Sexuality is an essential part of human life, and it is vital for healthy mental wellbeing and physical fitness.
Suppressing sexual desires, thoughts, feelings, and actions can have severe repercussions for both men and women in the military service. Deployed personnel often face restrictions on their behavior due to various constraints such as distance from home, lack of privacy, uncomfortable surroundings, and cultural norms. These limitations affect their emotional and cognitive functions adversely.
Physical Consequences
Suppressing one's sexual urges can lead to physiological changes that may manifest in several ways. Inhibiting sexual energy can cause tension, which results in stress hormones being released into the bloodstream. This causes adrenaline and cortisol levels to rise. The body prepares itself for a fight or flight response, leading to increased heart rate and respiration rates. Anxiety and fear also increase during this time. These effects can be detrimental to overall health, particularly when they last for extended periods. Long-term suppression can result in chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia, high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, and other negative outcomes. Suppressed individuals may suffer from muscle pain, digestive issues, headaches, backache, and joint aches.
Psychological Consequences
Prolonged repression negatively impacts mental health by causing mood swings, irritability, low self-esteem, guilt, and frustration. It also impairs judgment, problem-solving skills, decision-making abilities, and memory. People who suppress their desires are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as alcoholism, substance abuse, reckless driving, gambling, and violence. They may experience nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts about past experiences, and difficulty concentrating on tasks. Their social skills can suffer due to isolation, avoidance of friends and family, and withdrawal symptoms. Deployed personnel may become distant from loved ones, have trouble forming close relationships with colleagues, and lose interest in hobbies or activities they previously enjoyed. They might develop an intense preoccupation with sexual urges that could lead to obsessive-compulsive behavior.
Relationship Impacts
Relational suppression has a profound effect on intimacy between partners or spouses. When one partner feels restricted sexually, it creates distance between them, leading to feelings of rejection and alienation. Trust is lost when secrets are kept about sexuality; this can cause resentment, anger, jealousy, and infidelity.
The relationship suffers from reduced communication, decreased emotional support, and physical disconnection. Individuals may feel alone even though physically present together because of their partner's lack of understanding or acceptance. Children may be affected by parental repression, feeling neglected, unloved, and insecure. This can lead to mental health problems and academic struggles.
Treatment Options
Military personnel must seek treatment for prolonged relational suppression before irreversible damage occurs. Therapy is crucial for coping with stressors, learning healthier ways of managing desires, and building better relationships. Medication can help manage anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other issues resulting from long-term suppression. Support groups allow people to share experiences and learn from others going through similar difficulties. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches techniques to change negative thoughts into positive ones, replacing destructive behaviors with healthier alternatives. Mindfulness Meditation helps relaxation through deep breathing exercises, focusing on the present moment, and reducing stress levels. Couples therapy addresses underlying causes of conflict and provides tools for improved communication and intimacy.
Relational suppression has widespread consequences that go beyond physical limitations. It impacts psychological functioning negatively, causing mood swings, irritability, low self-esteem, guilt, frustration, anger, resentment, jealousy, infidelity, isolation, alienation, rejection, and withdrawal symptoms. Individuals feel alone even though physically present together due to their partner's lack of understanding or acceptance. Children are affected by parental repression, feeling neglected, unloved, and insecure, leading to mental health problems and academic struggles. Treatment options include medication, support groups, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness meditation, and couples therapy.
What are the cognitive and emotional consequences of prolonged relational suppression in deployed military personnel?
Deployed military personnel often experience feelings of loneliness, isolation, and sadness due to separation from family members for extended periods of time. This can lead to difficulties with concentration, decision-making, and memory recall (Hirsch et al. , 2017).