I’m curious and want to learn

About dissociation.

Please share.

Anything....

[Opportunity]

There’s different kinds. It can be part of trauma. You can find out about grounding techniques on YouTube.👍🏼🌿

[Reading_Rando in reply to Opportunity]

Whats a grounding technique? I experience DPD but havnt found much to help me with it. Or anyone who even really knows much more than that it exists.

[Opportunity in reply to Reading_Rando]

Well, some people think dissociation might be part of the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response. Specifically, freeze. So when a person dissociates, the theory is that they (you, maybe) are having a flashback. You see or hear or think of something that gives you adrenaline, and your brain just goes offline for a bit (freeze) to protect itself. Freeze might range from daydreaming to full-blown identity confusion to cope with the distress of what’s happening. Flashbacks require grounding. Saying, “I am having a flashback.” can be grounding. Anything that works for you to keep you safely in the here and now is usually good. Here are a list of techniques I just pulled up on line:

themighty.com/2018/09/disso...

Big caveat: your doctor or psychiatrist or therapist will know best. I am none of those.

[Reading_Rando in reply to Opportunity]

Thank you! I didnt know any of that. Music is something that already helps me.

[Pugglesworth]

Disassociation is where we separate from what we think of as our self. Our mind creates a schism between who we thought we were and who is presenting now. It can take a variety of forms and can have many causes. Trauma is often a cited cause as Opportunity said, but not necessarily a requirement. You can lose track of how you would normally react to a situation. Your body can become a distant object. You can laugh at things you normally wouldn't and say things you wouldn't have dreamed of saying before getting into this state.

And it is a state. A state of mind. A state of body. A state of heart. You may look in the mirror and not recognize the visage staring back at you. You may look at your hands and wonder what they are. You may have problems with memory. Feelings may be intense or seemingly gone for good. All sorts of challenges.

It is possible to rebuild, but it takes help and consistent effort. And what gets rebuilt won't be what was there before. It can't be. You may find that money, once a very important part of your life, now is rather meaningless. You may no longer care what others think about you when, before, winning friends and influencing people was at the top of your list.

It's an interesting, scary and illuminating place to find yourself in.

[Hidden in reply to Pugglesworth]

Thank you so much for the words!

Having trouble staying present and focused lately. I have weird rushes of fear sometimes like I “forgot” how to be here in my body and focus.

Kind of like when you are driving for miles on highway and have that feeling of not remembering the details of the last 4 minutes of driving because you were so deep in the mind.

But instead of it happening while driving it happens whenever.

[Pugglesworth in reply to Hidden]

That sounds pretty normal. You'd know disassociation had hit, although you might not know what it is, as it tends to rock your world (at least for awhile). We all go on auto-pilot many times throughout the day. Disassociation is a very different critter. It directly affects the way our brain processes information. And, I forgot to mention, it can resolve on it's own.

A somewhat related disorder is DP/DR (Depersonalization/Derealization). Some place it under the disassociation umbrella. This can also occur out of the blue, but you would know something is most definitely wrong. I actually mixed up the two disorders in my last paragraph. The rebuilding part takes place with DP/DR and that requires assistance from a professional. Disassociation may also require help.

I'm not a doc, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Psychologists know a lot more about this stuff. My knowledge has been gained through research and experience.

[Hidden in reply to Pugglesworth]

Hmmm....interesting.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share and hep me learn and grow friend🙏🙏🙏