Apparatuses, systems, and methods for a memory-directed access pause. A controller may perform access operations on a memory by providing commands and addresses. The memory may monitor the addresses to determine if one or more forms of attack (deliberate or inadvertent) is occurring. If an attack is detected, the memory may issue an alert signal (e.g., along an alert bus) and also provide pause data (e.g., along a data bus). The pause data may specify a length of time, and responsive to the alert and the pause data, the controller may suspend access operations on the memory for the length of time specified in the pause data. The memory may use the time when access operations are paused to refresh itself, for example to heal the damage caused by the attack).