Dissociation - Disconnection - Zoning Out
Dissociation – Disconnection – Zoning Out
Dissociation is not a disorder or illness you “get” or have. It is a
state of "being" that you arrive at, or find yourself in, as a coping
mechanism or strategy.
It characterized by an unexpected partial or complete disruption of
the normal integration of a person’s conscious or psychological
functioning.
Dissociation is a mental process that disconnects a person from their
thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity:
it is a disconnection from one’s inner self and from the “reality”
around oneself.
Dissociation can be a response to trauma, and perhaps allows the mind
to distance itself from experiences that are too much for the psyche
to process at that time.
Dissociative disruptions can affect any aspect of a person’s
functioning. Many dissociative disruptions involve amnesia (not always
– but most frequently).
Since dissociations are normally unanticipated, they are typically
experienced as startling, autonomous intrusions into the person's
usual ways of responding or functioning. Due to their unexpected and
largely inexplicable nature, they tend to be quite unsettling.
Dissociative amnesia and fugue states are often triggered by life
stresses that fall far short of trauma.
This mechanism is mostly automatic, an unconscious activity of the
mind.
For some folks, it may be the only, or at least the most preferred
method of dealing with the stresses of life.
There are various degrees of dissociation, which can range from
normal to problematic in a person's life.
The Dissociation coping strategy develops in those who have suffered
a significant degree of trauma and/or abuse in their lives. This
includes traumatic events such as accidents, serious illness, etc.,
and/or any type of abuse: physical, emotional or sexual.
Dissociation is not a disorder or illness you “get” or have. It is a
state of "being" that you arrive at, or find yourself in, as a coping
mechanism or strategy.
It characterized by an unexpected partial or complete disruption of
the normal integration of a person’s conscious or psychological
functioning.
Dissociation is a mental process that disconnects a person from their
thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity:
it is a disconnection from one’s inner self and from the “reality”
around oneself.
Dissociation can be a response to trauma, and perhaps allows the mind
to distance itself from experiences that are too much for the psyche
to process at that time.
Dissociative disruptions can affect any aspect of a person’s
functioning. Many dissociative disruptions involve amnesia (not always
– but most frequently).
Since dissociations are normally unanticipated, they are typically
experienced as startling, autonomous intrusions into the person's
usual ways of responding or functioning. Due to their unexpected and
largely inexplicable nature, they tend to be quite unsettling.
Dissociative amnesia and fugue states are often triggered by life
stresses that fall far short of trauma.
This mechanism is mostly automatic, an unconscious activity of the
mind.
For some folks, it may be the only, or at least the most preferred
method of dealing with the stresses of life.
There are various degrees of dissociation, which can range from
normal to problematic in a person's life.
The Dissociation coping strategy develops in those who have suffered
a significant degree of trauma and/or abuse in their lives. This
includes traumatic events such as accidents, serious illness, etc.,
and/or any type of abuse: physical, emotional or sexual.
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Let us help you find long-term resolution for
your problems - and assist you in your Emotional,
Mental and Spiritual Healing.
Email, Call or write - Today!
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through personal life coaching/counselling, as well as the many information files that exist on this website
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I sincerely hope that you take the Less Travelled Road and that it brings awakening and healing to you.
through personal life coaching/counselling, as well as the many information files that exist on this website
- the information is free and available to all.
I sincerely hope that you take the Less Travelled Road and that it brings awakening and healing to you.
For these people the occurrence of trauma or abuse is almost always
present in their history when dissociation rears its head.
Those who have been traumatized or abused almost always have
dissociated to some degree.
Dissociation in general:
Dissociation is actually a natural function of normal life.
Children are very good at dissociation, and this is especially evident in
their play.
They can become completely absorbed in the game they are playing,
and for the moment, they BECOME the princess, or the prince, or the
fireman, or the nurse, or the doctor, or the good guy, or the bad guy,
or the cat, or the dog, or...
present in their history when dissociation rears its head.
Those who have been traumatized or abused almost always have
dissociated to some degree.
Dissociation in general:
Dissociation is actually a natural function of normal life.
Children are very good at dissociation, and this is especially evident in
their play.
They can become completely absorbed in the game they are playing,
and for the moment, they BECOME the princess, or the prince, or the
fireman, or the nurse, or the doctor, or the good guy, or the bad guy,
or the cat, or the dog, or...
