It has been clear to psychologists for some time that anxiety lies at the heart of most patients’ difficulties. In many cases, people come for therapy because they are afraid of aspects of their world or their own experiences that only mildly affect others or even seem harmless to them. One example that fits into this category are the various phobias people report and these cover an immense range of feared events such as flying, elevators, animals and so on. In such instances our work together consists of finding ways to overcome such fears so as to live life more freely and enjoyably.

But the difficulty faced by numerous other people is not due to such overt anxiety, but rather stems from the strategies they have developed in order to avoid such anxiety. This general tendency to avoid what causes anxiety is what psychologists typically refer to when they use the term psychological defense. It is because of this tendency to avoid events we find distressing that the effects of avoidance operate in a silent and often hidden manner. Continue Reading