Dissociation and Trauma Therapy
If you’re reading this, you may feel disconnected from yourself—like you’re watching your life from the outside, or that the world around you doesn’t feel real. You might notice gaps in memory or time, sudden shifts in emotions, or parts of yourself that feel separate, hidden, or even in conflict. These experiences are often your mind’s way of protecting you from overwhelming experiences.
Some people experience:
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Derealization- Derealization is the experience of feeling disconnected from the world around you. Your surroundings may seem strange, dreamlike, distant, foggy, flat, or unreal—even though you know intellectually that they are real. It can feel as though there is a barrier between you and the world or as though you are experiencing your surroundings from a distance.
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Depersonalization- Depersonalization is the experience of feeling disconnected from yourself or as though you are observing yourself from the outside. You may feel detached from your thoughts, emotions, body, or actions, or as though you are going through the motions without fully feeling present. People often describe it as feeling unreal, numb, distant from themselves, or like they are watching themselves in a movie.
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Dissociation- Dissociation is a way the mind creates distance from thoughts, feelings, memories, sensations, or experiences that feel overwhelming. It exists on a spectrum—from ordinary experiences like “zoning out” or becoming absorbed in a book, to more significant experiences such as feeling disconnected from yourself, your surroundings, your memories, or your emotions. Dissociation can be an adaptive protective response, particularly when someone has experienced overwhelming or traumatic events.
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Structural dissociation- Structural dissociation is a trauma framework that describes how different aspects of a person’s experience can become separated when overwhelming experiences are not fully integrated. One part may continue managing everyday life and responsibilities, while other parts may remain focused on memories, emotions, sensations, or protective responses connected to past experiences.
I can help you in recognizing the onset of dissociative episodes, and staying grounded in your body, helping you teach and remind your body that you are safe in the present moment.
An important distinction: Depersonalization and derealization can occur as forms of dissociation, but experiencing them does not necessarily mean that someone has a dissociative disorder. They can occur temporarily in response to stress, trauma, anxiety, exhaustion, or other overwhelming experiences.