Most people dream once in a while, and if it happens to you, it's completely normal. However, should you suffer from a mental health issue called “dissociation,” your sense of disconnection from the world around you is commonly far more complicated.
Dissociation is a break in the best way your mind handles information. You may feel disconnected out of your thoughts, feelings, memories, and your surroundings. It can affect your sense of identity and your perception of time.
Symptoms often go away on their very own. It can take hours, days or even weeks. However, you might need treatment in case your dissociation occurs because you will have had an especially disturbing experience or have a mental disorder akin to schizophrenia.
When you experience dissociation, you might forget things or have gaps in your memory. You might imagine that the physical world is just not real or that you just will not be real.
You may notice other changes in how you're feeling, akin to:
- Experience an out-of-body experience
- Sometimes you're feeling such as you're a special person
- Feel as in case your heart is pounding or you're light-headed
- Feeling emotionally numb or distant
- Feel little or no pain
Other symptoms you might get include:
- Do you will have a special sense of time?
- I can't remember the way you got anywhere
- I even have tunnel vision
- Hear voices in your head
- Experience intense flashbacks that feel real
- Become immobile
- Immerse yourself in a fantasy world that seems real
Trauma. You may end up psychologically disconnecting from the current moment when something really bad happens to you. This known as peritraumatic dissociation. Experts consider it is a technique your brain uses to guard you from the complete effects of the disturbing experience you've had.
Peritraumatic dissociation can occur if you will have been through things like:
- Sexual or physical assault
- Child abuse
- Battle
- torture or imprisonment
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Natural disasters
If you will have recurring troubling experiences, you might experience severe types of dissociation called dissociative disorders. You may end up leaving your normal consciousness, forgetting things, or forming other identities in your mind.
Hypnosis. When you dream or let your mind wander, you're in a kind of “autohypnotic state.” You may now not have a powerful awareness of your body. Other sorts of hypnosis can put you right into a deeper dissociated state. A trained skilled can use therapeutic hypnotherapy to allow you to manage pain, anxiety, addictive behavior, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Certain drugs. Drinking alcohol or taking illegal drugs could cause you to lose your sense of identity or reality. Research shows that individuals who take psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD report experiencing a short-term lack of self-confidence.
meditation. As with daydreaming, meditating may make you less aware of the here and now. Some experienced meditators say they lose awareness of themselves or their body during certain mindfulness meditation exercises.
You could also be affected by dissociation with certain mental health disorders. In addition to schizophrenia and PTSD, dissociation can be linked to:
It is feasible to have a dissociation and never understand it. For example, if you will have a dissociative disorder, you might hide your symptoms or explain them in other ways.
Some of essentially the most common signs you or a loved one should look out for include:
- Rapid mood swings
- Difficulty remembering personal information
- Forgetfulness about things you will have said or done
- Behaviors or abilities that change (changing identities)
- Depression, anxiety or panic attacks
- Thoughts of suicide or self-harm
- Drug abuse
- Failed treatments or hospitalizations for mood disorders
Children with dissociation disorder may:
- Seems spacey
- Stare out the window so much
- Have imaginary friends
- Forget that they said or did anything
- Do you will have ADHD or other learning disabilities
Your doctor will physically examine you and ask about any previous physical or mental health problems. You should inform them should you are taking illegal drugs or other medications. They may examine a sample of your blood or perform other tests to rule out an illness or other medical condition as a explanation for your dissociation. They may additionally order an electroencephalogram (EEG), a painless test that measures brain waves, to rule out certain sorts of seizure disorders that may sometimes cause dissociation.
Your doctor may then refer you to a mental health specialist. You should want to see a psychiatrist, psychologist, or psychiatric social employee. You need to know what serious events you will have experienced up to now.
They may perform additional tests including:
- Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES)
- Structured clinical interview on dissociation
There is not any specific medication to treat dissociation, but improvement is feasible with a mixture of medication and counseling. Your doctor will tailor your treatment based on the severity of your symptoms and their cause.
Your treatment may include:
Psychotherapy. This kind of treatment can allow you to find the explanation for your dissociation. However, the goal is to allow you to manage or eliminate your symptoms.
Types of psychotherapy may include:
- Cognitive behavior therapy. It is designed to allow you to recognize and alter negative thoughts and behaviors.
- Hypnotherapy. You may find it easier to explore and process your memories if you end up in a relaxed state. You should only do that with a hypnosis-certified skilled trained in dissociative disorders and PTSD.
- Phasic trauma treatment. This treatment is designed to initially allow you to stop suicidal thoughts or self-destructive behavior. Your psychotherapist will then slowly allow you to process traumatic memories and reintegrate your identity if essential.
- Family treatment. It may be helpful to get support from a spouse, partner, or other loved one.
- Dialectical behavior therapy. It can allow you to learn skills to regulate your emotions and stop harmful behavior. This is a typical treatment for borderline personality disorder.
- Eye Movement desensitization and reprocessing. It uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to visual exercises to allow you to process memories of extremely disturbing events. It may help stop your nightmares, flashbacks, or other PTSD symptoms.
Additional medication. Your doctor may prescribe antidepressants, a mood stabilizer, or other medications for anxiety or sleep problems. If you will have schizophrenia, you might need an antipsychotic.