notion of acceptance as a key component in their approach. For example, Dr. Steven Hayes has been developing and researching for the past 30 years an approach he calls ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy). I recently interviewed Russ Harris MD who has written The Happiness Trap an ACT-based self-help book. In that interview, Harris describes Acceptance in the following terms, saying "... it creates this expansive space inside them where they can open up and make room for difficult feelings and difficult emotions and difficult thoughts and just kind of let those difficult thoughts and emotions flow through their body without getting pushed around by them, without getting held back by them and also without getting into a fight or struggle with them... it massively reduces their impact over them."

Looks like common sense is spreading in some quarters!

You're sweet.

So, progressive study says; Just stop it!

Like a rattle snake!

I'm thinking that's the "Special Reserved-For-NG Mod Notify Finger"!