Dissociation is a psychological phenomenon characterized by a disconnection from your thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity. This complex mental process can sometimes serve as a defense mechanism during intense stress or trauma, allowing you to endure emotional distress by temporarily detaching from reality.
Understanding Dissociation
Dissociation involves a break in how your mind handles information. You may feel separated from your surroundings, yourself and the passage of time. While dissociation can happen to anyone, it becomes clinically significant when it disrupts your everyday function or stems from chronic or severe trauma.
Symptoms of Dissociation
Dissociation is a hallmark of disorders such as PTSD, schizophrenia and extreme anxiety. Its symptoms can vary widely, but generally involve a disconnection from reality in a way that significantly impacts your ability to function.
- Memory lapses: Forgetting important personal information or experiencing gaps in memory.
- Depersonalization: Detaching from your body or feelings.
- Derealization: Feeling as though the world around you is unreal.
- Identity confusion: A sense of uncertainty about who you are.
- Altered sense of time: Losing track of time, feeling as if recent events happened in the distant past.
- Auditory hallucinations: Hearing voices or sounds that others do not.
- Flashbacks: Reliving intense, often traumatic, past experiences as if they are occurring in real time.
What Causes Dissociation?
Dissociation is a typical outcome of severe stress or traumatic events such as abuse, accidents or disasters, especially during childhood. However, it can also be a symptom of mental health challenges, including borderline personality disorder and PTSD.
Here’s what to do if you realize you are dissociating.
- Seek professional help: Contact a mental health professional if dissociative symptoms are frequent or severe enough to interfere with your daily activities. Evidence-based techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy or specialized trauma therapy can be highly effective.
- Develop grounding techniques: Mindfulness exercises, sensory awareness strategies or simple physical activities like walking can reconnect you in the present moment.
- Establish a routine: Regular daily activities provide structure and predictability, which may reduce episodes of dissociation.
- Educate yourself and others: Understanding dissociation and informing those around you reduces stigma and helps others recognize when they may benefit from seeking professional help.
- Create a safe environment: Modify your surroundings to reduce stressors that may trigger dissociation, such as loud noises or bright lights.
Enroll in Our Orange County Mental Health Treatment Program
PACE Recovery specializes in treating young men with trauma, PTSD and other mental health disorders. Our master’s- and doctoral-level therapists provide empathetic, effective care tailored to address your symptoms at the root and equip you with effective coping strategies for long-term wellness.
We also help our clients overcome co-occurring substance use disorders, mood disorders and related concerns. Please contact us today to learn more about our residential and outpatient programs.
