Disassociation: How To Lessen It!

[Auburngirl]

I don't count, but I name objects and sensations which is the same sort of idea I guess. Just something to normalise and try to 'come back.' But all the strategies I have sometimes work and sometimes don't .... you know how it is.

 

[linasmom]

Without remembering where I was or what I was doing, I suddenly said, "Hey, look, a tiger!" He obviously didn't know what I was talking about, as he responded, "Yeah, I know I am."

That is hysterical.
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Tell me you corrected him afterward and said, "no, the ceiling".

"roaaarrr"

 

[nic]

No, Linasmom, I didn't! I just went along with it, but man, was I cracking up inside!!! LOL!

 

[becvan]

Nic... that is priceless! :)

Grace: What your routine is missing is the engaging activities. Doing things that you can't do on autopilot. Learn something new. Pick up a new hobby, craft, writing..etc... as long as it makes you focus.

Cecilia and Auburn: Counting objects, naming objects etc.. are grounding techniques. They work great so don't stop them! lol Mind you don't let them become an autopilot thing either!

Remember guys, how we each apply this and what works and what doesn't is very individual. This is supposed to lessen the disassociation. Working on the actual traumas is what gets rid of it!

Glad you all liked it. :)

bec

 

[kers]

Working on the actual traumas is what gets rid of it!

I thought this was worth highlighting, bec. Excellent point.

 

[marie_bailey2002]

I count as well, especially the license numbers of cars or number that appear in a row anywhere.

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

OMG this triggered me into anxiety. I want to stop disassociating but the near thought of having a routine again makes me crazy. I am so much happier and at peace now with out one, and was near suicide with one.

I had a routine once and I still disassociated all of the time. I'm not sure if this would work for me but I will ask my T about it.

Tammy

 

[sunnydaze]

Bevan,
Wow! I would never had thought of that. A routine huh! Sounds like you have a good T to tell you that! Please share what else this T recommends, we would all love to hear it.
sunnydaze

 

[kers]

I thought this could use a bump. After a long vacation, I am back at work and have found that my dissociation has improved considerably--because I have a daily routine and requires considerable focus. No wonder I love working so much--it helps me feel present in myself, grounded and focused.

 

[Auburngirl]

I'm finding this really helps too, though it's hard to stick to a routine. And I find I feel much better if I work, it's calming and proves I can do it, which then lessens the anxiety and the dissociation (on a good day). Of course the inability to work - stress, panic, dissociation chain also happens. It's a bit of a rollercoaster.

 

[trishok]

Since not being allowed to work due to "breakdowns" (my doctor last week says he has not ruled out PTSD - (he diagnosed me borderline personality disorder years ago, which discounted the previous one by a psychiatrist 30 yrs ago of bipolar)) - I have become very undisciplined with no routine. When I could go to work I had a routine, loved working and felt worthwhile.
But I have become aware that dissociation is a big issue in my daily life. I lose track of time. Just do the things that are essential for survival. Depression plays a big role too, but more and more I am thinking that I actually choose to "zone out" to pass the time and to prevent me from making decisions and even stepping out of the "zone" to start living again. I live like a recluse on acres of land in the bush and rarely leave the place.
I am too scared to start living in case I make wrong decisions and fail again. It is as though I am WAITING for something to happen, ? waiting for a rescuer - filling in time by escaping into mystery novels, sometimes one book a day. Avoiding living, making decisions, being a person.
My doctor (who I use as a therapist as he has treated me for 13 years) says I do not have any control of myself, I am controlled by externals - such as when we go to work we have a routine to be able to get there, and if we do not go we do not get paid;

Writing this is helping me think that perhaps dissociation happens (or we allow it to happen when we have insight about it) when we feel POWERLESS and therefore if we can somehow learn to take control and become EMPOWERED (the buzz word these days) then we will not have to slip or plunge into the zoned out state of dissociation from one extreme of it to the other. ?????

Maybe you all know this anyway, and I am a slow learner. This powerless v empowered sense of self may be the aha moment I have been waiting for to make sense of myself.

Any comments please?

Trish

 

[trishok]

I should have followed this thread before I got before I wrote a quick reply to a thread on dissociation just a few minutes ago.
Thanks for this discussion... It is reinforcing what I am discovering about the necessity to have a routine, and thereby "take control" and become "empowered", in order to "live" life.
Trish