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| Dysfunctional Family / Life Effects: Resources |
| Adult Child - Survivor Resource Section |
| Healthy-Functional Resource Section |
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| Dawn Cove Abbey Information and Support Resources |
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Dissociation is actually a natural function of normal life.
Children are very good at dissociation, and this is especially evident in their play.
They can become completely absorbed in the game they are playing, and for the moment, they BECOME the princess, or
the prince, or the fireman, or the nurse, or the doctor, or the good guy, or the bad guy, or the cat, or the dog, or...
If you try to break in on their game, you may find that they are disoriented for a brief moment, and have not even heard
you because they were so involved in what they were doing. They have been very naturally and normally dissociating.
The first step to dissociation becoming a Coping Mechanism:
This is the ability that children may automatically use when facing difficulties that are too much for them to handle as
children.
The child simply "becomes" another person, often without any conscious decision to do so, have the things happen to that
person, not oneself ...
and the child is able to move on in life and survive.
This is because, as far as they are concerned, it never happened to them, or the memory of it has been significantly
minimized to a manageable size, since the experience was borne, or at least shared by "someone else".
If the event is traumatic enough, it may even be blocked entirely from the child's conscious memory.
Adults also dissociate naturally:
For example, many people do it while driving. When you have been traveling down the road, thinking about something else,
and then realized that you have missed the turn you were to take, that is dissociation.
Or if you were staring at a computer screen and not taking anything in, chances are you just had a little dissociative
moment.
It's a state somewhere between sleep and waking, a little of both, simultaneously.
Some folks feel a bit foggy headed, while others find their vision is not as sharp, or images are fuzzy around the edges.
Some people describe it as if they are looking through a veil, and feeling emotionally numb.
We also use dissociation to help us focus on what we need to in the current task we are doing, while blocking out other
things that could be distractions.
This is normal dissociation. In fact, people who can not keep distractions out have a great deal of difficulty with
concentration and therefore with functioning in life.
Dissociation as a protective coping mechanism is largely automatic.
When a life event occurs that is too difficult for the person's system to handle and process right away, there is a sort of
switch in the brain that is activated, and this blocks out the experience, or parts of the experience, from conscious
memory.
This can occur often in any type of traumatic event. There are many examples:
One example is at accidents where people are in shock and will have trouble relating the events afterwards.
During the incident they will appear to be conscious and aware - but will sometimes have limited or no recall of the events
within a specific time period.
As their mind and body settles back to normal, the memories of the event can be recalled more clearly, and they can
more coherently describe what happened.
This is a simple, natural way in which dissociation functions: It protects the system from becoming overloaded and
damaged by too much stress and trauma, by not allowing it all to be fully experienced all at once.
The catch is; it is meant to be a short term thing - for survival.
When the person begins to recover, and their system is more able to process the event, a fuller memory of what
occurred will often return to their normal state of awareness. When this happens, they will often feel like they are
reliving the event all over again.
In some ways, they are, because in many cases some of the experience was blocked off as being too overwhelming to cope
with consciously at the time, and is only now being experienced.
To handle this in a functional manner, those experiences need to be processed, so that they can be stored as a memory
that can be described in words, instead of being lived, and relived, as if they were occurring again and again in the
current time.
The processing is done by allowing the various aspects of the memory to return and working through and resolving the
issues involved in the experience, by using other methods instead of dissociation.
Dissociation as interference with a functional life:
Unfortunately, dissociation becomes a way of life for some people.
For many, it begins in childhood when faced with difficulties that are too much for a child to handle – such as abuse.
When this happens, functionally effective healthy coping skills are not developed fully in the environment in which they
grow up.
Dissociation works very well to keep difficulties and struggles undercover, for awhile.
However, since it was never meant to become a habitual way of coping, it eventually begins to break down.
As life becomes more complex in the adult years, the pressure of keeping everything locked up inside becomes too much,
memories begin to flash back, begging to be paid attention to and processed, and the old patterns combined with current
issues create additional stress.
When exactly this happens varies from person to person, but when it does, it can wreak havoc with a person's life and
relationships.
The Residual Curse of Dissociation:
The memory of a traumatic event can come back to conscious recall suddenly when it is "triggered" by some experience in
current life.
