When Dissociation Gets Physical

In this video from The CTAD Clinic, Dr Mike Lloyd (Clinic Director) discusses how a person with trauma-related dissociation may experience a variety of physical symptoms, known as 'somatoform symptoms'. This is extremely common for such people and can be greatly misunderstood within medical and psychiatric settings. The type of physical symptoms are listed as well as some examples of how these can manifest, and why.

The video is aimed at people with experience of dissociation, such as Depersonalisation, Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

#otherspecifieddissociativedisorder #osdd #dissociativeidentitydisorder #did #therapy #depersonalization #somatoform

[Kuruflower]

I woke up every morning in a panic. My friends said I screamed in my sleep, and I stopped breathing. I went to doc, took a sleep test, and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was put on oxygen at night for too low oxygen levels. After 3 years, one morning the panic slowed down, and I saw and re experienced dying as an infant. I realized this is why I woke up in a panic, and why I stopped breathing at night.

Panic stopped, sleep apnea stopped.

(edit cause I dropped my phone and it posted before I was done)..

[jamygarcia]

Until the amnesia barriers started crashing, I felt physically “ fine.” Now headaches and pretty much hurt from head to toe. Ugh!

[septicember]

when I was in DBT, we did a lot of Mindfulness every session. That mindfulness helped pull down some of the dissociation... which led to me become suddenly aware of the fact that I was in full-body pain, ALL the time. And for a while, this was brushed off as fibromyalgia and psychosomatic pain. It became so unbearable that I couldn't attend DBT groups because the chairs in the meeting room would have me close to tears by the end or crying in the car after before I could drive home. My therapist seemed to think I was making up the severity and so I was basically made me lie about feeling like I should graduate DBT and that I felt it was time for EMDR *just* so I could get out of the groups without being kicked out of therapy entirely.🙃

Well, one session and a blowup later, I got discharged anyway. Turns out, I have an autoimmune disorder and hypermobility syndrome. I was dissociating SO MUCH that I didn't even realize I was in pain until i had spent 5 or 6 months working really hard to improve my mindfulness. I have had chronic pain since elementary school, but until the last couple of years of self-work and some random memory recall, I had NO IDEA i had had chronic pain even as a child! I used to complain about joint aches and then immediately dismiss my own pain. I had no idea the denial I was in was so all-encompassing. NOTHING made it through to the "me" of those years :( I endured so much not even realizing I was enduring anything at all.

[autiejedi]

Complex trauma can also wreak havoc on the immune system which can lead to autoimmune disorders and/or repeated infections.
Thank you for covering this topic. 💜

[royce]

Oh boy, im currently dealing with unknown chronic issues so this is weird timing. I have some trauma in childhood but not as much as severely traumatized people. I’ve had many doctors tell me that there is a non-physhogoical causes but they aren’t sure what. I’ve had stiffness, soreness, and tension for a while and issues with the body parts related to trauma

But then I have unexplained nerve pain and issues that seem to be caused by something physical but made worse by anxiety.

It’s important to remember that these things can be linked. You can get an autoimmune disorder because of trauma, and you can have a combination of mental and physical causes of physical issues

Medical gaslighting is so, so common. Any symptom you have is valid, even if you don’t know where it’s coming from

[JamieMitchellDesign]

I go through cognitive shutdowns on a daily basis. It’s like when a computer crashes and needs to reboot. Sometimes it can be small where I will have like a micro sleep. Other times it can last for hours and I’m not even in my body, just curled up in a dissociative like trance going in and out of sleep. Once it passes I’m me again, so weird.

[kellyschroeder]

Thanks Dr. Mike and CTAD for validation of trauma and somatoform presentations. That “we” are not “crazy” / “ making it up”. Thanks for encouraging understanding difference between organic and inorganic causes 💞💙🙏🏻👊

[psalms]

Went to chiropractor for chronic shoulder and neck pain that had been with me my whole life. He sent me for x-rays and ultrasound, they found no cause. My chiropractor then suggested it could be trauma related, he was familiar with somatic pain.

[amberandmarble]

Have had so much dismissal from GPs over the years about this. I wish all medical doctors could watch this video. So much stigma still.

