Therapeutic Word of the Day: Denial

“We all are in denial about something. It is a healthy defense mechanism when used sparingly. Be careful.”

For all of us, bad things happen. This is a natural part of life. No one enjoys it when bad things happen. Sometimes, bad things can take a severe emotional toll. At times, we cannot deal with bad events that have happened and need to focus on other things. As a result, we enter into denial, and at times can even forget the bad events that have occurred.

For all of us, we have done this at some time in our life. We have forgotten bad things that have happened or have downplayed them. There is nothing wrong in this, as long as we eventually deal with these events at a time we are abler. The problem occurs when we never deal with the events and hold in pain.

As a therapist, this is a tricky area. At times opening up this pain can mean extreme distress which can be damaging. On the other hand, it can be a release that helps to move on and accept the past. It is a fine line that sometimes cannot be predicted. If events that are repressed are not dealt with, there will be problems going forward. Work to start to let things go, and make sure you have people you can trust or a therapist to help you in this.

Nathan Driskell
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