âWhat is Dissociation?â
I was prompt to make this after answering at least 10 asks about this. During my latest ask about it, I found myself really thinking more about posting it because I was so inspired.
I dedicate much of my blog and much of my study as a psychology student to awareness and advocating for mental health, so I was driven to post this.
However, I also made this post because I see stuff like this around tumblr and social media:
âOmggggg I dissociated soooo baddddd todayyyyyy I was in school and didnât payy attention!!!!â
âI zoned outttttt! I am so symptomatic!â
Ok letâs stop. Thereâs all these people who read about it on google and tumblr, then run around acting like theyâre âsooooooo symptomaticcc!â and so many people think they have what they read. Itâs quite insulting and mocking of the struggle. Some may just need to be more informed.
Dissociation is a general and broad term referring to a lack of and disconnection from reality. Itâs a psychological defense mechanism.
Dissociation is not to be confused with psychosis/psychotic symptoms, which is a loss of reality (rather than a lack of reality) in which symptoms outside of reality occur (hallucinations, delusions, etc).
The concept of dissociation in psychology is very broad and very complex. It is based on a spectrumâ it can be anything from nonpathological dissociation (Which is ânormalâ dissociation; not relating to and not caused by a disorder, such as daydreaming and zoning out), to pathological dissociation as a symptom, to dissociation as a disorder in itself.
So while daydreaming and zoning out is a form of dissociation, there is a difference between this nonpathological dissociation, pathological dissociation as a symptom, and dissociation as a disorder in itself.
Compared to symptomatic pathological dissociation, daydreaming, zoning out, among other states, is a nonpathological dissociation. This psychological response is typically minor and natural. Examples of this include daydreaming and kind of zoning out in a convo, dissociating while driving for long distances, and zoning out while watching a movie or reading a book.
Nonpathological dissociation can occur for various reasons, whether itâs a psychological defense mechanism to boredom, fatigue, a lack of stimulation, if someone has a lot on their mind, to disconnect from stress/anxiety, etc.
Now, just because it is common and nonpathological doesnât mean it canât be problematic. We can all agree dissociating while driving or when stressed in certain circumstances can be very problematic. There are still grounding techniques to manage this issue.
Technically, as you can see, we all dissociate. Sometimes, every day!
On the other hand, pathological dissociation means it is dissociation relative to and caused by a disorder. This symptomatic dissociation: disrupts oneâs life, continues despite efforts to stop it, is autonomous, intrusive, typically very unsettling and startling, and is more chronic.
Symptomatic pathological dissociation usually occurs in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Disorders (PTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
I want to mention that periods of dissociation may clearly happen more often in disorders like Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders. In those mental illnesses, itâs not on the criteria, nor is it typically as severe. It is not a main hallmark symptom like it is for PTSD and BPD, in which it is on the main symptom criteria. Naturally, as stress/anxiety may be a trigger for even nonpathological dissociation, it would make sense to see that if someone has a disorder that causes stress, anxiety, and depression, it may occur more often and more severe than it would for someone without those disorders! While itâs not on the criteria or a main severe symptom, that doesnât mean thereâs no struggle and need to handle it and put it under control through grounding and therapeutic techniques and skills.
Symptomatic dissociation in PTSD and BPD is a psychological defense mechanism that is to a severe extent where it starts to affect multiple areas of oneâs life, has various symptoms attached to it, and occurs typically because of triggers. One can almost view it as the fight/flight system âfreezingâ in response to stimuli or an altered state of consciousness.
Dissociation occurs in these disorders to lessen and fend off the emotional reaction, memory, perception, or occurrence, and defend itself by âblocking it outâ and disconnecting from it.
For example, with PTSD, it may be in response to a traumatic trigger or reminder. In BPD, it may occur in response to reactive anger and impulsiveness or a distorted perception.
Due to the nervous system âblocking out,â a series of symptoms occur that cause one to feel detached, disconnected, and separated from themselves, the things around them, and reality.