[jesmer-sam]

Ps people have said that my episodes of dissociation seizures are me faking. But it’s my brain and body shutting down. My brain just can’t handle any more. It’s as you said it’s just not caused by an organic cause … people underestimate the mystery of the brain and how it works.

[suzannethobro]

Thank you, Dr. Lloyd!

Today I had a hearing test and for the first time since I had the first test showing bad hearing it had gotten better! I was convinced that my hearing was getting worse, the same with my eyesight, but both is actually better now. This is a very confusing thing about having dissociative disorder, that I'm so convinced of one thing, and then tests shows the opposite. This was how I first was diagnosed with dissociation too: I had neurological symptoms for years and suddenly I couldn't even walk or lift my arms anymore, but the neurologist couldn't find anything wrong on tests.

I'm so happy I didn't listen to people around me (f.ex my mother) that said I had some kind of mystery illness, but instead listened to the neurologists that suggested dissociation. From just staying in bed and needing help from nurses to get to the toilet, now 5 years later I manage on my own. I'm still on welfare money and can't work, but I understand myself so much better.

[goldielocks]

Since 1982 I have had stomach issues that were ultimately described as "functional dyspepsia" by the gastroenterologist in 2004, after being tagged as "nervous stomach" when no medication would touch the pain and discomfort. Today I realised that it may be tied to a bad car accident when I was 7. It wasn't until discussing it with my sister (who has just undergone EMDR for flashbacks) who told me that I (dissociative amnesia) was alternating screaming and vomiting from the impact until the ambulance arrived. Now I can raise the issue with my therapist and hopefully we can work on it and finally lose the stomach issues. Thank you for these videos.

[septicember]

someone please make me stop scrolling and reading comments while i'm watching videos because on god i miss everything and have to keep rewinding :'D

[MARCIA.ZZZZZZ]

Honestly besides one other person you are the only one who really understands. Please keep making videos. 🙏 I'm so scared you will stop and leave us. It's YOU and your personality, compassion sincerity, knowledge, love of animals and so much more that keeps me coming back. I actually trust you.

[tactileproduct]

Thank you for your continuously powerful content! “The Body Keeps the Score” is not about DID, but is another educational source on trauma stored in the body. Health and happiness to all ✨

[m_m-ur]

hello! we've had nonepileptic seizures (thankfully, diagnosed as part of OSDD) for many years now. super relieving to see a professional talk about it. huge sympathies to everyone else in the comments with their experiences.

[butterbee_bb]

Not being able to understand physiological needs is a big one for us. We can go so long without experiencing hunger or thirst… if you couple that with ADHD hyperfocus, we can sometimes work for 12h without any breaks or water intake at all. Then when we come to we feel dizzy and extremely weak and don’t know why since we never felt hungry or thirsty or anything. We also have a hard time understanding “sleepy” and when we realize it we’re so exhausted that we can’t even move to go to bed.
These are super helpful, thank you

[xmas]

I feel like my therapy experience is keeping pace with your videos 😅 I just started EMDR and it did a number on my body. I was at dinner a couple of days after therapy and was overheating. I had a raised temperature for hours even with the air-conditioning turned up. As soon as I got home it went away. The guests were bewildered. And now today I've woken up with my back muscles almost completely siezed up.
I also haven't been able to feed myself more than one meal a day for a few days because I haven't felt hunger at all.
It's exhausting

[Starchaser]

There are two types of experts in trauma - those who study it, and those who experience it. I know because I have a lifetime of experience with Anxiety, worry, panic and needing to be alone, why do I feel calm and happy when I'm alone? Because if there are no people there is no stress ! Know people, know stress...No people No stress...

[angelwild]

Thank you, again. I had been accused of hypochondriac in my past by adults in my life who did not understand me. I also did not understand myself, and it took years to realize I had been so dissociated from my life and myself that when I healed well enough to feel, my feelings exhibited themselves through my body in hard to understand ways. I have come to accept my body/mind connection is very sensitive and I can have healing occur by accepting and treating all my ills. Again, thank you for your insights.