What is a common coping mechanism for clients experiencing repressed emotions?

Repression is a common coping mechanism where individuals unconsciously push distressing emotions, thoughts, or memories out of their conscious awareness. This mechanism serves as a protective strategy to shield the individual from anxiety and emotional pain associated with those repressed emotions. In clinical practice, recognizing repression can be crucial for helping clients access and process their emotions in a healthier way.

While other defense mechanisms like dissociation, denial, and projection may also play a role in how clients cope with distress, repression specifically involves the unconscious process of forgetting or blocking uncomfortable feelings. Understanding repression allows mental health professionals to guide clients towards acknowledging and addressing these buried emotions, ultimately leading to better emotional health and adaptive coping strategies.