How Dissociation Can Show Up in Day-to-Day Life
In this previous blog, I wrote about dissociation and gave a brief overview of this phenomenon, what it is, how it is that people come to dissociate, different types of dissociation, and where to start looking for help. I’ve found that dissociation is such a broad phenomenon, that people can experience dissociation in vastly different ways. This can be really confusing, and may lead some to not fully understand if what they are experiencing falls under the dissociation umbrella. So, let’s break this down further and hopefully demystify dissociation.
There are several different types of dissociation. Let’s go through these, define them, and provide some examples. Please note that these are purely a few examples and are in no way an exhaustive list.
“Normal” Dissociation
This is the degree of dissociation that just about everyone experiences. Our brains cannot possibly be ‘online’ at all times, constantly collecting data from our environment 24/7- this would be exhausting and overwhelming. Some examples of this dissociation could be:
- Daydreaming– imagine being on a road trip with your friends (not driving) or sitting in a classroom in a class you don’t find interesting- your mind wanders and you start thinking about what you want to eat for dinner, that argument you got in with your significant other the other night and all the things you could’ve said but didn’t (I regularly find myself replaying arguments, why couldn’t I think to say that in the moment?!), upcoming plans/events you’re looking forward to, etc. When you’re daydreaming, you lose track of what’s happening around you. You’ll miss what was said in conversations happening around you and you won’t really notice the passage of time.
Highway Hypnosis– this occurs when you’re on a familiar route you’ve driving a thousand times or if you’re on a stretch of highway for an extended period of time and, at some point, you realize you don’t remember the last few miles. You were on autopilot, disconnected from the act of driving. While you may have been driving safely at the time, this can be potentially pretty dangerous.- Flow States– I get into flow states with activities I really enjoy such as puzzles, working out, or listening to my favorite podcasts. This occurs when you become fully immersed in whatever it is you’re doing. You might not be fully aware of how much time has passed, what’s happening around you, whether you’re hungry or thirsty, etc.
Primary Dissociation and Secondary Dissociation
This can occur if someone has PTSD and/or after someone experiences one or more traumatic events. This is when someone can go about their day-to-day life acting like themselves (“apparently normal part”), then, when something in their environment or something internally triggers them, the “emotional part” can come out. As dissociation happens on a spectrum, primary dissociation may have one “emotional part” while secondary dissociation may have several “emotional parts” and may experience dissociation at a greater degree. Here are some examples of dissociation for primary and secondary dissociation, again, primary dissociation may include some of these in less frequent and/or less severe way while secondary dissociation may include many of these or experience these symptoms more frequently and/or in more severe ways:
- Emotional numbing– this includes numbing or disconnecting from your feelings. This is a defense mechanism that can allow someone to emotionally detach so they don’t become overwhelmed by pain or fear.
- Derealization– this is feeling as though the world around you isn’t real or appears dreamlike.
- Depersonalization– this is when someone feels like they’re detached from themselves, as if they are observing their life from outside their body. Some people report feeling like they’re watching themselves from above or next to themselves.
- Amnesia– this can show up like gaps in memory, particularly around a stressful or traumatic event. If someone has many triggers, though, they may experience amnesia regularly in their day-to-day life, causing them to miss out on important moments.
- Identity Confusion– can occur if someone feels disconnected from their sense of reality, who they are. Some examples of this can include not recognizing yourself in the mirror, feeling like you’re acting out a role, not living authentically, or even not really knowing what you like or dislike
- Out-of-Character-Behavior- this can occur if someone is living in “autopilot” and begins saying and/or doing things they wouldn’t typically say or do. In this state, someone might not even fully remember doing these things and they may not be aware of their actions. Some examples of this might be saying something hurtful while in an argument with your significant other or even some self-harm behaviors can fall under this category.
- Flashbacks- this happens when someone who experienced a traumatic event ‘relives it’ as if it’s happening in front of them. This can range from experiencing the same emotions, sounds, smells, and sights all the way to a full-blown experience where the person feels as though they are fully immersed in the traumatic event. During a flashback, someone might lose awareness of their current surroundings.
Other Specified or Unspecified Dissociative Disorders
This occurs when someone experiences symptoms characteristic of a dissociative disorder in such a way that causes significant distress or impairment in social settings, work, school, or other important areas of functioning, but do not meet criteria for a dissociative disorder. Here are some examples of presentations of these disorders:
- Chronic and recurrent syndromes of mixed dissociative symptoms– this can occur in situations where someone experiences some disruptions or discontinuities in their identity and sense of control. They may feel disconnected from themselves or have moments where they feel less in control of their actions but not to a degree that would warrant a dissociative diagnosis.
- Identity disturbance due to prolonged and intense coercive persuasion– this can occur when someone has been subjected to intense coercive persuasion (e.g., brainwashing, indoctrination while captive, torture, long-term political imprisonment, cults, etc.). They may present with prolonged changes in, or conscious questioning of, their identity.
- Acute dissociative reactions to stressful events- this is for acute, transient conditions that typically last less than 1 month, sometimes only a few hours or days even. These conditions can be characterized by the categories in the 2nd point along with difficulties in perception of time, micro-amnesias, transient stupor, and/or changes in sensory-motor functioning.
- Dissociative trance- characterized by an acute narrowing or complete loss of awareness of immediate surroundings that can cause someone to be unresponsive or highly unaware of their surroundings.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
This can occur if someone has experienced severe and chronic trauma and is characterized by someone having two or more distinct personality states and/or someone develops “alters” or identities each with their own sense of self. These different personality states can have different behaviors, emotions, perception, cognition, and/or sensor-motor functioning from one another. The signs and symptoms of this would be noticed by the individual and/or others in their lives.
There you have it! I hope this breakdown of the continuum of dissociation helps clarify some things and provide some context of the broad extent in which dissociation can occur. From everyday experiences all the way to separate personality states, there is a wide range of symptoms that fall under the umbrella of dissociation. If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms and you’d like to seek professional help, please come on in and see us! We’d love to help you heal and work towards your life worth living!
About the Author
Maria Mangione (she/her), M.A., LPCC-S is a licensed clinical counselor who specializes in dialectical behavior therapy. She works to help people develop the tools they need to develop trust in themselves and build their life worth living. Maria believes in having meaningful connections with her clients and believes that therapy and healing can be fun. Click Here to learn more about Maria’s experience and therapeutic style.
