Daily Calm: Marsha Linehan and the skill of acceptance

Daily Calm, from Central London Hypnotherapy

Marsha Linehan, the psychologist who created dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), died on 10 November aged 83, Medindia reports. Her central idea still sounds bold to anyone caught in a loop of worry: you can accept exactly how you feel right now and, in the same breath, work to change it. That pairing of acceptance and change shaped a generation of therapy, and a trial published this week suggests it reaches well beyond the clinic.

What the study found

Strictly, the news is an obituary rather than a trial. The report describes how Linehan, a professor at the University of Washington, built DBT for people facing intense emotional instability, self-harm and suicidal behaviour. Her method teaches four groups of practical skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. The article carries no trial data, so it tells us what DBT is and why it mattered, not how well it works or for whom.

Acceptance under pressure

Fresh research reaches the same place from a very different starting point. In a randomised trial of 80 elite taekwondo athletes, an eight-week mindfulness and acceptance programme eased worry and physical nerves more than standard psychological skills training built on goal setting, self-talk and relaxation. The athletes also gained confidence and became quicker at switching between mental tasks. Unlike Linehan's work, which grew out of severe distress, this was a fit, driven group facing competition. Yet both point the same way: fighting a feeling tends to feed it, whereas making room for it frees attention for what matters. The trial was modest in size, leaned partly on questionnaires and did not track fight results, so it is a promising signal rather than the final word.

Why this matters on a London weekday

Think of the pulse that quickens before a presentation, or the knot that tightens on a packed Tube platform. The usual instinct is to argue with it: calm down, stop it, not now. Linehan's skills and the taekwondo programme both suggest a different first move. Name the feeling, let it sit, then choose the next useful action. Acceptance is not giving up; it is the ground that change stands on.

What it means for you

• When anxiety rises, describe it in plain words ("tight chest, fast thoughts") before trying to fix it.
• Pair every act of acceptance with one small step: a slower breath, a glass of water, the first line of that email.
• Practise in easy moments, so the skill is ready when the pressure is real.

How hypnotherapy fits

A 2019 review of controlled trials found that the average person who had hypnosis reduced their anxiety more than roughly 79% of people in the comparison groups, which is why hypnotherapy is so widely used to help relieve anxiety. The focused, absorbed state of hypnosis is a natural place to rehearse acceptance: you meet a familiar surge, stay with it, then practise the calm response you want. Hypnotherapy in London gives you that rehearsal face to face, and many clients add self-hypnosis training in London so the skill comes home with them.

Tim Dunton, an Advanced and Ericksonian hypnotherapist trained since 2004, is a GHR member and an NLP Master Practitioner who learned directly from Richard Bandler and John Grinder. His hypnotherapy for anxiety in London blends acceptance with practical change, one session at a time.

Book a free consultation. Start with a free 15 to 30 minute call by phone or video: book your free consultation or ring 07975 653893.

The research

1. Medindia. Marsha Linehan dies at 83: dialectical behavior therapy legacy, 2026. https://www.medindia.net/news/marsha-linehan-dies-at-83-dialectical-behavior-therapy-legacy-225896-1.htm

2. Effects and mechanisms of mindfulness acceptance commitment training on anxiety and cognitive flexibility in elite taekwondo athletes: a randomized controlled trial (n=80), 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/43013947/

3. Valentine KE et al. The efficacy of hypnosis as a treatment for anxiety: a meta-analysis, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31251710/

Tags: anxiety · research · acceptance · London

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