Dissociation is the condition where a person dissociates from their thoughts, emotions and feelings. This can happen due to lack of continuity or traumatic experiences. "Dissociation is a common response to stress or trauma, where you might feel disconnected from your body, your surroundings, or your sense of self. It's like watching your life from a distance," wrote Therapist Linda Meredith. Some of the symptoms of dissociation are feeling numb, having memory gaps and feeling a sense of unreality. "Understanding and acknowledging dissociation is a crucial step toward healing. It's a defense mechanism your mind uses to protect you from stress or trauma but recognizing it can help you seek effective coping strategies," the Therapist added.
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How dissociation can impact people with complex trauma:
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Sense of identity: It can make us have an impaired sense of self and identity, that is far from the reality we are living in.
Concentration: We face challenges in concentrating and focusing on the important matters at hand. We face dissociation and distraction.
Feeling numb: We feel emotionally distracted, disconnected and numb often. We face challenges in feeling the emotions that we should feel.
Self-destructive behaviours: This can make us get into the spiral of self-destructive behavioural patterns and substance abuse.
Challenges in relationships: Because of constant dissociation, we face difficulty in forming or maintaining healthy relationships.
Shifts in mood: We face constant shifts in mood and personality, making people around us feel confused. This can also lead to self-isolation.
Disconnect from emotions: We do not feel the physical sensations and the emotions. This can make us feel strange.
Difficulty staying present: We face difficulty in being present at the moment because our mind keeps constantly disconnecting.
Memory gaps: We have memory gaps and fragmentation of experiences – we face difficulty in remembering things, conversations and important experiences.
Impaired decision-making: We face difficulty in making choices - our sense of judgement gets impaired.
