Many of us trauma survivors live in a state of resignation regarding our symptoms without ever attempting to find a way back to a more normal, healthy life. Denial and amnesia play an important role in reinforcing this resigned state. Though I am tempted to judge or criticize those who deny that they have been traumatized (claiming that nothing really happened), it is important to remember that this (in itself) is a symptom.
Denial and amnesia are not choices we
make; they do not indicate weakness of character, personality dysfunction, or
deliberate dishonesty. But I need to be
careful that this dysfunctional pathway does not become patterned in my
physiology. At the time of a traumatic
event, denial helps preserve the ability to function and survive. However, when chronic, denial becomes a
maladaptive symptom of trauma.
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