Complex PTSD: How Do You Know if You're Dissociating?
When is Dissociation Normal?
Some degree of dissociation is normal and every person can typically relate to one or another of the symptoms; e.g., getting lost in thought as your driving home and not being able to remember the drive. In and of itself having a symptom isn't reason for concern, but when it becomes the way you navigate life it can have some significant impacts on your work, relationships, and life in general. If that is the case, it may be time for you to seek professional help.
13 Signs You are Dissociating
- You drive somewhere or you had a conversation that you don’t remember
- You do something that you don’t remember
- You don’t remember how you got to where you are or you don’t remember putting on the clothes that you are wearing
- You feel separate from yourself; like you’re outside your body
- You forget important life events
- You feel like people or things around you aren’t real
- You feel like your body doesn’t belong to you
- You feel like you’re reliving a past event
- You sometimes have difficulty differentiating between real experiences and something you dreamed
- You stare off into space with nothing on your mind
- You talk out loud, to yourself
- You’re not sure if you said or did something or just thought it
- You feel like things and people are far off and foggy
The more of these things you experience the more likely your dissociation is negatively impacting your life.
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The Five Types of Dissociation
Dissociation
The disconnection or lack of connection between things usually associated with each other. An example is emotional numbing.
Dissociation is one of the hallmarks of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dissociative amnesia
Amnesias involve forgetting an important event, such as abuse, a troubling incident, or a block of time, from minutes to years in length. Micro-amnesias involve forgetting full discussions or content of a conversation from one moment to the next.
Derealization
Derealization is the sense of the world not being real. The world may look phony, foggy, far away, or as if you are seeing it through a veil. You may feel like you see the world as if you are detached, or as if you were watching a movie.
Depersonalization
Depersonalization is the sense of being detached from, or “not in” your body. It is sometimes referred to as an “out-of-body” experience. In more profound cases you may not feel like they recognize themselves or your face in the mirror, or simply do not feel “connected” to your body.
Identity confusion or alteration
Identity confusion is a sense of confusion about who a person is. An example of identity confusion is when a person sometimes feels a thrill while engaged in an activity (e.g., reckless driving, drug use) which at other times would be repugnant.
Identity alteration is the sense of being markedly different from another part of oneself. Can be so extreme to present as separate personalities within one person
Addressing Dissociation
Trauma typically causes us to evacuate our surroundings and disconnect from our body in an attempt to minimize the impacts of the trauma, otherwise known as dissociation. When you start noticing symptoms of dissociation arising, it is best to use your senses to bring yourself back to the present moment.
Grounding
- Touch something with an interesting texture, like walking on grass and feeling the ground on the bottoms of your feet or hold something with a texture in your hands
- Smell something fragrant like a lotion or essential oil
- Squeeze a stress ball
- Place an ice pack on the back of your neck or put cool water on your face
- Use the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique:
- Name 5 things you can see;
- 4 things you can touch;
- 3 things you can hear;
- 2 things you can smell; and,
- 1 thing you can taste.
- Chew intense mint gum
- Orient yourself to time and place by saying your age, where you are, what’s around you, and the date and time
- Repeat an inspiring quote
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