Delving into the history of human lives, unwittingly start thinking about how much pain and suffering it is sometimes necessary to make the man. It seems that neither the soul nor the body is not able to survive such pain, such an injustice. But man does not die and not go crazy - live, work, think about the future. What is the secret psychological plasticity of human beings? It turns out that in our brain incorporated the ability to psychological protection. Just as we protect your body from cold and rain shelter and warm clothing, the mind obscures our soul from the problems of serious thinking and depression. So we hiding from fear, pain, anguish, anxiety, feelings of inferiority. Otherwise we would simply not survive.

Various forms of psychological defense are well known to everyone. We often use them in everyday life, though never think about it. It all begins in early childhood. Child hiding under the blanket of their own nighttime fears. Even a baby knows that if you see a stranger, and so terrible uncle or a big dog, the best how to squint and bury in her mother's neck. Uncle and the dog immediately disappear! You this way to protect it seems silly and childish? Then remember how hard you try sometimes do not pay attention to starting the flu, slight malaise, some problems at work. "This is not, it just seemed to me, maybe will be" - you say to yourself. Quite often this method of protection really helps us in life.

You are with us or against us

But as you know, nothing is definitely beneficial or definitely harmful. It concerns the phenomenon of psychological defense. Analgin - a good pain reliever, but if you take it, not knowing the causes of pain, it might end very badly. Symptoms disappear, but the disease will stay! No doctor will be able to make a correct diagnosis if there are no symptoms, therefore, can not provide timely assistance to the patient. If the problems are increasing, and we continue to ignore them (to defend against them), it can lead to catastrophic consequences. People with addiction, often opting for the following forms of psychological defense.

· understatement harm. "dangers of smoking are not proven. Doctors just made a big deal. " "One shot of vodka is better than a bottle of wine." "One cigarette anasha less harmful than a glass of vodka." "Heroin is better than alcohol, because it only improves mood, and the liver is not working." There are universal and phrases from the category of "black humor", suitable for any self-deception, such as: "Who does not smoke or drink, he Zdorovenki die!", "If you're over forty, you woke up this morning and you have nothing hurts - means, you're dead! ".

· Expanding the boundaries of the phenomenon. "Everyone eats the sweet and do not necessarily become fat." "Everyone drinks beer, dancing in front of all drinks. So it is accepted. " "Is it possible to be calm in our troubled times?" "We have a class all smoke marijuana." "In the East, opium smoking, even in tea, and the Netherlands all drugs are allowed.

· transfer of responsibility. "Can you not smoke for a nervous work, as I have?" "If I were more caring parents, I would never become an addict." "If it was not always boyavshayasya than anything mom, do I have suffered from anxiety neurosis?" "Why do I drink? And how not to drink at my a life? "

· Comparing yourself to others. "Am I so seriously ill? Here's Ivan Petrovich - a sick man! I'm just for a week a month suffer from bouts of high blood pressure, and he has twice in hospital! "The strong form of psychological protection is manifested in patients with chemical dependency. From them one can often hear: "Am I an addict? None. Here is Petya - a real freak. And I have only ten gram dose. Or another variant of the comparison: "Well, what am I an addict? I, as Petya, not steal. " (However, the entire crystal from home to the commission already took.) Or: "What am I an addict? I live at home, but Petya, the drug addict: he in the basement oshivayutsya.

· Actualization other "urgent" cases instead of solving the troublesome problems. "I am ready to do all that is necessary for his recovery, but, you know, now I can not begin treatment. Urgently needs to nail down a shelf in the kitchen with my grandmother, five years had already promised. That will end with a shelf and seriously'll do myself. " Such a "shelf" may be the need to pay off debts, to finish painting, finish pressing business ... With this method of protection terror "as it was not worse" makes the decision to postpone the main task of restoring his health as much as possible later.

· disbelief in the possibility of change. "Show me a recovered drug addict (lady's finger, hypertensive patients, neurotic) ... Vasya Ivanov? Yes he was going to sit back on the needle (yes he is on the verge of an attack). " "If you say that the disease is incurable, so why torture yourself treatment?" "Many times I've tried to quit, and I did not, and will not work this time." "All of these techniques to combat obesity - a complete humbug!" Listed ways of psychological protection, which has at its core the phenomenon of ignoring the disease, can continue. How many dependent people, so many ways to escape from problems. People use psychological defenses unconsciously, believing in something that restore the physical or mental health prevents them from bad luck, circumstances, other people, etc. In fact, an obstacle is itself protected. You can not defend themselves from the evil dog, his eyes closed.

How to recognize and overcome the "junk" defense? Is there a "useful" protection without destroying the identity and do not offend other people? Protection, which does not weaken, but strengthens the will to win? Figuratively speaking, not "protection - baby blanket," and "protection - body armor? You guessed it, the progressive form of psychological protection exist.

Among these methods psychologists frequently noted sublimation (replacement) and maintenance problems. Option One - sublimation. This protection involves the transfer of attention from their problems on something else: the care of family, work, work, hobbies. We do not ignore the very dependence of the disease. We are aware of it as a real obstacle on the path towards a definite goal: to become a great artist or athlete, earning good money, start a family. However, this version of psychological protection is effective only for those who initially has a very high level of motivation. And their motivation is - it's not "health for the sake of health" and "healthy lifestyle for the opportunity to work with full dedication." Often, through creativity, or to switch attention to a new job man, incidentally, imperceptibly, get rid of psychological issues. However, for most people the option of psychological defense is not suitable, because in the early recovery period they have weak motivation.

In this case, works well the way mainstream issues (if we speak in plain language - a focus on the issue, recognition of the fact). This method of psychological protection is the basis of "12 Step Program" aimed at gaining the ability to participate freely in severe chronic patients. About the whole program, we'll talk later, but the first step, let us now. In the original, it reads as follows: "We acknowledge their impotence to the disease, recognize that they have lost control of himself." One would think that sounds dull and hopeless. But if we acknowledge the fact that the disease (addiction) can not do anything, then what remains? Or quietly, without fuss to die, or find ways to live a full life, regardless of the existence of the problem. As you can see, updating the problem - it is the psychological defense mechanism by which we can begin a movement from illness to health or life full of failures and setbacks - to succeed!