Building Hope Counseling Services

When experiencing extreme stress or trauma, many people experience a phenomenon known as dissociation.

Dissociation can take many forms. In its most basic form, your head and body feel disconnected. You may feel that you are not real, a situation is not real, or things around you are not real.

Some people describe dissociation as viewing life through a TV screen, or as if radio static is overlaying their experiences.

When I experience dissociation, I feel as if things are either much closer or much farther away from me than they actually are.

Dissociation is our bodies’ way of coping with intense stress. If our bodies fully felt everything they needed to feel at the time of the traumatic or stressful event, we would no be able to keep ourselves safe. For example, if you grew up in an unsafe or chaotic household, it may have been dangerous for you to fight back against your abusers. Therefore, you may have learned to dissociate to disconnect yourself from the experience of harm. Your body may have learned this skill as a child and may struggle to let go of this protective part as an adult.

Dissociation is not inherently dangerous. All bodies have the potential to dissociate when stressed. However, it is important to be mindful of your own individual experiences of stress and of trauma reactions. Dissociation can be a warning sign to some that they have the potential to engage in unsafe behavior, possibly due to the disconnect from the reality of consequences.

A major part of healing from trauma and from dissociation is learning to listen to your body. Listening to your body may mean noticing your thirst and hunger cues. It may look like acknowledging when you need movement, stillness, or intentional breath. It is learning that it is to feel and experience your emotions.

Dissociation is a natural reaction to the experience of intense stress. The specifics may vary from person to person, but overall, a feeling that something is not real is the hallmark of the experience. You can begin to heal from trauma and dissociation by learning how to listen to your body and honor your own needs.

Have you experienced dissociation? Leave a comment to describe your own experiences and to let others know that they are not alone!