{"id":2850,"date":"2024-12-03T10:14:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T15:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/?p=2850"},"modified":"2024-12-03T10:14:13","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T15:14:13","slug":"repression-vs-suppression-as-trauma-responses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/2024\/12\/03\/repression-vs-suppression-as-trauma-responses\/","title":{"rendered":"Repression vs Suppression as Trauma Responses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trauma can affect the body in ways that are often unbeknownst to those who are suffering. The Body Keeps Score by van der Kolk highlights just how the mind represses memories of childhood trauma and how it can manifest into subconscious actions. Van der Kolk emphasizes this notion through the description of his patient Marilyn’s experience. Marilyn had no recollection of being sexually abused, but her actions showed that her body was in a constant state of protection. She would experience nightmares while with romantic partners and have physical reactions when unknowingly triggered. Marilyn was able to begin the process of unlocking her buried memories with the help of doctors and support groups, but many people do not have this opportunity.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Marilyn\u2019s case underscores the importance of recognizing the signs of repressed trauma, especially in distinguishing it from suppression. The two often get confused for each other as they are both categorized as defense mechanisms. However, \u201cwhere repression involves unconsciously blocking unwanted thoughts or impulses, suppression is entirely voluntary. Specifically, suppression is deliberately trying to forget or not think about painful or unwanted thoughts\u201d (Kelly, 2021). The defining labeling is that suppression is noted as being a form of \u201cavoidance coping,\u201d and while \u201csuppressing traumatic thoughts can provide quick relief, it\u2019s only temporary. In some cases, suppression can be a beneficial tactic to temporarily avoid trauma until you are in an appropriate setting to process it. However, trauma that is continually suppressed will lead to emotional bottling and may cause emotional outbursts\u201d (Sequoia, 2024).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Alternatively, repression occurs when your unconscious mind blocks traumatic experiences from entering your conscious. \u201cIt\u2019s common for someone to be unaware of repressed memories and emotions. Unlike suppression, it doesn\u2019t require any conscious effort to repress memories. While repressed trauma may not actively cause distressing thoughts, it can still have a negative impact on someone\u2019s mental and physical health\u201d (Sequoia, 2024). Repression and suppression differ in their processes: one reflects a bodily mechanism of protection, while the other is a conscious effort to avoid pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Repressed experiences can take a physical toll on the body, in a process called somatic memory. Somatic memories physical symptoms include digestive issues, nausea, poor posture, chronic pain, and persistent fatigue (Sequoia, 2024). Additionally, people with repressed traumatized memories have a higher tendency to get diagnosed with diabetes, heart conditions, and autoimmune disorders, emphasizing the physical impact this coping mechanism can have on a person.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Below is a breakdown of the signs of memory suppression and repression to help in understanding their distinctions. Recognizing these signs is crucial, especially when working with individuals who have experienced trauma. While the two mechanisms share similarities, they require different treatment approaches, making it imperative to identify the telltale signs of each.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"repression-as-a-defense-mechanism-4586642_final-text-88d5d8087eff4aefaf1670df6218afe4.png\"<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

Fishel, D. (2024). Repression in Psychology<\/i>. Verywell. Retrieved from https:\/\/images.app.goo.gl\/i9t6Nb8ARDbsBWiy5.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kelly, O. (2021, April 5). How suppressing obsessive thoughts can make OCD worse<\/i>. Verywell Mind. https:\/\/www.verywellmind.com\/thought-suppression-and-ocd-2510480\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Oliva-Garcia, I. (2024, July). Understanding repression and how it differs from suppression<\/i>. Grow Therapy. https:\/\/growtherapy.com\/blog\/effects-of-repression-on-mental-health\/\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sequoia Behavioral Health. (2024, September 20). What are the signs of repressed trauma?<\/i>https:\/\/www.sequoiabehavioralhealth.org\/blogs\/what-are-the-signs-of-repressed-trauma#:~:text=Suppression%20is%20the%20conscious%20effort,trauma%20and%20maintain%20emotional%20composure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Van der Kolk, B. A., & Pratt, S. (2021). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Random House Audio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trauma can affect the body in ways that are often unbeknownst to those who are suffering. The Body Keeps Score by van der Kolk highlights just how the mind represses memories of childhood trauma and how it can manifest into subconscious actions. Van der Kolk emphasizes this notion through the description of his patient Marilyn’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24386,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2850"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2855,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850\/revisions\/2855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}