Psychological denial is a healthy defense mechanism in which a person or mind is able to handle while staying safe from a negative or unhealthy desire, concept, person or reality.
In the context of much of modern therapy, historically and publicly, denial has been narrowly defined as a patient’s denial of a difficult reality or their own need for therapy. It is as though, if the subject of denial is being brought up, then someone’s experience of self ought to be denied, and given the vulnerable position of the patient, it ought to be the patient.
We observe that there is a correspondence between those who, in their maturational environment have learned to suppress their natural capacity for denial and those who end up in the situation of misdiagnosis. When confronted by those who would deny us an identity as misdiagnosed persons, it may be implied that by “misdiagnosed” we are trying to imply that we are somehow perfect, or somehow devoid of any discernible psychological flaws, flaws in character, or suffering. This is not the case. It may be helpful to recognize that a misdiagnosed persons central flaw may be that they are under-insulated from harsh criticism or from the introjected voices of perceived of authorities. Therefore, healthy denial may be something they should practice.
Are you able to hold in your mind the concept of fear without becoming afraid? Are you able to hold in your mind the concept of insanity without yourself experiencing it? Every human requires insulation or denial in order to build within themselves psychological and emotional safety. Denial and psychic insulation are not exactly the same, though it would needlessly obfuscating to pretend the concepts are worlds apart. If you were accused of a crime you didn’t commit, would be able to deny it? If so, in our view, this is part of your healthy psychological defense mechanism. A person or patient who would be unable to deny having done something they did not do would be, to our mind, a candidate for a therapeutic process in building up their capacity for healthy denial. An lowered capacity to deny falsehood or deny falsehood in ways that are successful or believable often corresponds with a psyche that tends to underinsulate.
If this sounds to you like an interesting topic, if you relate to it or would like to relate it to someone you know who may be undersupported and suffering, consider attending one of our meetings.
For further intellectual understanding from a psychodynamic perspective, we can also recommend this article from the 1960s on the subject of psychic insulation, though it comes with the warning that the implicitly imbalanced power relationship (particularly in the arena of psychological authority) between the author and his patients may be triggering for readers who have experienced traumatic misdiagnosis.
While we may need practice in healthy denial as we grow in psychological heft and strength, denial is not (in our opinion, though some in the new age community may disagree) an absolute good. We can be both open to valid feedback, as well as able to reasonably avoid, tolerate while filtering, and even appropriately and comfortably resolve overly harsh or mean-spirited criticism. Strength and sensitivity may seem to some like opposites, but they may actually be the same, or at the very least quite closely and meaningfully intertwined. Through Misdiagnosed Anonymous meetings, we are helped and supported as we build up our egos (our senses of self), our boundaries, our healthy psychological defense mechanisms and psychic immune systems, and our capacity for denial.
Misdiagnosed Anonymous 