Category: Defenses

“A patient is addressing a situation that has come up in the recent past and then says, “I was angry at the time, but I don’t feel it anymore.”  In a lot of examples, this clearly posed a problem for them (anxiety for example), but they state that the feeling is no longer accessible. Just defense?…

“A patient uses massive self-attack. She sees it now and the function and costs. But she is not willing to let go of it. Instead, she follows with a “but” and argues why the self-attack, in her case, is justified and appropriate. Is this just a rationalization I can interrupt and ask for feelings toward…