Often individuals who have been victims of sexual abuse disavow their traumatic experience and push it into their unconscious. This defence mechanism is referred to as:

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Denial is a defence mechanism where individuals refuse to acknowledge or accept the reality of a traumatic experience. Victims of sexual abuse often use denial as a coping mechanism to avoid the pain and shame associated with the experience. They push their traumatic experience into their unconscious and refuse to acknowledge it consciously. Rationalization is a defence mechanism where individuals try to justify their behaviour or decisions, displacement is a defence mechanism where individuals channel their emotions onto another person or object, and regression is a defence mechanism where individuals revert to a previous stage of development to cope with stress. None of these defence mechanisms specifically apply to the question of sexual abuse victims pushing the experience into their unconscious.

Often Individuals Who Have Been Victims of Sexual Abuse Disavow