When someone dissociates, they experience a disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity. This is a psychological state that's often triggered by stress, anxiety, or traumatic experiences. The severity, frequency, and duration of dissociative symptoms can vary widely. Here are some common forms and symptoms of dissociation:
Derealization: This involves feeling detached from one's surroundings. People, objects, and the world may seem unreal. Individuals might feel as if they are observing their life from an outside perspective.
Depersonalization: People experiencing depersonalization feel detached from themselves. They may feel like they're observing their own body and mental processes as if they were an outside observer. They might feel as if they're dreaming or in a movie, or that their body doesn't belong to them.
Dissociative Amnesia: This is characterized by an inability to recall important personal information that's too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. The person may forget certain time periods, events, people, or personal information.
Identity Confusion or Alteration: Some people may experience a sense of confusion about who they are. In extreme cases, like in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), a person may experience distinct, separate identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment.
Dissociative Fugue: This is a rare phenomenon where an individual might suddenly and unexpectedly take a physical journey away from home, forgetting their past and sometimes assuming a new identity. This state is usually short-lived, ranging from hours to days.
During a dissociative episode, a person might appear zoned out or preoccupied, and may not respond to external stimuli. They may report feeling numb or "not there". After an episode, they might not remember what happened while they were dissociating.
Dissociation is generally considered to be a coping mechanism that the mind uses to protect itself from psychological harm, typically in response to traumatic experiences or intense stress. However, when it becomes chronic or severe, it can interfere with a person's functioning and quality of life, and professional help is typically necessary.