Disassociation is taking the world by storm and being a trauma therapist I’m realizing I’m working more and more with dissociation every day.
It’s not surprising that dissociation is becoming a huge issue with people nowadays considering all the external distraction stimulation that we constantly have access to. On top of the distraction, we are a culture that wants to feel good all the time so having conscious awareness of our emotions and sensations in our body just doesn’t feel natural. And finally, on top of this If you have a history of trauma then you will have even more of a desire to not be in your body because it hasn’t felt safe in the past.
If you’re wondering what dissociation is and if it is something that you may experience, I have listed the top four signs and symptoms of disassociation below:
1. Derealization: A huge part of dissociation are symptoms of derealization. Derealization has to do with the external world or our life not feeling real sometimes. This can show up by having familiar places all of a sudden feel unfamiliar. It can show up in childhood or adulthood as feeling like we are an actor in a movie, a player in a video game, any analogy that creates space from our life feeling like our own.
2. Depersonalization: Another huge symptom of dissociation is depersonalization. This is when we don’t really feel in our body and if someone asked us how we feel in our body or sensations that we notice we wouldn’t be able to tell them. We would often describe ourselves as feeling numb during those times. People say and depersonalization that they can almost view themselves from another perspective and have a lot of distance from their body.
3. Memory Loss: Everyone has the experience of zoning out sometimes when driving and not remembering parts or all of their drive. When it comes to folks with dissociation, they can lose time and forget memories of the past because they weren’t truly present. In dissociation we “go away” For our own self protection but eventually it starts to disrupt our memory. People with consistent association often describe themselves as having a “bad memory.”
4. Focus: Some folks at association often misinterpret their symptoms as ADHD, ADD or focus issues. When they were younger or even now they might have times of “zoning out” or blankly staring off into space.
Dissociation is ultimately a trauma response. If you are experiencing dissociation or have at least 2 symptoms listed above, I encourage you to reach out to a trauma specialist.
If you have any more questions about dissociation or trauma therapy please reach out via the Metta Holistic Therapy contact page or email me directly at reneeminxtherapy@gmail.com – if you’re in crisis or an emergency please call 911.