In two previous blogs, I explained what dissociation is and how it can show up in your day-to-day life. If you’ve read these, or you’ve spoken to a mental health professional, have a dissociation-related diagnosis, or you want to try some skills to see if they help with what you’re experiencing, whether it’s dissociation or not, this post will give you some ideas of what you can do if you notice dissociative symptoms (or what you think is dissociative symptoms) in your life.
I will say that these interventions are just meant to get the ball rolling. You may not find every idea here to be applicable to what you experience. That’s okay! I’ll give a few examples of a few different things you can try and, of course, feel free to make more applicable to your daily life, what you like, and what you find to be most effective for you!
Build awareness of when you find yourself dissociating:
Does it happen when you’re bored? In conversation with people? In class or work meetings? Are there specific triggers? For one week, write down when you notice yourself daydreaming- what time of day it was, where you were, the context of the situation, whatever! Build some mindful awareness of when this tends to occur for you- this can give you some insight into why it might be happening and help you plan for those specific situations. Bonus points if you develop awareness of any ‘warning signs’ you have to let yourself know you’re in the beginning stages of dissociation (like fingertips going numb, for example).
Grounding techniques:
Sometimes there are ‘warning signs’ that you’re about to dissociate, or you’ll catch yourself as you’re in a more dissociative state, or you’ll come face-to-face with something you know triggers dissociation for you. Practice some of these grounding techniques to help you stay present:
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- Deep breathing Square breathing, paced breathing, 5-7-8 breathing, whatever floats your boat. Breathwork can be a powerful tool.
- Body Sensations: Either doing a body scan or focusing on one part of your body (like your feet on the floor, the chair beneath you, a fidget toy in your hand, etc.). Your body can only exist in the present moment, so focusing on a safe sensation can help you stay present.
- TIP: A DBT crisis skill. Have an ice pack ready, or a bowl with water and some ice cubes. Either submerge your face in cold water or put an ice pack or something cold on your forehead and hold your breath for 30 seconds. Rate your dysregulation before and after. Repeat up to 3x and pair it with something like deep breathing or something distracting. (If you have a heart condition- ask a physician before practicing this).
- Mindfulness of your environment: This can be so many things. Some examples include: count how many blue things (or whatever color) you see, count the number of squares (or whatever shape) you see in the room, notice sounds, notice smells, etc. This could even be noticing things that speak to safety in your environment, like noticing where the doors are and who you’re with, which can be grounding.
- Brain games: Remembering the lyrics to a song, counting up to a certain number, playing sudoku. These are all examples of things that can keep your brain busy and present
- Eat something sour: This one might seem silly, but stay with me. Our brains can only handle one emergency at a time. When we eat something sour, it ‘shocks’ our system and our brains naturally shift our focus to that sensation, helping us stay present!
External Reminders
- Set out post-it notes with reminders to breathe, check in, or with an encouraging note.
- Move something to a new location or place. For instance, if you tend to be dissociated in the morning and go through your whole morning routine in a very automatic way, move your shoes (or something else) to an unusual location like the bathroom. If you’re stuck in autopilot when you go to put your shoes on and they’re not where they usually are, that might be enough to snap you out of autopilot and check in with yourself and be more present. You might have to keep changing the location, though. I kept my keys in the fridge for a while because I kept leaving without my lunch. I can’t leave if I don’t have my car keys!
- Set timers or reminders in your phone to go off at different times throughout the day. Especially if you set these timers to go off at times you’re likely to dissociate (like if you daydream a lot when you get home from work), these can ‘jolt’ you back to the present moment. Even setting it as a timer/reminder that will buzz your watch can be useful (if you’re in a quiet space).
Reduce Vulnerability Factors
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- Keep up on physical health needs. Being tired can lead to more dissociation, so address any concerns with sleep to help reduce feelings of tiredness throughout the day. Being hungry is another example of this, so have snacks available and/or adjust your routine to eat regularly.
- Come up with a plan to cope ahead if you know you’ll be faced with a situation that tends to be triggering for you. Plan to have a break-and-shake ice pack in your desk at work, in your car, or in your bag so you can practice TIP on the go. Or plan to utilize other grounding techniques as appropriate for the situation.
Address underlying issues
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- Going to therapy can help reduce dissociation as you develop more techniques and reduce dysregulation you may feel in response to various triggers you have developed throughout your life.
There are more things to consider and more specific techniques you can use, depending on the situation you find yourself in! If you’d like help managing dissociation or other symptoms, come see us! We’d love to help you along your journey.
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.