Dissociation is a phenomenon that relates to the disconnection that some people experience between their thoughts, emotions, memories and their own identity; for example, a person experiences a very mild degree of dissociation when they are so attentive to a movie or conversation that most of what happens around them is ignored by conscious attention. A more serious level is experienced by some people who do not understand whether what they are living is real, or also by those who have a multiple personality disorder or a dissociative identity disorder, commonly referred to as a dual personality.
The disorder is common in people who have suffered psychological trauma of various types, ranging from sexual abuse to psychological or physical aggression. We can all experience symptoms of detachment and disconnection from reality at some point. The key is whether these symptoms interfere with our day-to-day life. lives and, if they do, the intensity with which they interfere, in this sense understanding the different levels of dissociation will be the key to consulting a professional, in any case, in case of doubt, it is better to consult.
- Some psychologists define dissociation as a mechanism of defense of the unconscious.
- Or that we practice unconsciously.
- So as not to feel emotional pain in the face of a conflict or stressful situation.
- The problem is aggravated when this dissociation is maintained in time and the traumatic event is in the past.
Imagine, for example, a child who has suffered a very serious car accident. To protect himself, his memory freezes that memory and, recalling the accident, the child does not feel any emotion.
We see that this is a state of psychological alteration, and this appears in many psychological disorders, some examples are: post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, border-limiting personality disorder and dissociative disorders, among others. One of the main characteristics of dissociation is that it can alter consciousness, memory, the way we perceive the environment and even in some more serious cases, even identity.
In dissociative disorders we can find common symptoms, however, not necessarily all are present at the same time, normally modifies the level of attention of the person, with disorientation in time and space, and mainly automatic behaviors (such as driving, reading, things that we can do without conscious effort, such as learning to play an instrument). In addition, the person may not remember recent events (problems with the formation of new memories).
It is a phenomenon that occurs when the person does not recognize himself in his own body or mind, it is a feeling of detachment, as if the person lived outside his body and was an external observer of himself, for example, the person may feel the feeling of looking in the mirror and not recognizing himself, or even not feeling connected to his own body.
The person lives as if the world is not real, as if it were a dream, there is a sense of confusion because you feel confused when it comes to differentiating if what you are living actually happens now, the perception of the world is distorted and distant, without the person being able to control it, for example, it is possible to hear the voices of others as if they were distant or distant.
Amnesia is the inability to remember relevant autobiographical information. The person can forget when it is their birthday, their wedding date or even parts of their life. Dissociative amnesia differs from daily forgetfulness because it affects the person causing significant discomfort in those who have it.
Identity confusion occurs when the person has doubts about who they really are. You can find distortions of time, space, and situations. For example, a person may think they are ten years old when they are actually twenty. By changing their identity, the person can even change the tone of their voice or use different facial expressions than they usually use, causing past situations.
A slight degree of dissociation, such as being focused on our own thoughts ignoring a path to not being aware of when we reach a destination, can occur in normal people, this dissociation is not pathological, except when it causes discomfort in the person who passes through it.
When we talk about more severe levels of dissociation, we can find several causes that produce this type of pathology, researchers explain this phenomenon as a combination of environmental and biological factors.
Injuries, such as child abuse, repeated assaults and corporal punishment in childhood, among others, cause the child to use dissociation as a coping mechanism to reduce emotional pain.
However, when this dissociation continues in adulthood and the initial danger that caused it ceases to exist, dissociation may end up being pathological. Adults can then disconnect from situations they perceive as potentially dangerous, leading them to live far from reality.
First of all, you have to stay calm. If you realize that you don’t listen to your partner from time to time or don’t remember the subway ride you just took, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need psychological treatment, but in cases where symptoms are more common or interfere with their daily lives, it may be necessary to seek psychological help.
In cases where there are symptoms of depersonalization, unreality, dissociative amnesia or confusion and alteration of identity, psychological follow-up will be necessary to help integrate the different parts that have been broken and have been dissociated by trauma.
This requires a therapeutic approach, through which we learn to better regulate our emotions, integrating relaxation mechanisms when threats accumulate. Specialists are usually subjected to personalized treatment that addresses trauma, but also dissociated parts, and teaches self-care strategies and new resources so that it is possible to start living a more stable and healthy life. It’s about restoring confidence in our own abilities as a healthy way to protect us.