He mentally blocks his experience. Yes, people can do this. The reason is blockage. It's too terrible to remember sometimes. It's that way with abused men.
Television also portrays violence against men as normal - it happens all time.
So he rationalizes it away. He thinks, I'm not living through anything extraordinary - even if he is. This is just a survival mechanism like blockage. The man was asked why he stayed with her. He said he had nowhere to run.