Dissociation and Personality Disorders
How dissociation shows up in the world
What could dissociation look like?
Depersonalization
a sense of estrangement form one’s own body, thoughts and feelings
Derealization
two or more distinct and relatively enduring “identities” (i.e. dissociative personality states) are experienced as controlling someone’s behaviour, accompanied by significant memory impairment. (This was formerly known as “multiple personality disorder”.)
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder is not always seen as a dissociative disorder, however, at Sauna Therapy we treat borderline from the same trauma lens as DID and dissociation.
Relaxation and Trauma Treatment for Dissociation and Personality Disorders
How do I stay in my body?
We aim to always normalise and validate dissociative behaviour; to explain it is “a normal response to abnormal situations”. We aim to clarify: people don’t choose to dissociate. It is an automatic, unconscious, involuntary response. We might say something like: “It is your mind & body trying to protect you from the fear and horror and pain of harmful, dangerous or intensely painful events.” We link this to the client’s history of trauma, abuse, neglect, etc. We help him to see how dissociation helped him to survive these difficult events.
Is Dissociating Still Helping You?
Having validated and normalised dissociation, and explained its main purpose, we can go on to explore:
a) In the past it was helpful to dissociate; it protected you from the horror/terror/ pain/hurt of whatever was happening in your life. This helped you to survive. This was your nervous system protecting you!
b) In the present, dissociation still helps you to escape painful thoughts and feelings, emotions and memories. But what does it cost you? Is it making your life richer in the long term, or poorer?
Symptoms of Dissociation
Dissociation is being disconnected from the here and now. Everyone occasionally has times of daydreaming or mind wandering, which is normal. Sometimes dissociation is a way of coping by avoiding negative thoughts or feelings related to memories of traumatic events. When people are dissociating they disconnect from their surroundings, which can stop the trauma memories and lower fear, anxiety and shame. Dissociation can happen during the trauma or later on when thinking about or being reminded of the trauma. When dissociation is connected to trauma memories or reminders, it is considered an avoidance coping strategy
Zoning Out
Mind going blank, feeling like you are losing track of time, difficulty concentrating
Sleep Paralysis
Sleep paralysis in nightmares feeling like you're watching yourself from your own dreams
Thoughts of Suicidality
Feeling and emotions can feel like a fire hose and the only way to make it feel a little bit better is possibly making it stop
Identity Diffusion
Feeling like a chameleon and not understanding which identity is your own identity
Fear
Stress causes fear; therefore, individuals experiencing anxiety may have an impending sense of doom or fear
I Did not mean to trigger you
What are the Triggers?
Triggers are sensory stimuli connected with a person’s trauma, and dissociation is an overload response. Even years after the traumatic event or circumstances have ceased, certain sights, sounds, smells, touches, and even tastes can set off, or trigger, a cascade of unwanted memories and feelings. When they do, the survivor might react with an adrenalin-charged fight-flight-or-freeze response or by dissociating.
Dissociation separates a person emotionally from the trauma and, sometimes, from the current setting. Triggers initiate an emotion reflex Though triggers can be generalized, as in the case of a loud noise, they may involve specific qualities, such as a particular song or the scent of aftershave.
These are some common triggers:
A sense of being ignored, Aggressive behavior Angry facial expressions Anniversaries Bright lights Colors Completing forms Crowds Darkness Disorder/chaos Impatient authorities Lack of choices or options Long waits for services Lost privileges Loud or abrupt noises Not being believed Odors Requests to repeat one’s story Signs and images Small spaces Songs Tone of voice
Dissociation is hiding the real you
Dissociation ranges from a conscious decision to postpone dealing with feelings to a complete loss of touch with the present. When something utterly overwhelming happens, some people detach from their emotions in order to function, perhaps even to survive. As a coping mechanism in the short term, this sort of dissociation can help a person carry on, do what needs to be done, get through the event, and even respond effectively to a threat. However, as a habitual response to stress, dissociation creates a wall between an event and its natural psychological consequences. Eventually, and often with the help of food or mood altering substances, people can become mentally detached from their feelings and their bodies. Most of the time, they seem normal, but there can be an unempathetic hardness about them. In some extreme moments of traumatic stress, a person might suddenly “space out.” Whereas they seemed fully present, talking and participating, they suddenly became vacant, staring into the distance. At such times, they are likely to need help reorienting. It can help to prompt them to breathe slowly, look around the room, notice the feel of the chair or the floor under their feet. They may not recall what was happening or being said when they triggered, and they might need reminding.
