343
From DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition  by Marsha M. Linehan. Copyright 2015 by Marsha M. Linehan. Permission 
to photocopy this handout is granted to purchasers of this book for personal use only (see copyright page for details).distress tolerance Handout 11a  
radical a cceptance: f actors That interfere
raDical a ccep Tance iS n oT:
Approval, compassion, love, passivity, or against change.
facTorS Tha T inTerfere W iTh accep Tance
1. You don’t have the skills for acceptance; you do not know 
how to accept really painful events and facts.
2. You believe that if you accept a painful event, you are making light of it or are approving of the facts, and that nothing will be done to change or prevent future painful 
events.
3. Emotions get in the way (unbearable sadness; anger at 
the person or group that caused the painful event; rage at the injustice of the world; overwhelming shame about who you are; guilt about your own behavior).
Other: