Is dissociation involuntary or voluntary?

[Wyska]

I ask because it's honestly so hard to even identify when it's happening, and if I do identify it I almost immediately forget I did and I cannot figure out how to fight it and I'll be stuck like that for a long time. Infact, today was the first time in I think a year I wasn't dissociating 24/7. It doesn't FEEL like I can control it, but I'm not sure if that's just me telling myself that unconsciously to keep myself from coming back to reality to ultimately keep myself safe. If that's the case, what can I do to stop?

 

[One step at a time]

Some mix of both.

For me dissociation isnt a on-or-off thing. It's like the tides - there is always water, but it comes and goes. Gets closer and fades and gets closer and if you arent careful, carries you away.
So it can be involuntary.

But I can reliably dissociate/increase my degree of dissociation anytime. I can choose to fight against it, and sometimes that works/helps.

If you look up grounding, there are some good threads with methods to help you come back to the present.
Sending support.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

For me involuntary. No matter the way it happened or how deep or if it happens on schedule (every day at this time) it is all still involuntary. Not meaning to, not trying to, and does all by itself.

Grounding techniques not only brings you to present when disocissated but also prevents it to begin with. It keeps you grounded in the here and now.

Also learning new and better coping techniques can help you to stop disocissating all together. This takes time and practice. Do you have a therapist?

 

[zoie33]

Yes for me it can go either way. I naturally dissociate when dealing with anything difficult or when talking about anything in therapy usually, but I'm learning ways to fight it a bit. I still can't always stop it but I and sometimes able to limit how deep I go in. It is getting a bit easier. I've been working on mindfulness so I don't go totally down the rabbit hole as often as I used to. During a bad time though I can purposely make myself go there it's not hard. And also sometimes during a really bad time I will go deep immediately with absolutely no control over it at all. So sometimes yes sometimes no.

 

[ladee]

Involuntary, but am a little better at bringing myself back when I realize I am not present...

 

[The Albatross]

Totally involuntary for me.

 

[WishfulThinking123]

I would say both for me-I feel like I have chosen disassociation as a method for coping with bad events in my life-however, I didn't know at the time what I was doing was disassociation. However, a lot of times such as in T or other stressful situations it will just happen and most of the time I just let it happen but, lately I am trying not to just "let it happen" and deal with the pain and ground instead but it is hard!

 

[ninja]

Derealization happens involuntarily for me. I was afraid of it for awhile. I'm beginning to be able to use it as an indication that whatever might be happening is really rocking my foundation and stretching me. The kind of dissociation I am becoming conscious of, I find it a distressing experience.

 

[EveHarrington]

It's involuntary for me, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize it or try to stop it. It's involuntary in the sense that I can't make myself dissociate.

 

[BlueOrange]

It was totally involuntary for me for ages. Then I started deliberately making it happen, in very slow steps. This led me to be able to identify it when it was getting started, which gave me a lot more control than I had previously.

Please do not try this without the supervision of your therapist. If they say you shouldn't do it, then they're probably right. If they have thoughts on how to do it so that you don't put yourself at excessive risk, then those thoughts will be valuable!

 

[MyWillow]

Totally involuntary for me at the moment....but I get the sense that it's not black/white. Flashbacks are REALLY new to me....the first time I experienced a flashback I fell into a seriously dissociated space....kinda in front and to the right of me....the flashback was happening and I could feel myself being drawn into a complete dissociative shut down, something I'd experienced previously. I resisted that (which physically hurt - yep, weird) and worked hard on connecting with my therapist - I couldn't move, speak or hear. I could only see a vague shadow. So, some aspect of the dissociation felt out of my control but another aspect was.

 

[shimmerz]

I would say involuntary, without the tools or awareness to fight it.

Surprisingly, as I learned how to get it under control, at the beginning of that stage, I actually caught myself 'wanting' to dissociate. Surprised the crap out of me.

So I think it is a bit of both, depending on which stage you are at in the awareness of it.