Dissociation/Detachment

What has been your experiences with dissociation?

"Dissociation is a word that is used to describe the disconnection or lack of connection between things usually associated with each other. Dissociated experiences are not integrated into the usual sense of self, resulting in discontinuities in conscious awareness... In severe forms of dissociation, disconnection occurs in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception. For example, someone may think about an event that was tremendously upsetting yet have no feelings about it."
http://www.isst-d.org/?contentID=76

I have experienced derealization sometimes (pretty rare) where I feel like the person I am talking to sounds farther away than he really is, and I am disconnected from reality, I just sort of stare into space or stare at a person unflinchingly and later on realize that would have probably made them extremely uncomfortable. I have this feeling of being disconnected from reality. I feel at peace.

Recently, I have been wondering what has been going on with me. There is certainly a lack of connection in that I just don't have the same reactions to things anymore. I don't care. I remember how I have reacted to the same stuff before, and suddenly, I am not having any reactions to it. I have heard people say that they get like this temporarily, but I have felt this way for a year. Honestly, I don't want to go back, the other life was hell. But I do wonder what's really going on.

I have a sort of dissociation, but only when I'm angry. Think Hulk - I wish I was kidding, I really do. Once I go far enough over the line, I can logically comprehend what I'm doing, but if feels as though I'm watching someone else do it on television; I feel I have no control over myself. A part of my mind knows that what I'm doing is wrong, but it's like it can't yell it loud enough for the rest of me to hear it.

Once the adrenaline surge has worn off, I regain control and usually extract myself from the situation as quickly as possible. Then, if there was any violence, usually comes the emotional crash afterward. Thankfully, violence is rare, because I tend to avoid at almost all costs, knowing what the alternative can be.

I wish it didn't happen that way, but it does.

I dissociate when I'm under a lot of stress or I'm anxious. My mind seems to go elsewhere and I'm in what I call my "happy place" for as long as 20 minutes, there are no thoughts or feelings there. It's just peaceful. I feel as though I'm dreaming, when actually from another persons point of view I'm just staring into space.

It's really weird how it works and I still don't fully understand it but it does help my frequent anxiety attacks so I can't complain.

Many people dissociate under stress (or when anxiety arouses) and I'm one of those people. I don't dissociate often, but when I do it hits pretty hard, making it difficult to come out of it.

Casper wrote:I have a sort of dissociation, but only when I'm angry. Think Hulk - I wish I was kidding, I really do. Once I go far enough over the line, I can logically comprehend what I'm doing, but if feels as though I'm watching someone else do it on television; I feel I have no control over myself. A part of my mind knows that what I'm doing is wrong, but it's like it can't yell it loud enough for the rest of me to hear it.

Im the same although I am a VERY DARK person. I like the conversations in the antisocial personality forum section so I have to be careful since I quite enjoy being the Hulk. That is a slippery slope. I enjoy myself when it comes out but I have to reap the consequences when it comes out and not often good. The funny thing is that most people say I have a strong moral compass.

My dissociation goes very deep though. I can sit hungry and not eat for an hour and just stare off. I have a very hard time identifying what is going on in my body due to the disassociation.

I was once arrested and at the jail they thought I was high on drugs or something because I showed absolutely no reaction whatsoever to my arrest. I told them that I was just dissociating, they could lock my body up but my mind was elsewhere. Dissociation is the only way I've been able to survive the pain and trauma I've been through without completely losing my mind, when it gets too painful I just detach, leave my body behind and don't allow myself to feel the pain.

I don't see dissociation as a maladaptive behavior at all, I think it is a lot better than acting impulsively or other harmful coping mechanisms. I am trying to learn the technique of diffusion from ACT(acceptance and commitment therapy) to try and accomplish the same thing as dissociation, detaching myself from my unwanted emotions but to have more control over it and not completely zone out so I can still interact with my surroundings.

Noca wrote:I don't see dissociation as a maladaptive behavior at all, I think it is a lot better than acting impulsively or other harmful coping mechanisms. I am trying to learn the technique of diffusion from ACT(acceptance and commitment therapy) to try and accomplish the same thing as dissociation, detaching myself from my unwanted emotions but to have more control over it and not completely zone out so I can still interact with my surroundings.

That's a good way to see it, actually. dissociation is definitely much safer than engaging in any coping mechanisms that may cause harm to you and your body.

I've never really considered this before.

A friend recently said that I live in a permanent semi-dissociative state. :/