Defense Mechanisms Safety Valves Denial Repression Suppression Projection

“Defense Mechanisms”

Safety Valves • Denial • Repression • Suppression • Projection • Going out of body

Denial • Refusal to believe the obvious • To deny the cause of emotional pain • “No, this is not happening” • Protects against emotional overwhelm • Provides only short term relief • Long term denial is toxic and need to be busted

Repression • Feelings, thoughts and memories buried deep down in the subconscious mind and remaining completely out of our aware-ness, sometimes forever • Warning: They may come up during the time you are doing this program or even afterwards. Be prepared!

Suppression • ‘Stuffing’ our feelings • Trying to ignore them even though we know that they are there. • Trying to fool ourselves and others that we are feeling OK when really we’re not • Extremely stressful – takes a lot of energy to keep it all suppressed

Projection • Finding a scapegoat onto which we ‘project’ whatever it is that we hate in ourselves and do not wish to own • What was ‘in-here’ is now ‘out-there’ • If you are self righteous, you’re projecting • If you spot it; you got it

Out of Body • Soul leaves the body when pain is too much to bear • Sexual abuse victims do this a lot • Problematic when it becomes a habit • Life is an ‘in-body’ experience • Learn how to ground