Overall symptoms include:
-Fuzzy/foggy and disconnected vision, hearing, and other senses
-Difficulty making out objects (smaller/bigger than what they are, distorted, etc)
-Fatigue or a heavy feeling
-Feeling empty and detached
-Feeling as if one is floating or in a dream
-Feeling as if one is watching themselves from outside their body
-Feeling as if their body does not belong to them
-May or may not have trouble with memory (complete lapses or difficulty remembering what happened during the dissociation)
-Freezing (note itâs not to mean completely frozen. Itâs referring to limited movement, a lack of responses, such as someone just standing there not doing much, sitting there, seemingly daydreaming at times).
Itâs NOT just experiencing one or two of some of these symptoms, either. Someone isnât symptomatic because theyâll feel deja vu at times or moments in which they may experience one or two of those reactions. Additionally, sometimes nonpathological dissociation may also be worse at times than others during times of fatigue or stress, but it doesnât automatically make it pathological. Psychological reactions like that would be on the verge of nonpathological dissociation because as you can see, thereâs a few overlaps, and itâs a spectrum.
Some of this logic also wouldnât make sense. If someone was only experiencing dizziness or a headache and nothing else, thatâs clearly not dissociation. Thatâs a headache. I write this because people tend to think theyâre symptomatic when they experience some of these responses that can be part of nonpathological dissociation to a certain degree. Pathological dissociation, as mentioned, is disruptive to life, autonomous, typically a trigger, etc.,
Dissociative reactions can be more acute (i.e., dissociating/blocking out in response to an immediate trigger, distortions, etc.) or more chronic, such as if dissociative feelings (i.e. disconnected, floating, etc.) remain for periods of time. Notice how some of the symptoms listed there wouldnât necessarily last as a chronic dissociationâ someone wouldnât chronically âfreeze,â for example.
Additional signs/symptoms of dissociation that typically occur in chronic instances throughout oneâs day, may include:
-Talking in a monotone, quiet, slow, or dull manner
-Talking in a manner that may not make sense or seem disorganized
-Seeming very âoffâ and short attention span for a period of time
-Doing things and not remembering
-Having brief memory disturbance and lapses throughout their day, etc.
When it comes to dissociation as a separate mental disorder in itself, it occurs with its own set of symptoms/criteria to a severe extent and unique pattern, rather than a symptom of another mental disorder. Dissociative disorders are defined by affecting perception, feelings, identity, and awareness.
Very briefly, this would include:
 Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder): Typically caused by severe trauma or sexual abuse, this is when the individual dissociates as a result of a defense mechanism from the trauma, and there is an alter identity/personality during those dissociative states. Their memory during these states is impaired and they may or may not be aware of the alters. The presentation of the alter differs per individualâ there may be extreme changes of behavior, voice, appearance, or name, but it isnât typically noticeable and may be less obvious and remain hidden, as the point is to protect and preserve the self.
The individual has gone through so much severe trauma, that the dissociative states have an alter to take over during these stressful states and other triggers to preserve and protect the selfâ They switch between their alter(s) and themselves.
Dissociative Amnesia: Due to trauma and other disasters, the individual acutely loses memoryâ may forget who they are, where they are, and/or what happened.
 Dissociative fugue: Amnesia of the identity, which includes perception, memory, and personality. As a result, it includes a sudden change in who they are, which then may result in wandering or traveling to places, unplanned, a make-up of a new identity, etc.
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder: There are two parts of dissociation. Depersonalization (dissociation of the self) and delrealization (dissociation of surroundings). This is when someone persistently dissociates and is aware it is a feeling and not really occuring, and it is a condition in itself and not a result of another condition like BPD and PTSD.
Dissociative disorder otherwise specified/unspecified
Notice how nonpathological dissociation occurs typically as a disconnection from immediate surroundings from boredom, stress, distraction, etc., and symptomatic pathological dissociation goes deeper into disconnecting from the triggers, identity, intense emotional experience, perception, and awareness.
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