Re-thinking repression

Fri Oct 3 21:07:40 CDT 2008

Dear Adam; I am happy to share my thoughts that I have been writing for my second book on developing our spiritual intelligence. to quote"What you bring forth out of yourself from the inside will save you. What you do not bring forth out of yourself from the inside will destroy you." -- Gospel of ThomasWe develop many defenses as children at the time of a traumatic experience to actively forget, and subsequently as a reaction to the trauma, common reactions include repression, depersonalization (Cardena & Spiegel, 1993), dissociation, splitting, fragmenting, and various death-related strategies (psychic numbing, decentering, psychicdeath, reversible symbolic death, soul murder). This comes out frequently as ?I can?t let go of my past, I?m stuck, I am lost? When we say we are lost or stuck we are really saying that we are not connected andhave withdrawninward for protection and safety. I like what Eigen says (Eigen, 1973) Within us all there exists a ?sacred zone of safety,? ?an ultimate zone of safe retreat? that we can move away the invulnerability of the outside world as needed. Winnicott (1965a) speaks of, a true, silent, inviolable self, the silent self. Laub (1995) observes, ?The loss of the capacity to be a witness to oneself . . . is perhaps the true meaning of annihilation, for when one?s history is abolished one?s identity ceases to exist as well? (p. 67).Important indications of mental health, of a healthy Ego, are the ability to distinguish between the outer world and the inner world of wishes and impulses, and the ability to distinguish between 'self' and 'not self,' or what is under one's control and what is not under one's control. Perhaps, the trick is to strengthen the ego without becoming narcissistic. And to be able to detach without isolation and limitation. This must be completed or the second phase will not succeed. What we want is that a person has sufficient ego strength so that they can stop identifying with the ego and access their spiritual intelligence.When the ego begins to get ?thinner? and can recognize that truth of who you really are, your second phase of life can begin I think that is when we can see these experiences in a new way and give them meaning and re imagine from the perspective of soul consciousness (showing its higher purpose). In other words, the ego of the spiritual seeker must be so strong and healthy that it disidentifies from the many fragmented selves and surrenders itself to a higher purpose than its own self-interest.(Block & Block,1980). People with high ego-control are rigid and inhibited, disposed to repress impulses and emotions, to feel anxious in new situations, and to reject unexpected information. Those who have weak ego-control are impulsive and distractible, and do not have the discipline to concentrate on one task for very long. The synthesis of these two polar extremes is not moderate ego-control, but rather ?ego resiliency.? Ego resiliency is the ability to respond flexibly but also persistently to challenges.?Trauma acts to increase spiritual development if that development is defined as an increase in the search for purpose and meaning? (Decker, 1993, p. 33).But who knows, these are just my thoughts. Blessings ConnieConnie Miller TEP, LPC. NCC 
http://www.souldrama.com/ 
The International Institute of Souldrama 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Blatner [mailto:ablatner at verizon.net]
Sent: Friday, October 3, 2008 09:01 PM
To: list at grouptalkweb.org
Subject: Re-thinking repression

I’m considering the idea that in spite of my having learned and always thought that while suppression was healthy, repression wasn’t, I’ve been mistaken. Talking with my wife on our evening walk, she reminded me that she could access traumatic memories quite vividly. She now has the skills to "not go there," but I realized that there are many probable traumatic memories that I cannot access in any conscious fashion. It occurred to me that repression up to (I’m making this up just for argument’s sake), say, 30-40% is healthy. If you’re repressing at 70% you end up being pretty constricted and having other problems, but what if what’s wrong with some "bordelines" or PTSD people is that they do not and cannot repress enough!? What if they only repress at a 10 - 20% level? 
Also, the dynamic of repression can be spotty, so sometimes they over-repress, show little insight, but in other ways, they’re fighting breakthroughs, up-wellings of feeling—what Kate Hudgins calls "trauma bubbles."
I’ve been thinking about optimal amounts of all kinds of psychological variables, when certain ones are "too much," when "too little." Factors that affect this dynamic include the situation— when is it appropriate to go further or pull back, what the role demands are— but also temperament, past history and sensitization, and other factors. Thinking about psychological spectrums is on my mind lately. Your comments are welcome. 

Adam Blatner, M.D.
 website: www.blatner.com/adam/

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