dissociation

Dissociation is a protective disconnection from thoughts, feelings, body, or surroundings that happens when experience becomes too overwhelming to integrate. In trauma-informed therapy, it is understood as an automatic survival response rather than a character flaw or attention problem.

Dissociation exists on a spectrum: mild zoning out, emotional numbing, depersonalization, derealization, gaps in memory, or, in more severe forms, distinct dissociative parts. It is commonly rooted in childhood trauma, complex PTSD, or chronic fear without the option of escape. Clinically, treatment focuses on stabilization, building internal safety, titrating contact with difficult material, and, over time, helping disconnected parts and memories come into relationship with one another.