Experiential avoidance has been broadly defined as attempts to avoid thoughts, feelings, memories, physical sensations, and other internal experiences—even when doing so creates harm in the long-run.

What is an example of emotional avoidance?

Procrastination, passive-aggressiveness, and rumination are examples of unhelpful coping mechanisms that we may consciously or unconsciously use to avoid tackling a tough issue or facing thoughts and feelings that are uncomfortable. These behaviors are forms of avoidance coping.

What are avoidance symptoms?

Avoidance symptoms represent an effort to withdraw from certain situations that bring about body-level distress of trauma-related symptoms. We can also view these symptoms as the activities that people engage in to limit other types of distressing experiences.