Taking Off Clothes While Dissociated

[Thehalflingninja]

This is one of the strangest things I do. Sometimes, when I dissociate, I take off my clothes. I feel like a freak. Does this happen to anyone else? It's so embarrassing. I live with roommates. They're safe and supportive and know about my trauma and PTSD. Last night I took off everything. I didn't have a stitch of clothing on me. Thank God my roommates are women too. They tried to keep me covered but I fought all blankets. I was like this for awhile. I don't understand and I'm mortified.

 

[sun seeker]

I don't do this, but it rings a bell that there was a thread on this topic a while ago. Sorry I can't remember what it was called. Anyone?

 

[Born to Run]

Yes, @FridayJones knows about this. I also don't remember exactly, apart from that it is described somewhere and that it is well-known. Vague ;-) Friday please?

 

[barefoot]

I don't do this but when I dissociate in therapy I sometimes take off my jewellery and accessories - watch, scarf, bracelets, rings, necklace... I know it's not the same extent to yours but, from what my therapist has said about watching me do it, I think it's that those things feel irritating/in the way, maybe...? I don't really know. I just see them lined up on the sofa when I'm present again and I just put them back on again.

Sorry this happens for you - I can understand your embarrassment. Great that you have safe, supportive room mates.

 

[Friday]

LOL @Born to Run

Paradoxical Undressing.

It's a facet of Hypothermia. With both Severe Anxiety & Hypothermia... Our blood gets yanked to our cores. It's a highly useful thing... In hypothermia it keeps vital organs warm enough to survive, in fight/flight situations it prevents major blood loss in the areas we tend to bleed the most in (superficial skin wounds, and wounds to our arms and legs).

The problem is twofold: our limbs do need blood... And the vascular response gets tired after doing it for awhile. So our bodies periodically send Whoomph! Hot Hot Hot blood to all of our limbs.

Which makes us feel like we're suddenly burning up. (This is part of the hot & cold flashes during anxiety, btw.).

If it goes on for too long? Well most people can only feel like you're standing in the deserts of Saudi Arabia wearing a snowsuit for so long before strip strip strip...take the damn snow suit OFF!

In either hypothermia or extreme anxiety...we're not really in our most rational minds. Even SAR workers who know about paradoxical undressing struggle to not strip off clothes in the sudden heat wave the blizzard has just put on, and when anxiety is up? Survival mode just doesn't lend towards a whole helluva lot of rationality. First anxiety needs to be lowered, then reason returns.

But, yes. Super common. About 1/2 of all hypothermia vics are found having stripped themselves nekkid as a jay bird, and while I don't have stats on anxiety? I would suspect the numbers are about the same. Survival Mode. It's quirky. Here's some more on that.

http://www.livescience.com/41730-hypothermia-terminal-burrowing-paradoxical-undressing.html

 

[Born to Run]

Thank you @FridayJones :-) Clipped the article to Evernote, and I think the terminal burrowing from the article is also quite interesting.

@barefoot Yes I do the same in therapy, removing watch, shoes, anything that constricts me. Dissociation, freeze, tonic immobility all related to constriction. Peter Levine says trauma has to do with constriction. Coming out of trauma, freeze, dissociation is about expansion. I always feel my watch, shoes whatever are in the way of this expansion.

 

[shimmerz]

Trapped. I do this when I am feeling trapped. Jewellery as well - lots of times with jewellery.

 

[Fadeaway]

Holy crap, this explains so much. @FridayJones you are currently my hero. I always thought it was due to fight or flight response causing me to move more due to pacing and fidgeting and I figured my activity level must be higher than I thought it was, causing my body to respond as if I was doing a heavy workout. I always thought my desire to huddle up in a corner was absurd. More like a child who covers their eyes and thinks people can't see them. I thought it was about safety, but I also thought it was weird because I wasn't huddling somewhere safe like a closet but in the corner at the end of the hall, that left me totally vulnerable.

Also given that I have low blood volume as it is this makes so much sense! Due to low iron and low blood volume, I am always cold and have low body temperature as it is. I fall into this overheated state when I have anxiety so often and so easily. There was a period a few months back when this was happening a few times a week. I figured the low hemoglobin was making more anxious as it was barely hovering about 7 at that point.

You have no clue I seriously am excited right now because I feel like I have stumbled upon a huge revelation.

 

[Cerulean Synapse]

Yes when I dissociate I have taken off my clothes. This happens sometimes depending who is out and what how and when the trigger is. I think it is because when you are dissociated everything feels like a big wad of cotton and you just want to get rid of it so off comes your clothes as well. It's very disconcerting and it's only happened in front of my room mate and in psych wards. And they don't like it when you get naked in psychwards, so that was a very traumatic experience for me when I woke up I was strapped to the bed naked.

 

[WhisperingUnicorn]

Wow .. I learn something new every day. My man cannot stand wearing clothes as a general rule (!).

I don't know if this is totally the same, but it seems related. He feels constricted, but it's only when he feels SAFE that he wants to be naked. I definitely want to consider this more deeply.

Welcome, @Thehalflingninja and I hope you post more!

~WU

 

[strangelings]

I've had parts do this. usually they only get completely naked when we're alone but- this does explain the agitated taking off of grounding bracelets, shawl, watch, shoes etc. too

thank you

 

[Bluepopsicle]

In our system we have few alters who likes to be naked I guess they are sexual alters.