Re-thinking repression

[Ann Hale]

Adam, So much of sociometry is about degrees of reciprocity, meaning that we have waves (or biorhythms) of needing harmony or conflict, moving toward and away from, nearness and distance.  Modulation is throughout Moreno's theory and methods.  Also, spontaneirty by definition involves degrees of adequacy and novelty, and is situation based choice-making in terms of responses.

What is important to me is to be receptive to  our environment, and able to modulate, rather than to regulate and hold people to specific amounts, or rules.

Incidentally, 
Parents have taught a generation of children to "Never speak to strangers."  It is a fear-based approach which makes them doubt their own ability to be receptive and to know who is safe and who isn't.  Now we have people stuck in front of computer monitors and the number of connections people in the US have has been reduced to one or none. What is that child suppposed to do if they are separated from their family and neighborhood during a natural disaster?  


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Adam Blatner 
  To: list at grouptalkweb.org 
  Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 9:01 PM
  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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