Understanding and agreeing are not the same thing. You can say "I can see why you feel that way" without endorsing their interpretation of events. Their feelings are always valid — even when their conclusions aren't the same as yours.
The V step in LOVES — Validate — is the practice of acknowledging someone's emotional reality while maintaining your own. Both can be true at once.
Before you keep reading — is there someone in your life whose feelings you struggle to acknowledge because you disagree with their view of what happened?
Built exactly for this question:
Before you move on — what's one thing that's true for you right now?
"Validation is not surrender. It is the bridge that makes real conversation possible."
Every question, eventually, leads here.
Read the Water-Bearer's Journey →