Marsha M. Linehan Quotes & Sayings

A patient's passivity must not be unilaterally interpreted as lack of motivation, resistance, lack of confidence, or the like. Many times, passivity is a function of inadequate knowledge and/or skills. — Marsha M. Linehan

Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judging. — Marsha M. Linehan

You can feel like a mental patient, but that doesn't mean you have to act like one. — Marsha M. Linehan

People with BPD are like people with third degree burns over 90% of their bodies. Lacking emotional skin, they feel agony at the slightest touch or movement. — Marsha M. Linehan

Acceptance is the only way out of hell. — Marsha M. Linehan

Responding to a suicide attempt by insisting that it must stop, and devoting the full resources of therapy to preventing it, is a communication with compassion and care at its very core. — Marsha M. Linehan

The desire to commit suicide, however, has at its base a belief that life cannot or will not improve. Although that may be the case in some instances, it is not true in all instances. Death, however, rules out hope in all instances. We do not have any data indicating that people who are dead lead better lives. — Marsha M. Linehan

The great thing about treating borderline patients is that it is like having a supervisor always in the room. — Marsha M. Linehan