Unbinding Defense Mechanisms and Societal Stigma: A Re-understanding of Coping Methods from a Denver Trauma Therapist
By Jordan Kurtz (she/her), MA, LPCC, Denver Trauma Therapist
Defense Mechanisms 101
Whether we have a formal education in psychology or not, we have all heard of Freud. While many of Freud’s views today are held in contempt for misogyny and lack of cultural inclusivity, we can thank him still for his contribution of defense mechanisms, aka, any way we act, speak, or behave with ourselves or with others to avoid experiencing emotional pain.
Familiar defense mechanisms include:
Projection: attributing unwanted feelings to someone else
Example: Sally is experiencing insecurity due to not receiving a promotion and slanders her coworker Mary by saying, “Mary was just telling me nervous she was for the meeting last week. How could she deserve a promotion?”
Denial: not accepting an anxiety producing event as reality
Example: Bryan’s partner Ted died 3 months ago. When asked by a family friend if Bryan would like help packing up Ted’s belongings, Bryan asks, “What for? No reason to. Ted is just on vacation right now.”
Displacement: feelings toward an unacceptable object or person are shifted onto a more acceptable one
Example: Anita is angry at her friend for embarrassing her at happy hour and she comes home and shoves the dog.
Freud’s examples of defense mechanisms continue to be relevant because:
They are universally experienced by all people to varying degrees
They emphasize the human tendency to protect ourselves and avoid experiencing pain, stress, or trauma
What’s Missing? Viewing Trauma Responses with Compassion Through the Lens of a Denver Trauma Therapist
Defense mechanisms per Freud are often spoken about in abstract terms related to the id, ego, and superego, and involve phrases such as “distortion of reality”. Language such as this is too complex to relate to personal circumstances and can instill shame, inviting the myth that defenses are “selfish” and people simply “do not want to deal with their issues”.
Let’s invite the notion today that defense mechanisms instead are:
Symptoms of trauma
Adaptive resources used to survive post or mid threat
Protections
If we learn to perceive our worldviews, interactions with others, behaviors, and self-concept as informed but not made permanent by our traumatic experiences, we have greater room to heal, offer ourselves compassion, and later identify coping tools that will better serve us.
This re-education begins with identifying modern coping mechanisms many with trauma utilize, naming societal stigma that accompanies it, then reasserting understanding of that defense mechanism as a protection. These protection narratives are paraphrased from the pioneering work of Dr. Janine D’Anniballe, licensed psychologist and expert in sexual assault treatment.
Decoding Defense Mechanisms as Protective Responses from Trauma
How Trauma Therapy in Denver Can Support You
The societal messages listed above are extremely heavy, shaming, lack understanding, and lose sight of the person underneath the suffering. Navigating the impact of trauma on a daily basis in addition to simply surviving is exhausting enough and the notion of healing on our own can feel not feasible or desirable. The trauma therapists at CZ Therapy Group are here to help you carry that load, beginning with undoing societal shaming and validating your baseline coping as adaptations to trauma. From there, we can co-author a new narrative that accentuates your resilience, explores emotions buried beneath the shame, and identify alternative coping tools.
About The Writer
Jordan Kurtz (she/her) is a trauma and relationship therapist at CZTG who focuses on therapy for grief, trauma, adolescence, and couples. Jordan is authentic, warm, and affirming of her clients’ identities and experiences.
Connect with a Trauma Therapist at CZ Therapy Group
If you’re ready to explore whether trauma therapy at CZ Therapy Group is right for you, feel free to reach out for a free consultation with one of our Denver trauma therapists. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consult call.
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