DQ1 HD2D my character cancels attacks at random

When I am battling (regular enemies or bosses) my character will randomly cancel their attack and defend. Sometimes it happens 3 times in a row and I just get bombarded by the enemies for three turns. My tactics are under “follow orders” and I am not using auto battle.

What pops up along the lines of messages when I attack/cast a spell is “John’s senses suddenly tingle, and he hunkers down and defends.” Then it is the enemies turn. It gets annoying fast and it happens with weak and strong enemies. I have been wiped out multiple times because I am trying to heal and this message pops up and cancels my spell.

Does anyone know how to deal with this??