What is Dissociation?

You may have heard the term thrown around, as it has grown increasingly more common in usage nowadays.  But the word has several meanings and is used in many different contexts.  When used in the field of psychology or psychotherapy in specific– it carries a special weight and meaning, and along with that a particular understanding.  The word at its core refers to two things being disconnected from one another.  Dissociation, when used in psychotherapy or trauma therapy– refers to altered states of consciousness that are disconnected from the body or emotional awareness.  It is in essence, the experience of ‘not experiencing’.   

While this may sound abnormal or impossible– it is incredibly normal, and it happens all the time.  We all experience dissociation at various points throughout our lives, and most likely on a daily basis in some form or fashion.  Dissociation is on a continuum, or a spectrum– from not severe to severe.  THighway hypnosis is a common example of dissociation that you probably have experienced personally.  Any time you are overly-engrossed in a task, like cleaning the dishes or washing your hair– you may have experienced that lapse in time or hypnotic sensation.  Any time you find yourself engaged in some activity wherein, you check the clock only to find the time has passed almost instantaneously– you have experienced dissociation.  Some describe it as a spacing out, others as a blink in time, or a trance-like state.  

Dissociation also appears in many of the addictive behaviors we engage in the modern world.  Whether you are mindlessly scrolling through social media or paralzyed in picking a show to stream– you may have experienced the spacing out quality of dissociation.  This kind is not necessarily harmful, but can become a self-destructive behavior if the dissociation intrudes upon daily life and functioning.  Perhaps the most abundant version is substance abuse of any kind.  Dissociation is a numbing feature by its very nature, and substances like alcohol, cannabis, meth, heroine– are all used to numb emotional pain and dissociate from the difficult and challenging aspects of life.  When used as a means to avoid or dampen traumatic symptoms, substance use provides that defense, but perpetuates the trauma and prevents healing.  

Artists and musicians experience dissociation any time they are engaged in  their work.  Whether they are creating a piece, or performing– artists often find themselves in an out-of-body experience, as if they are performing in a role or persona.  Or it feels as though the music is playing through them, or the artwork creating itself through their hands.  Athlete’s experience this all the time when they are in the state of flow, or peak performance.  Some know dissociation as ‘runner’s high’.  Most of us have made contact with it through an occasional out-of-body experience, a trance -like state in meditation, or getting in a state of ‘flow’.  It’s a normal function that our mind engages in, and is not harmful in any way.  

Dissociation also serves another purpose– function as a defense against that which is unbearable.  As a response to trauma or experiences that are unbearable, the mind has one last defense to protect the ego and consciousness.  On the more severe end of the spectrum, this is where we see things like depersonalization, derealization, dorsal collapse and shut down, and dissociating identities.  When I referred to dissociation as the experience of ‘not experiencing’ this is what I am referring to.  In the face of overwhelming events or happenings, the mind does whatever it can to escape the situation and protect itself from breaking down entirely. It’s the final defense to prevent the individual from dying.  The body and nervous system can be so overwhelmed in highly traumatic situations, that they shut down entirely.  This extreme level of shut down is seen in cases of severe abuse or neglect– the kind that we often don’t hear about, due to the grim and inhuman nature of it.  

Rather than experiencing the pain of the trauma, the individual will leave the body, and attempt to forget the experience altogether.  Gpas in memory, amnesia, fugue states– are all indications of complex trauma.  This does not mean that amnesia or fugue state is only caused by complex traum auch as sexual abuse, incest, severe neglect or parental betrayal.  But, these are common symptoms in highly dissociative individuals.  All this is done to protect the person, so that they can keep on living.  When utilized in childhood, this defense can become the primary means of surviving, resulting in fragmentation of the self– often into parts , or in extreme instances, dissociated identities, also known as multiple personalities.  

While I could go on and on about dissociation, and how it impacts the individual throughout the lifespan– I think it important to return the focus back to the normalcy of dissociative processes.  At the end of the day, dissociation is normal, and there is nothing maladaptive about it.  Dissociation is highly adaptive, and is the only way for some people to survive at all.  It’s an impressive defense and tactic that the body and mind use to keep the organism living.  To have not employed the use of dissociation, may have resulted in death– and has for many.  It’s a testament to the human spirit and will to survive.  It may become more of a hindrance later in life, when the person is no longer in the same traumatic environment– but the body keeps reacting in the way that knows how to protect itself.  This is where therapy can come into help the individual learn new ways of coping and being in the world.  

If you are struggling with any of these symptoms on a regular basis or struggling in relationships in life at current due to similar experiences– please reach out to a psychotherapist who specializes in trauma for help.  Dissociation and dissociative disorders are serious, and can disrupt a person’s life in significantly negative ways.  This is not something that anyone can handle on their own.  A trained professional knows the treatment and methodology for helping process and reintegrate traumatic memories to facilitate healing.  For more information, please check my resources page.  If any of this resonates with you and you would like to find a trauma therapist for yourself, please reach out to either me, or someone near you for help.  I hope this has been helpful in some way to you, or someone you know or love.