2 definitions by Coladasfae
by Coladasfae October 22, 2017
Dissociating is one of the most common responses to abuse and trauma. It involves feeling numb, detached or unreal and (while it happens to everyone once in a while) is experienced more frequently and severely in survivors. Dissociating people vary widely in symptoms and may experience any or all things from the following list.
Types of dissociation:
Depersonalisation
Common: “I feel strange / weird”, “I felt as if I was floating away”, “I felt disembodied / disconnected / detached / far away from myself”, “apart from everything”, “in a place of my own / alone”, “like I was there but not there”, “I could see and hear everything but couldn’t respond”.
Derealisation
“My surroundings seem unreal / far away”, “i felt spaced out”, “it was like looking at the world through a veil or glass”, “i felt cut off or distant from the immediate surroundings”, “objects appeared diminished in size / flat / dream-like / cartoon like / artificial / unsolid”.
Other dissociative symptoms:
Memory: “I drove the car home / got dressed / had dinner but can’t remember anything about it”, “I don’t who I am or how I got here” (fugue state), “ I remember things but it doesn’t feel like it was me that was there”.
Identity: “I feel like I’m two seperate people/someone else”.
Other: “I felt like Time was passing incredibly slow/quickly”, “I get so absorbed in a fantasy/TV programme that it seems real”, “I felt an emptiness in my head as if I was not having any thoughts at all”.
Types of dissociation:
Depersonalisation
Common: “I feel strange / weird”, “I felt as if I was floating away”, “I felt disembodied / disconnected / detached / far away from myself”, “apart from everything”, “in a place of my own / alone”, “like I was there but not there”, “I could see and hear everything but couldn’t respond”.
Derealisation
“My surroundings seem unreal / far away”, “i felt spaced out”, “it was like looking at the world through a veil or glass”, “i felt cut off or distant from the immediate surroundings”, “objects appeared diminished in size / flat / dream-like / cartoon like / artificial / unsolid”.
Other dissociative symptoms:
Memory: “I drove the car home / got dressed / had dinner but can’t remember anything about it”, “I don’t who I am or how I got here” (fugue state), “ I remember things but it doesn’t feel like it was me that was there”.
Identity: “I feel like I’m two seperate people/someone else”.
Other: “I felt like Time was passing incredibly slow/quickly”, “I get so absorbed in a fantasy/TV programme that it seems real”, “I felt an emptiness in my head as if I was not having any thoughts at all”.
You may experiencing dissociation if you:
-find yourself staring at one spot, not thinking anything
-feel completely numb
-feel like you’re not really in your body, like you’re watching yourself in a movie
-feel suddenly lightheaded or dizzy
- lost the plot of the show or conversation you were focused on
- feel as if you’re not quite real, like you’re in a dream
- feel like you’re floating
-suddenly feel like you’re not a part of the world around you
-feel detached and far away from other people, who may seem mechanical or unreal to you
-are very startled when someone/something gets your attention completely forget what you were thinking just a moment ago
-suddenly cover your face or react as if you’re about it be hurt for no reason
- can’t remember important information about yourself, like your age or where you live
-find yourself rocking back and forth
-become very focused on a small or trivial object or event
-find that voices, sounds or writing seem far away and you sometimes have trouble understanding them
-feel as if you’ve just experienced a flashback (perhaps rapidally) but you can’t remember anything about it
-perceive your body as foreign or not belonging to you
-find yourself staring at one spot, not thinking anything
-feel completely numb
-feel like you’re not really in your body, like you’re watching yourself in a movie
-feel suddenly lightheaded or dizzy
- lost the plot of the show or conversation you were focused on
- feel as if you’re not quite real, like you’re in a dream
- feel like you’re floating
-suddenly feel like you’re not a part of the world around you
-feel detached and far away from other people, who may seem mechanical or unreal to you
-are very startled when someone/something gets your attention completely forget what you were thinking just a moment ago
-suddenly cover your face or react as if you’re about it be hurt for no reason
- can’t remember important information about yourself, like your age or where you live
-find yourself rocking back and forth
-become very focused on a small or trivial object or event
-find that voices, sounds or writing seem far away and you sometimes have trouble understanding them
-feel as if you’ve just experienced a flashback (perhaps rapidally) but you can’t remember anything about it
-perceive your body as foreign or not belonging to you
by Coladasfae December 10, 2017