237: Unabridged Interview: Tara Brach

Nov 28, 2025

Tara Brach, a renowned psychologist and meditation teacher, shares her wisdom on mindfulness and emotional healing. She discusses the 'trance of unworthiness' that hinders connection and emphasizes the importance of self-compassion. Tara introduces the RAIN technique—Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture—as a transformative practice for emotional reactivity. She reveals how understanding pain versus suffering can lead to personal growth and connection, advocating for radical acceptance as a path to healing and intimacy.

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INSIGHT

The Trance Of Unworthiness

We unconsciously monitor ourselves against standards and feel we fall short far more than we realize.
That ongoing self-judgment creates a pervasive 'trance of unworthiness' that shapes behavior and relationships.

INSIGHT

Acceptance Enables Change

Accepting ourselves fully is the precondition for real change, not the opposite.
Being at war with ourselves fuels aversion and blocks the neural conditions for transformation.

ANECDOTE

Compassion Healed An Eating Disorder

Tara described having an eating disorder in her 20s and the shift from punishment to compassion.
Holding the pain with kindness relaxed her nervous system and allowed new choices to emerge.

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This is our unabridged interview with Tara Brach.

How do you accept yourself fully, just as you are? And if you did, would you ever grow?

“Being at peace with how we are in the moment is the precondition to transformation,” says psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach.

In this episode she provides us with a simple practice to find peace and transformation known by the acronym RAIN.

“We have amazing potential to change some of the habits that cause ourselves or others harm,” she says, “but we won't be able to access that if we're at war with ourselves.” Hear Tara’s stories from a life of practicing mindfulness, putting on display the wisdom and healing that come from pausing to accept the world as it is.

This episode contains a brief mention of disordered eating. If you are in need of support, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235

⁠Show Notes, Resources, and Transcript⁠ for abridged episode with Tara Brach

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