"1000 Yard Stare"

[Deleted member 27340]

Geez, I've forgotten to reply....

@AnnaLost Sorry to hear it reached that point for you. I've heard people talk about that they trained to dissociate, and I've done that a little bit but that was more around the ages 11-13. I can partly do it on command, but I can't snap out of it on command.


@FridayJones It's kind of odd to gain insight into what dissociation looks like to others, all I've ever done is feel it from inside and noticed that it scares people if they're too young or generally unequipped to deal with it.

@shimmerz That's interesting, although it makes sense because I know I don't feel too alive when I'm dissociating.

@Gadgie Yep, I get violent when someone tries to pull me out of dissociation... I feel sorry for them because my nails are really sharp and I'm a lot stronger than people expect.

Edit: missed a comma. I don't know why I can't remember grade shool grammar. Sigh.

I'm forgetting my own native language so that's okay.

 

[Melody coates]

I sometime become fixated on something and not want to look away. is that the same thing or are you describing something different?

 

[Gadgie]

Quote........."NewWhat do you mean, thousand yard stare."

It's not a stare as a long distance look, it's in the eyes of the person, when you look at their eyes they are empty, like there is nothing behind them.

It's hard to describe really, but it's something that if you don't know about, you could easily miss.

The person is basically in shock, they are miles away in another world, it's like their brain can't compute what they have seen or gone through, because it's so gruesome and unbelievable, pure horror, and they simply can't handle it.

I hope that helps you understand, as like I said, it's very difficult to explain.

 

[InvisibleSun]

It's not a stare as a long distance look, it's in the eyes of the person, when you look at their eyes they are empty, like there is nothing behind them.

Bingo...great description. Dissociation is a primary cause of this, at least for me. This happens to me a lot..no matter my mood or stress level..and I just check out. Disconnected. Like being in a trance. Usually ends with my boyfriend snapping his fingers in my face to get me out of it..and I can tell it annoys him. I think he thinks I'm just spaced out or not paying attention, but it's so out of my control. Very frustrating sometimes..

 

[Gadgie]

Yea! Do you get a fright when he does that? I know I do, in fact it scares the crap out of me, as I'm so far away in a different world, and if I "come back" normally, it's not so bad.

I usually come back with a shudder and a tingle down my spine, but it's a lot worse if some one "snaps" me out if it.

I've seen the "stare" on TV when I'm watching documentaries on war or disaster footage, especially if they show still pictures, you can see it straight away.

But it's not something that normal folk would recognise, only fellow sufferers would notice it.

 

[InvisibleSun]

It does frighten me a little..my startle response is bad anyway so the sudden sound always makes me jump. Then I have to spend god knows how long grounding myself so I can come back to the moment and try to explain what the hell just happened. I hate it..
Definitely something only fellow sufferers could easily understand and identify, though...a fellow sufferer told me once: "I saw the life leave your eyes, and I knew you weren't there with me anymore." And he was right..

 

[Gadgie]

Quote........"I saw the life leave your eyes, "

I've seen that on dead bodies, it's not a nice experience go through , but when you are holding someone in your arms, who is dying, you can see that in their eyes.

 

[laurainalameda]

Quote........"I saw the life leave your eyes, "

I've seen that on dead bodies, it's not a nice experienc...

When people die, it's like watching the sunset in their eyes. Dissociation looks pretty similar to me. I've got my husband to call me softly rather than the more obnoxious snapping....laura

 

[Biz]

@TyraaryT , I've had that exact same experience of a concentrated stare with everything else in the periphery going gray. I also regularly have this at the end of a long day working with clients or when I've been dissociating off and on and I return to a safer place, like get in to my car to go home. I recall doing this stare a lot as a kid and for extended periods of time.
Someone in a dissociation forum here once remarked that there are different flavors of dissociation. I figure the 1000 yrd. stare is one of mine. I think the stare with gray periphery is it's own flavor.