Depending on the amount of dissociation that has occurred, the person may or may not recognize it as a forgotten event
that happened to them.
At times, a person may overreact to current events without knowing why, when there is something in the current
situation that connects to an unprocessed past event that was traumatic for them.
In some situations, the traumatic memory may be locked in at the age and stage of development the individual was in the
first time that major event occurred.
When it is accessed again later in life, the person may respond in the way someone at that earlier age and stage of life
would.
Increased use of dissociation can produce dysfunction in coping with daily life, especially from the level of Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder and beyond, as past traumatic memories that have been blocked off interfere.
Unless these memories are processed and resolved (not dissociated further), they can become increasingly difficult to
manage.
Although a person may seem to be able to function fairly well in the short term with dissociation, in the long term this
actually decreases the ability to cope and function with the stresses of life.
Dissociation caps people’s keyed up and restless energy underneath. It numbs the body (and emotions/feelings) so that
they feel less internal distress.
They may enter psychotherapy and be dissociative but be unaware of its presence. They might not even know what
dissociation is. However, theyu are likely aware of the problems associated with being in a dissociative state.
When dissociation becomes chronic, it can feel unbearable and many people resort to addictive or self-injurious behaviors
to seek temporary "relief".
Chronic dissociation severely limits our perceptions. At some level we sense we're operating on a different plane than the
rest of the world. Although we know something isn’t quite right, we can't put a finger on it.
Dissociation can make us feel invisible and powerless. It impairs our ability to connect with others to such a degree that
we are unable to care for ourselves or others (e.g. as a mother might care for an infant).
You may have been functioning in the outside world but the real you went underground to some other place. In other
words, you are "just not there".
It's most evident in the eyes. When you're experiencing dissociation others might notice you staring out into space.
You won't notice when you start to dissociate.
Dissociation comes online seamlessly and automatically. That is, you probably won't recognize the moment you start
dissociating.
Dissociation is like fake relaxation. It numbs your body and your emotions so you feel nothing. It can be akin to a blissful
state and as such, can be deceiving to you and your therapist when you attempt therapy.
Dissociation is also known as a trait, meaning that it is suspected that some people are dissociative all the time- but in
clinical literature the focus is generally on dissociation as a state.
Klaas Tuinman M.A.
-Adapted from various sources
Deerfield, NS
2010
Children are very good at dissociation, and this is especially evident in their play.
They can become completely absorbed in the game they are playing, and for the moment, they BECOME the princess, or
the prince, or the fireman, or the nurse, or the doctor, or the good guy, or the bad guy, or the cat, or the dog, or...
If you try to break in on their game, you may find that they are disoriented for a brief moment, and have not even heard
you because they were so involved in what they were doing. They have been very naturally and normally dissociating.
The first step to dissociation becoming a Coping Mechanism:
This is the ability that children may automatically use when facing difficulties that are too much for them to handle as
children.
The child simply "becomes" another person, often without any conscious decision to do so, have the things happen to that
person, not oneself ...
and the child is able to move on in life and survive.
This is because, as far as they are concerned, it never happened to them, or the memory of it has been significantly
minimized to a manageable size, since the experience was borne, or at least shared by "someone else".
If the event is traumatic enough, it may even be blocked entirely from the child's conscious memory.
Adults also dissociate naturally:
For example, many people do it while driving. When you have been traveling down the road, thinking about something else,
and then realized that you have missed the turn you were to take, that is dissociation.
Or if you were staring at a computer screen and not taking anything in, chances are you just had a little dissociative
moment.
It's a state somewhere between sleep and waking, a little of both, simultaneously.
Some folks feel a bit foggy headed, while others find their vision is not as sharp, or images are fuzzy around the edges.
Some people describe it as if they are looking through a veil, and feeling emotionally numb.
We also use dissociation to help us focus on what we need to in the current task we are doing, while blocking out other
things that could be distractions.
This is normal dissociation. In fact, people who can not keep distractions out have a great deal of difficulty with
concentration and therefore with functioning in life.
Dissociation as a protective coping mechanism is largely automatic.
When a life event occurs that is too difficult for the person's system to handle and process right away, there is a sort of
switch in the brain that is activated, and this blocks out the experience, or parts of the experience, from conscious
memory.
This can occur often in any type of traumatic event. There are many examples:
One example is at accidents where people are in shock and will have trouble relating the events afterwards.
