Dissociation?

[Smile]

im extremely uneducated on this subject in a personal way. I know what it means literally and have read other people's stories but it's not the same.

My T has casually mentioned a few times that what I've described could be dissociation.

But just as an example: I'm sitting in my car now bc I don't feel safe to drive. It's 5 pm. I woke up at 9:40 am (I only remember this bc I have a sleep app) and took a nap from for an 1 1/2 hrs somewhere in between.

What was I doing? I would normally call it "nothing" but trying to tap into this: I was supposed to go to a family meal today and of course was anxious about it. Just lay in bed with tv on and playing games on phone.

Can't quite recall what I watched (more like listened to) or what games I played but I probably could if forced to sit and think about it. But at about 4 pm I became aware of what I was doing and it felt weird but also comforting and fuzzy.

I felt like my whole world was tunneled down to just the screen of my phone and everything around it was fuzzy.

I have daily goals given to me by my T. Didn't do any today. It flitted through my mind once but I pushed it away cuz was happy where I was.

Is this dissociation? I just always thought it was more dramatic and this doesn't feel like "enough". I would call it "zoning out" but what do I know? :)

 

[ladee]

When I disassociate, I loose time. I have no memory about the lost time.
Glad you shared. Others may have similar experience. It may be different for others.

 

[Ronin]

Dissociation IS zoning out.

Along with basically everything inducing a disconnect between normally connected functions.

Dramatic is a lot about your personal definitions of things. What you may consider dramatic may be a daily experience to others, and to them dramatic for *different reasons*, so it is a lot about what you consider acceptable in your life and manageable.

 

[Abstract]

HI :)

Dissociation is something everyone does to some extent or other. On one end of the spectrum are things like day dreaming, driving from one place to the other without remembering how one did it, over concentrating on something to the exclusion of all around us. I think everyone does at least some of these. On the other end of the spectrum are things like being totally unresponsive or being outside ones body. Personality dissociation is on the most extreme end of the spectrum. What you describe is sure to be dissociation of some sort. It might well fall into what is thought of as normal D but I think even normal D can be a problem if it out of control or if it interferes with us functioning or dealing with things. Especially if there is a wider range of more significant D occurring too. It can also function as a much needed break from reality as long as it is not encroaching on reality, functioning or life. It can then be positive and normal.

Its great you are looking at this mote deeply :)

 

[Intrepid]

Thanks for bringing this up @Smile. My dissociation is self protective. I dissociate to avoid flashbacks. It works well, usually, but steals away my time. I remember what I do when I dissociate. I also remember the lack of choices when I dissociate. I do, after all, need to avoid doing or feeling any thing that triggers me. That doesn't leave may options.

After I get triggered, after I start experiencing my past as a corruption of what I do, feel or think, I dissociate as well. Then I dissociate in a different way.

I suppose everyone has different ways of dissociating. I used to drink like a fish, using blackouts to dissociate. I use computer games, facebook, food, sex and plain ol' isolation. I once had a therapist say these are just bad habits. He was clueless. He didn't get it.

Actually most of what I read to get educated on this subject is pretty primitive. The words used can vary in meaning significantly. This is such a new subject in psychology, after all.

 

[EveHarrington]

Dissociation ranges from the common un harmful day dreaming (which everyone does from time to time) all the way up to full blown DID-----most of us with PTSD are somewhere in between I believe.

 

[LanaD]

Seems I've started dissociating myself. It started last week when I could "feel my mind" split into quarters. Weirdest thing, like the bridge between my thoughts would simply break and I couldn't get the thought together. I found a video that seems helpful (though to be honest I kept zoning out while watching it): Dissociation - Psychological Defense Mechanisms

The psychologist says that zoning out IS dissociation because it's our body's way of trying to take a break. I'm sure there are mild to severe cases of dissociation, and it's probably in our best interest to nip this in the bud before it gets worse.