Defence Mechanisms Quotes

“I realised I really was shy. And once I was in it, I couldn't escape. I'd go to talk and find my face was made of cement. Nothing would come out. On winter days, I'd feel myself turning grey at the edges and fading into the walls.

Was this defensive strategy? It was paralysing. And it went on for years.”
― Janet E. Cameron, Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World

“The term dissociation is ordinarily used to describe the phenomenon of compartmentalization or fragmentation of mental contents. It does not ascribe any particular mechanism by which the dissociative process occurs. Does dissociation occur as a result of automatic, nonconscious processes, or are there other specific mechanisms by which it occurs? Especially in the context of describing amnesia, the term repression is widely used in connection with several different mechanisms. As it is commonly used, it often implies how individuals may block our memories of uncomfortable or conflictual experiences. If done consciously, the mechanism is more accurately called suppression, which results from actively trying not to think about negative experiences.”
― James A. Chu, Rebuilding Shattered Lives: Treating Complex PTSD and Dissociative Disorders

“Had I not been dissociative, I never would have survived.”
― Wendy Hoffman, White Witch in a Black Robe: A True Story About Criminal Mind Control

“Aloof?

Aloof you say?
I'm so sorry if I made you feel that way.

It's really not my intention,
Though the reaction is of my own invention.

You see, long ago I built a wall,
A defence mechanism as I recall.

So for me to grow close, is still very hard,
After losing that important trust card.”
― Adiela Akoo, Lost in a Quatrain

“I’ve told you before not to call me prickly. That’s a word that men use about women who don’t cave to them, who don’t swoon before their manliness.”

“Damn it, Melissa. I don’t expect you to cave or swoon. I’d just like to occasionally be able to have a conversation without you acting like I’m attacking you.”
― Noelle Adams, Part-Time Husband