During the incident they will appear to be conscious and aware - but will sometimes have limited or no recall of the events
within a specific time period.
As their mind and body settles back to normal, the memories of the event can be recalled more clearly, and they can
more coherently describe what happened.
This is a simple, natural way in which dissociation functions: It protects the system from becoming overloaded and
damaged by too much stress and trauma, by not allowing it all to be fully experienced all at once.
The catch is; it is meant to be a short term thing - for survival.
When the person begins to recover, and their system is more able to process the event, a fuller memory of what
occurred will often return to their normal state of awareness. When this happens, they will often feel like they are
reliving the event all over again.
In some ways, they are, because in many cases some of the experience was blocked off as being too overwhelming to cope
with consciously at the time, and is only now being experienced.
To handle this in a functional manner, those experiences need to be processed, so that they can be stored as a memory
that can be described in words, instead of being lived, and relived, as if they were occurring again and again in the
current time.
The processing is done by allowing the various aspects of the memory to return and working through and resolving the
issues involved in the experience, by using other methods instead of dissociation.
Dissociation as interference with a functional life:
Unfortunately, dissociation becomes a way of life for some people.
For many, it begins in childhood when faced with difficulties that are too much for a child to handle – such as abuse.
When this happens, functionally effective healthy coping skills are not developed fully in the environment in which they
grow up.
Dissociation works very well to keep difficulties and struggles undercover, for awhile.
However, since it was never meant to become a habitual way of coping, it eventually begins to break down.
As life becomes more complex in the adult years, the pressure of keeping everything locked up inside becomes too much,
memories begin to flash back, begging to be paid attention to and processed, and the old patterns combined with current
issues create additional stress.
When exactly this happens varies from person to person, but when it does, it can wreak havoc with a person's life and
relationships.
The Residual Curse of Dissociation:
The memory of a traumatic event can come back to conscious recall suddenly when it is "triggered" by some experience in
current life.
Depending on the amount of dissociation that has occurred, the person may or may not recognize it as a forgotten event
that happened to them.
At times, a person may overreact to current events without knowing why, when there is something in the current
situation that connects to an unprocessed past event that was traumatic for them.
In some situations, the traumatic memory may be locked in at the age and stage of development the individual was in the
first time that major event occurred.
When it is accessed again later in life, the person may respond in the way someone at that earlier age and stage of life
would.
Increased use of dissociation can produce dysfunction in coping with daily life, especially from the level of Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder and beyond, as past traumatic memories that have been blocked off interfere.
Unless these memories are processed and resolved (not dissociated further), they can become increasingly difficult to
manage.
Although a person may seem to be able to function fairly well in the short term with dissociation, in the long term this
actually decreases the ability to cope and function with the stresses of life.
Dissociation caps people’s keyed up and restless energy underneath. It numbs the body (and emotions/feelings) so that
they feel less internal distress.
They may enter psychotherapy and be dissociative but be unaware of its presence. They might not even know what
dissociation is. However, theyu are likely aware of the problems associated with being in a dissociative state.
When dissociation becomes chronic, it can feel unbearable and many people resort to addictive or self-injurious behaviors
to seek temporary "relief".
Chronic dissociation severely limits our perceptions. At some level we sense we're operating on a different plane than the
rest of the world. Although we know something isn’t quite right, we can't put a finger on it.
Dissociation can make us feel invisible and powerless. It impairs our ability to connect with others to such a degree that
we are unable to care for ourselves or others (e.g. as a mother might care for an infant).
You may have been functioning in the outside world but the real you went underground to some other place. In other
words, you are "just not there".
It's most evident in the eyes. When you're experiencing dissociation others might notice you staring out into space.
You won't notice when you start to dissociate.
Dissociation comes online seamlessly and automatically. That is, you probably won't recognize the moment you start
dissociating.
Dissociation is like fake relaxation. It numbs your body and your emotions so you feel nothing. It can be akin to a blissful
state and as such, can be deceiving to you and your therapist when you attempt therapy.
Dissociation is also known as a trait, meaning that it is suspected that some people are dissociative all the time- but in
clinical literature the focus is generally on dissociation as a state.
Klaas Tuinman M.A.
-Adapted from various sources
Deerfield, NS
2010
| People who really want to heal, will find a way; those who don't, will find an excuse. |