What is Dissociation?

Dissociation is a natural response to trauma with the purpose to protect oneself.

It is an incredible moment when that light bulb about dissociation goes off and a revelation of understanding passes over my client’s face. The reason this moment is so incredible to me is because now my client has a greater understanding that dissociation is a tool that our brain naturally utilizes to protect us. It is this placement of new understanding that is one of the biggest steps in their healing journey.

This is my very reason for writing this blog – my goal is to share what I know about dissociation in the hopes that more people discover they are not alone, and they certainly are not crazy. In fact, everyone experiences some level of dissociation at some point in their lives.

To understand dissociation, we first must explore our brain’s natural response to stress. Our body is hard-wired to protect us, and our survival depends on our automatic instinct defenses. The amygdala, a small almond shaped part of our brain, is our alarm center for threat. Despite the small size of it, the amygdala has a vital role in our survival. Our amygdala is on duty 24/7. Whether we are asleep or awake, it is always scanning every aspect of our environment. The amygdala has the ability to respond to danger in half a millisecond. These autonomic defenses include fight, flight, and freeze.

When we grow up in an environment that requires our automatic defenses to work in overdrive because of a constant threat(s), the stress hormone (adrenaline) is being released in significant levels. This is also known as being in a state of hyper-arousal. When these defenses are relied on too much, it makes it difficult to think clearly or concentrate in more normal situations where no danger is present.

Since we were not meant to function in a constant state of hyper-arousal, our nervous system finds a way to calm this system down by either shutting down our autonomic defenses or learning to tune out what is upsetting them in order to focus on other things. This is the core of how dissociation begins and can often grow or become more habituated the longer we rely on these skills to self-soothe.

“Dissociation is a way to separate yourself or gain distance from an experience(s).” Rachel Walker, MFT

It is important to remember that dissociation is an excellent strategy for growing up in a traumatic environment – it helps us survive. However, as we get older, it can create some problems in daily functioning. Dissociation can show up in different ways and will not look the same for everyone. The good news is it is treatable and manageable by learning new ways to address these problems without getting overwhelmed. If any of this feels or sounds familiar, reach out to a therapist who has experience treating dissociation.

References:

Paulsen, S. (2019). When there are no words. EMDR for early trauma and neglect held in implicit memory.www.paulsenpsychology.com.

Walker, R. (2022). At the crossroads of trauma therapy: Integrating EMDR, SD, attachment repair & parts work. https://www.rachelwalkermft.com.