Dissocia-What?
Dissociation - a disconnection between a person's thoughts, feelings, memories, behaviors, perception, and/or sense of identity
What the heck is happening to me (and why)?
The look and feel of dissociation:
- Memory loss regarding important events or period of time in your life (Dissociative amnesia).
- Feeling like you are outside of your body, or that you are observing your life from far away – like through a TV screen (Depersonalization).
- Feeling detached from your surroundings – like the world around you is not real (Derealization).
- Confusion around who you are and your core personality.
- Feeling like a completely different person at times.
- Hearing voices in your mind that argue or disagree with each other (Dissociative Identity/OSDD).
- Shutting down or disconnecting from your emotions.
- Re-experiencing past painful experiences as though they are happening now
- ‘Waking up’ and not remembering where you have been or what you were doing
- History of childhood abuse
- History of other traumatic experiences
- There are symptoms that may even scare you and you are too embarrassed or hesitant to talk about them.
If you experience even one or two of the symptoms listed above, there is a good chance that you have symptoms of dissociation. Dissociation is fairly common with up to 10% of the population meeting criteria for a dissociative disorder at some point in their life. Dissociation develops as the body’s natural coping mechanism to protect itself from danger.
Unfortunately, dissociation starts to get in the way when it interferes with your everyday life. Often times, dissociation gets triggered in adulthood even when the real danger is no longer present and can prevent you from recovering from past trauma.
It can be so frustrating and discouraging when you can’t seem to stay present with your partner and they start to feel hurt and frustrated, or you forget something important and let your boss down, or you feel freaked out because you lost time and don’t know what happened. Struggles with dissociation can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, relationship and work problems, low self-esteem, and struggles with substance abuse.
Why haven't I heard of this before?
Maybe you are an old pro with dissociation, but for many individuals suffering the impacts of trauma it is common to be almost entirely unaware of dissociative symptoms. This can look like friends or relatives pointing out that you’re not present, you check in and out and don’t remember conversations or behaviors. Since dissociation is often about your awareness ‘going offline’, it can be hard to even know you are dissociating until someone else is impacted or points it out.
The good news
The good news is that I can help you navigate the impacts of trauma and dissociative experiences. The goal is for us to help you create and experience emotional and physical safety, learn to manage dissociative symptoms, process the pain from your past (when you are ready), and finally to build the grounded life you want.
That means you will:
- Feel strong and secure.
- Have the ability and confidence to stand up for yourself.
- Stay connected and present in the face of challenging situations – and overcome them.
- Experience the freedom to pursue your unique dreams and goals.
I’ve helped many clients get there. I’d love to help you, too.
Ready to take the next step? Click the button to schedule your free no-risk phone consultation today.