Dissociation is a disconnection between a person’s sensory experience, thoughts, sense of self or personal history

• The American Psychological Association defines dissociation as a “defense mechanism in which conflicting impulses are kept apart or threatening ideas and feelings are separated from the rest of the psyche”

• The disconnection can be apart of the disorder or be a symptom of another mental health issue

• People with borderline personality disorder, PTSD, and schizophrenia experience dissociation

What Dissociation can feel like:

• Might feel a sense of unreality and lose connection to time, place, and identity

• Dissociation disrupts 4 areas of personal functioning that work together smoothly and automatically

• These areas are:

• Consciousness

• Identity

• Memory 

• Self awareness and awareness of surroundings

• Breaks in this system can cause dissociation

• Dissociation ranges from feeling a mild sense of detachment (daydream like) to a more severe disconnection from reality (feeling as though the world is unreal)

Types of Dissociation:

• The DSM identifies 3 types of dissociative disorders:

• Depersonalization-derealization disorder (DPDR): involves feeling detached from one’s own body and thoughts

• May feel like they are observing their own lives as outsiders or feel disconnected from their surroundings

• Dissociative identity disorder: previously known as multiple personality disorder

• Characterized as two or more persistent personality states (ex: split personalities)

• Dissociative amnesia: characterized as forgetting one’s personal information 

• Losing or not recalling past events

Symptoms:

• “Blanking out” or being unable to remember anything for a period of time

• Experiencing distorted or blurred sense of reality 

• Feeling disconnected or detached from your emotions

• Feeling like you’re briefly losing touch with events going on, like daydreaming

• Feeling numb or distant from yourself and surroundings

• Feeling that the world around you is unreal and distorted 

• Having an altered sense of time and place

• Having flashbacks of traumatic events

• Memory loss about specific events, people, information, or timeframes

• Possible to experience dissociation without being aware of it

Causes of Dissociation:

• Trauma: 

• Occurs as a way to keep memories of traumatic event from feeling overwhelming

• Helps the person distance themselves from the situation

• Assault, abuse, accidents natural disasters, and military combat are all sources that can cause dissociation

• Drug use:

• Experiences with dissociation and trauma can predict the potential for addiction

• A study found relatively high levels of dissociation among women with both substance use and PTSD 

• Treatment of Dissociation

• Cognitive behavioral therapy: focuses on helping people identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors

• Dialectical behavioral therapy: helps people learn skills that allow them to better manage emotions and harmful behaviors

• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: utilizes CBT with visual exercises to help reduce psychological distress

• Medications: may be prescribed antidepressants, sleep aids, or anti-anxiety drugs to manage dissociation symptoms 

Coping with Dissociation:

• Eating a healthy diet to lower stress levels

• Enough sleep

• Regular exercise

• Identifying and avoiding or managing dissociation triggers

• Practicing grounding techniques to help you be back in the present moment

• Using relaxation strategies to reduce anxiety