Dissociation is a fairly common response to trauma. Even without a history of trauma, up to 75% of people experience an episode of dissociation throughout their lives. But what exactly is dissociation? Have you ever been driving and felt as though you didn't remember how you got to where you were? This is a fairly common phenomenon, and one in which those who struggle with dissociation are familiar. Dissociation is a feeling of being disconnected from either yourself or the world around you. This can lead to feelings of being unreal, or of the world seeming unreal.
A common theory of dissociation is that it is a way for the mind to cope with intense stress by "checking out" for a brief, or longer, period. Experiences of dissociation may last for a few minutes, hours, or even days. Dissociation may be experienced by an individual as longstanding or distressing, which could mean it may be time to seek help from a mental health professional.
A simple technique to combat in-the-moment dissociation is a grounding technique such as the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding technique that assists with coming back to the present moment when feeling overwhelmed or triggered.
Luckily, there is a lot of evidence-based research on coping with dissociation and dissociative disorders (which are diagnosable mental health disorders which feature dissociation as their main symptom). If you or a loved one feel distressed by dissociation, there is help available and there is hope.
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