Unknowingly Put Into Dissociative State By T

[Brokensoul88]

I was discussing with my T a nightmare I had, I used to dissociate all the time when my memories started to return of my attack but it's been a long time since I've stepped out of myself. When we talked she said perhaps we need to finish the dream off (I didn't realize that meant an intentional dissociation) so we talked about what had gone on in the dream. I told her that I feel like I can't cope with all the problems I have in life on my own and she used that, she asked if someone could rescue me in that dream who would it be, I said her, and we talked through what would happen to get me away from my attacker, where we would go, how I could get safe and clean. I think it's called rewiring or something but she grounded me but then I left and went back into the big wide world and started feeling sick (as I had in the nightmare) and just completely spaced out, I could still work out where I was going, I went and did my shopping in Asda, I knew what I was doing but I was there as, like a narrator I guess, I was never that aware when I dissociated by myself before. I went back to work & my boss did not know what to do she could see I was so spaced out. It was sooo weird. She called my T to work out how to help me. When I think about it now, I have this trust in my T that I've not been able to extend to anyone else, she is also a friend and though this was with good intentions I feel a little manipulated. I guess if she had said what she wanted to do I would have just tensed up and it wouldn't have worked. She was so shocked that it worked because she knows I'm constantly in an anxious state, I'm not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. In a way it has helped because when I think of that nightmare I think of what happens next to make me safe so I can cut off that feeling and make it positive but also afterwards I was so vulnerable in that state, I couldn't drive or anything. Anybody else done much intentional dissociation like this with their T?

 

[Silver.]

It doesn't sound to me like she was intentionally trying to get you to disassociate. It sounds like she was trying to get you to rethink the dream, so it would end your way, so you could start practicing some control over nightmares/night terrors. When we are in therapy, our therapists goal is to bring forth raw emotion so we can deal with it. Perhaps you can talk to her about some better grounding techniques or getting you to cope better after a rough therapy session?
(I might be off, so someone else might have a better idea than me) x

 

[Brokensoul88]

It was intentional, we have been talking about a technique called rewind technique/human givens which we plan to try in the future but way in the future so I didn't expect anything remotely like that would be tried, it was intentional but with good intentions. She knows now I won't do that unless I'm properly prepared/informed again

 

[Friday]

My first read was along the line of what @Silver. replied with. Since, with your clarification, it sounds like intentionally disassociating? Sounds to me like lesson learned : If you're going to do this? You're going to need to schedule it during a time you can crash afterward for several hours, instead of going back to work or having other obligations to meet.