These harmful coping strategies are used to hide from the pain of abortion, but true peace can be found through God’s love.
• Repression acts to keep information out of conscious awareness. Truth: “In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free.” Psalm 118:5; Psalm 62:5-8
• Denial is probably one of the best known defense mechanisms, used often to describe situations in which people seem unable to face reality or admit an obvious truth. Truth: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
• Avoidance or refusing to deal with or encounter unpleasant objects or situations. Truth: “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
• Projection is a defense mechanism that involves taking our own unacceptable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other people. Truth: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galations 6:2
• Rationalization involves explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for the behavior. Truth: “God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice…” Romans 3:25
• Intellectualization works to reduce anxiety by thinking about events in a cold, clinical way. Truth: “Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!” Romans 5:9