5 Signs of Dissociation

Today we are going to talk about the 5 signs of dissociation because it’s more common than most people think. Research shows us that over 50% of people will have at least one dissociative episode in their lifetime, so we should all be a little more informed about what it is and what it isn’t. And all the more reason to share this video!

1. Memory loss 2. Feeling like you are watching yourself do something & you don’t have any control over it 3. Feeling lightheaded 4. Not feeling pain 5. Feeling like we don’t know who we are

I'm Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!
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[lauraboyd]

I have entire chunks of my life gone. I will suddenly become aware that I am somewhere I don't recognize speaking to people I don't know. I will be told I love foods that I hate. I will be told I'm close friends with people I have never met. This has been happening as long as I can remember. It's frightening.

[_just_TK]

To me, dissociating feels like I’m watching a movie where there’s a slight delay between the sound & the visual. Someone will say something & it’ll take a few extra seconds for me to hear & process it.

[innerguardianXIII]

It feels like you're an Actor who suddenly remembered themselves and you wonder why are you this character, who are they and when you started playing them.

[TeamFriendship]

For me, dissociation looks similar to sleeping with my eyes open. When I'm too anxious to talk, I just retreat into my imagination, and there's a sudden shock when I snap out of it. I tend to freeze like a statue and do a sort of thousand yard stare. I still do basic functions like blink and breathe, but it feels like I slip into a different reality.

[Awdreejahslin]

My spouse describes their dissociation as being in the back row of a theatre watching reality from far away and as just an observer.

[pythonjava]

Does anyone else feel a pressure in their head when they dissociate? Not like a literal pressure but like a heavy fog?

[banjoc]

The memory loss thing has been SO difficult socially. People misunderstand it as disinterest when I can’t recall their names, birthdays, meaningful moments we shared, etc.. It hurts them and it leaves me wondering if I’m a narcissist

[tc]

I really like the fact she recognises we enjoy self-injurious behaviour but still asks to choose safer option. Feeling empathy 😊

[treearoha]

I know it sounds weird but I actually remember dissociating many many times as a child when I was being abused. Just completely clocking out into another place in my mind where things felt unreal and distance then sounds and thoughts and feelings felt so distant. Not only that but I would experience hallucinations such as watching my mother's head shrink as she was screaming in my face and then that along with the dissociation it didn't affect me anymore. I did this a lot as a kid. I honestly thought I had a super power because of this when I was a kid to "be able to change my reality" when as an adult now I realise I was just HEAVILY dissociating.

[Amalthya]

for me it feels like my brain decides to detach itself from my body and keeps floating above my head like the freakin' Sims diamond!

[sawsanash]

I felt dissociated for the last 4 or 5 years. My life feels foggy like a dream and I'm functioning on auto pilot.

[grahamvandyke]

It's pretty awesome being able to read the comments and see everyone pinpointed literally EVERY single exact thing that also happens to me when I dissociate.

[venuslight]

I didn’t know there was a word for this... my whole life I just thought that I was a massive daydreamer

[graceurquhart]

Has anyone ever experienced the feeling that your hands or head or legs are bigger or smaller than they are as a part of dissociation?

[salemlamminen]

I was describing my symptoms to my psychiatrist and I didn't know what it was yet and he goes "oh so you deal with dissociation and depersonalization" and I was like "THERES A NAME FOR having a name to how I'm feeling helped tremendously because I didn't feel as alone anymore :)

[irenestar]

I dissociated a lot as a child, I grew up in an abusive environment and I used it as a self protection mechanism. I've been out of that environment for years now, however I still experience it when stressed or overwhelmed.

[micheller]

When I dissociate, my vision either gets very blurry, or objects appear to lack dimension. Also, I can have difficulty hearing, or will hear what someone is saying, but comprehend nothing. Sometimes I will slur my speech, or use very simple sentences. It feels similar to being drunk.

[bastaquememeo]

Dissociation for me feels like I'm dreaming, and I just can't keep myself grounded in the present. No matter how much I tell myself that what I'm living is real, it's still looks so hazy. And the worst thing is that it came to a point where I'm comfortable with dissociating, though I know it's something I want to stop. I want to feel alive.

[imaj]

What about eyes going out of focus? Spontaneously “blurring out” has happened all my life, and I’ve only recently noticed that it happens when I’m thinking about something stressful. It feels “comfortable” in such a way that I don’t want to pull myself out of it (but I can if I will it) and it’s kind of emotionally numbing, and I can actually function pretty normally during these episodes (unless the task requires a lot of focus). Sometimes I do it intentionally when I’m in public to take myself out of my social anxiety.

[elynselu]

As someone who lives with a chronic illness, I teach clients with similar diagnoses how to intentionally spend some time during the day, every day, embodied and present to the here and now. Dissociation helps those of us who live with chronic pain and other difficult symptoms to get through the day. But if you stay dissociated, you lose a sense of who you are and what you need. Thanks so much for this breakdown of dissociation, Kati!