Therapy for Dissociation in Texas
In-Person Therapy in Dallas and Online Therapy Across TX & NJ
You might be curious about some unexplained gaps in your memory. Maybe you’ve had some “out of body” experiences, almost as if you have seen yourself from a distance, but don’t feel like you are in your body. Or, you have experienced times where the world around you seems foggy and unclear. Perhaps, you’ve noticed yourself doing things that you would normally never do, and it feels familiar but not quite like you. At other times, you might experience symptoms or reactions in your body that are unexplainable and seem foreign or disconnected from what is going on at the time. These are all signs that you may be experiencing dissociation.
What is Dissociation?
Dissociation is a coping tool that can help create disconnection and compartmentalization from things like your mind, body, emotions, memory, identity, and even the world around you. Dissociation can help when faced with a situation that is too stressful or feels like it could be an overwhelming threat that cannot be prevented or escaped. Research shows that dissociation is common after experiencing a traumatic event. There are several ways that our bodies respond to trauma, most commonly referred to as fight-flight and freeze. Researchers identify dissociation as similar to a freeze response. In situations that cannot be controlled or escaped, the next best alternative is to shut down, compartmentalize, or create some sense of distance from it. Dissociation helps create an inner distance from what would be overwhelming if experienced in full. Ultimately, it helps you survive what would otherwise be difficult to bear so that you can function as best as possible.
Dissociation is much more common than you may think. In fact, research shows that more than 75% of adults in the United States have experienced at least one dissociative episode.
Our Expert Trauma Therapists Use Evidence-Based Therapeutic Approaches to Treat Dissociation in Texas and Beyond
Types of Dissociation and Dissociative Adaptations Include:
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Dissociative Amnesia:
This is considered to be the most common form of dissociation. Dissociative amnesia occurs when you have gaps in your memory and can’t recall what happened during this time. The gaps can last for minutes, hours, days, or even years, and usually surround a time that was intensely stressful or traumatic. It can also include having a foggy memory of what occurred. Even after the traumatic event occurred, individuals can find themselves experiencing dissociative amnesia when presented with stressful events like taking a big test or giving an important presentation and not knowing how they got through it. This is different from just being forgetful.
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Depersonalization and Derealization:
Depersonalization and Derealization can happen individually or together. Depersonalization is characterized by experiences of feeling detached from your body and/or emotions. Some might describe feeling as if they were floating or experiencing tunnel vision or feeling further back in their head. Some might be able to notice some of their thoughts, emotions, or details during that time, or be able to observe them from a distance or through a fog. Derealization is often described as when you may feel like the outside world and those around you aren’t real.
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Dissociative Identity Disorder:
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) has also been referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder. It is characterized by the presence of two or more identities. Many people have different ways that they describe this; some refer to their alternate identities as parts of self or altars. These identities have differences in memory, ways of thinking, and behavior. It’s important to remember that all dissociation is coping and has served as a helpful and necessary resource at one point in your life; this includes DID. Individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder may also have gaps in memory and experience many of the other forms of dissociation previously mentioned.
Removing the Stigma Attached to Dissociation
Dissociation can be uncomfortable and quite scary if you’re not sure what you’re experiencing. It may be difficult to talk about with others because of some of the stigmas associated with mental health or dissociation. At White Rock Therapy, we seek to take away the stigmas related to dissociation. One of the ways that we do this is by referring to all forms of dissociation as adaptations rather than disorders. It is an adaptation with good intentions, even if some of the behaviors don’t seem good or particularly helpful right now. It originated as a survival skill to help you navigate extremely difficult things.
You may be noticing some current problematic ways that the skill of dissociation may also cause some unintentional harm. Perhaps it has been difficult to remember when you are in the present and that it might be very different from the past, maybe you find that you are having certain difficulties with how you are relating to someone that you love, maybe you are missing key information about the past that has accidentally put you in harm's way in the present and could have provided insight that would have helped you make some different decisions. When you become conditioned to dissociate in times of significant stress, you may begin to dissociate whenever there is a perception of threat to your wellbeing.