BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“Why did I do it? Why did I pull that trigger? Was it fear? Anger? Hatred? Or was it simply survival? It’s like watching a movie. Except, I’m not in the audience. I’m the main character, but I can’t feel… anything…”
The micro-scene above (a rather drastic example) speaks to a psychological phenomenon that occurs more than we think it does. I want you to think about all the times you have had to read a text over, or read the line in your textbook over, because your mind was elsewhere, or you pulled into your driveway with no memory of the actual drive home. That’s dissociation and it happens to everyone at some point.
During traumatic situations, people sometimes experience an unexpected wave of emotional numbness, or feel like they’ve detached from reality and are having an out-of-body experience. These symptoms of disconnect describe dissociation, a defense mechanism that separates threatening feelings and ideas from the rest of someone’s psyche (mind space). Is this the reason why our minds sometimes dissociate when we’re experiencing distressing events?
Typically, the sympathetic nervous system — which is responsible for our “fight or flight” response — activates when a person is in physical danger. The sympathetic nervous system is a normally harmonized network of brain structures, nerves and hormones that, if thrown off balance, can result in serious complications. The sympathetic nervous system makes up part of the autonomic nervous system, also known as the involuntary nervous system. According to a review in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical, without conscious direction, the autonomic nervous system regulates important bodily functions such as: heart rate, blood pressure, pupil dilation, body temperature, sweating and digestion.
According to Harvard Medical School, the sympathetic nervous system directs the body’s rapid involuntary response to dangerous or stressful situations. A flash flood of hormones boosts the body’s alertness and heart rate, sending extra blood to the muscles. Breathing quickens, delivering fresh oxygen to the brain, and an infusion of glucose is shot into the bloodstream for a quick energy boost. This response occurs so quickly that people often don’t realize it’s taken place.
Mammals, including humans, evolved to have this response, as it pushes them to survive by fighting or fleeing from danger. Dissociation is another way the nervous system is primed to respond to trauma when fight or flight appears to be too dangerous or impossible.
What dissociation does is protect someone in the moment so that they are mentally separated from a situation causing physical pain, emotional pain, or both. According to a 2017 study in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports, this coping strategy is associated with freezing and separating the person from the memory of the traumatic event, Oftentimes, victims of abuse or sexual assault report dissociation during the event, a 2015 study in the journal Medicine outlined. Some people report having foggy memories of an event after the fact, and this is because of dissociation.
In an article titled “How to Manage Dissociating” author Jade Wu Ph.D., shares that adults who hallucinate—hear or see things that aren’t there—are more likely to have experienced sexual abuse as a child. Dissociation compartmentalizes horrible events so you can survive another day. Unfortunately, dissociation doesn’t heal these psychological scars in the long term. For those who experienced childhood sexual abuse, the more they dissociated, the more they were also likely to hurt themselves as adults (addictions, risk taking behaviour, etc).
Ruth Ellingsenan, Associate Clinical Professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, reiterated that for some people, dissociation may be the only way to stay safe when experiencing abuse. “There’s also times when trying to flee a situation could result in more hurt. For example, if you’re a child being abused, [flight] could potentially make the abuse even worse. In scenarios like this, freezing and disconnecting do more than emotionally separate someone from the stress; this response may be the best decision for survival.”
Problems can arise if people continue to dissociate even once they are separated from the intense trauma. You may struggle with daily stress, like meeting work deadlines or speaking with your peers. You may feel detached in your relationships and may find yourself distracted during what used to be usual interactions, or tasks. “It’s possible that because the disconnection from the traumatic event kept them ‘safe’ or at least detached from bad memories, this coping mechanism becomes the default for other forms of stress,” Professor Ruth shares.
So, how do you know if you are dissociating? This is an excellent question. Read over the list below, and see if any of these situations feel familiar:
- You might feel like you’re observing yourself from outside your body, or that things around you seem unreal or dreamlike.
- You have gaps in your memory, particularly of important events, or periods of time.
- You have difficulty experiencing emotions or feel detached from your emotions.
- You find yourself in a place or situation without knowing how you got there, or what you have been doing (this is a very extreme case of disassociation).
- Sometimes, you may realize that you’ve been engaging in activities, or behaviors without fully being aware of what you’re doing.
- You feel like you have different parts of yourself, or you experience shifts in your sense of identity.
Jade Wu Ph.D. made some suggestions on how to ground yourself during times that you might feel like you are dissociating.
Engage your senses
This is a classic way to keep yourself in the moment. Squeeze an ice cube in your hand. Pay attention to how your feet feel pressing on the floor. Name five things you can see right now. In short, use your body! Gain some traction by feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting your here and now.
Pay close attention to your breathing
You can do this anywhere and the best part is nobody has to know what you’re even doing. I want you to recognize the power in breathing. Slowly breathe in your nose. Feel the sensation of the cool air as it moves into your nostrils. Then, follow the air as it enters your nose and spreads to the back of your throat. Next, slowly breathe out. Feel the contrast of the warm air and the sensation as it leaves your nostrils. Again, the sensory input keeps you connected to your body and your surroundings.
Choose an object to keep you in the present
This could truly be anything, like a photo, piece of jewelry, or any other small keepsake. Build an association between it and the present—every time you see it or touch it, remind yourself that you are in the moment. Then, when you need it, you can reach for it.
There is so much that we need to learn about how our brains work, and the more we learn, the more we can actively find ways to create the lives that we want. It all starts and ends with the mind.
REFERENCES:
https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3380&context=hbspapers
https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2015/04040/traumatic_dissociation_as_a_predictor_of.15.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5283511/pdf/11920_2017_Article_757.pdf
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222/
https://www.livescience.com/what-is-consciousness-mystery.html
https://dictionary.apa.org/dissociation
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/jade-wu-phd
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-savvy-psychologist/202011/how-manage-dissociating
https://www.livescience.com/65446-sympathetic-nervous-system.html
https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/why-do-people-dissociate-during-traumatic-events?lrh=a587573c54ff8701ae005c06f0a9c71b116a5f240c9a8576e37816455e4015b7