Defense Mechanisms: Repression
From Passing your National Licensing Exam by Linton Hutchinson, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC
April 30, 2026 · 17 min
About this episode
This episode explores the concept of repression as a defense mechanism in mental health, distinguishing it from ordinary forgetting and suppression.
Send us Fan Mail Repression is one of those ideas that sounds simple until you try to use it in real life or in the therapy room. We’re talking about the kind of “forgetting” that isn’t forgetting at all: an unconscious, active defense mechanism that hides memories, feelings, and impulses because your mind decides they’re too dangerous to hold. We start by making the key distinctions clear, especially repression vs ordinary forgetting and repression vs suppression. From there, we walk throug...
People in this episode
Host: Linton Hutchinson, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC
Topics covered
- defense mechanisms
- repression
- therapy
- mental health
- forgetting
Keywords
- repression
- defense mechanisms
- therapy
- mental health
- forgetting
- suppression
- unconscious
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