Denial's Ugly Head on Brain Injury Roundtable

Denial is an unrealistic hope that a problem is not really happening and will go away by itself. We all have a natural inclination to rearrange our experiences to fit a positive image of ourselves. This manipulation allows us to preserve our personal integrity, and makes us feel secure. It goes on undetected because it takes place in the private corners of your mind.      When the demands of life require capabilities that seem to exceed our resources, when we feel the threat of loss and exposure, we experience anxiety. In an effort to avoid the pain of anxiety, we practice the deceptive art of denial.  Denial is an unrealistic hope that a problem is not really happening, and will go away of itself. It is an attempt to put distance between ourselves and our experience, and protect ourselves from the threat of danger. In its many forms, denial acts like a pain reliever. The practice of denial is an attempt to ease the discomfort of anxiety by a subtle and ingenious twist of attention.  Denial can become your worst enemy. It diverts your attention, and decreases your mental efficiency by way of trade off. As long as you refuse to accept the truth of your situation, you must of necessity, refuse to give it your attention. Instead you will pay attention to every possible manner of distraction you can employ to support your denial. Are You Guilty Of Deceiving Yourself?