Have you ever felt like suddenly you were part of your own body, your own brain, your own reality? We are prone to dizzying moments of disconnect which leave us feeling confused and discombobulated. Dissociation can happen independently, as part of trauma, or as part of a dissociation disorder. Having a dissociative episode feels sort of like a waking amnesia, except you know who you are and what is real, but you cannot feel, attach to, or relate to it anymore. For some the dissociative state is a goal- dissociative drugs like ketamine, for example, are abused until they help a user reach that drug induced state of disconnect. For others, dissociations are a cruel and unusual punishment in which they live in constant fear. Dissociations can often be traced back to a trigger, however, to someone who experiences them, it can feel like their grasp on reality is completely out of their control. Giant gaps of time disappear, normal functions seemed to be operated by someone else, and life seems to be lived in another plane entirely.
Living with dissociation feels like never being able to anticipate the next time you’ll disappear or when you’ll come back. Through treatment and therapy, people can trace their dissociations to find a root cause, which is often trauma. Specifically, they can target triggers which tend to inspire dissociative responses and develop the coping skills necessary for regulating in a way which won’t result in dissociation.
Since dissociation can be a symptom of different mental illnesses, trauma is not often treated as a root issue. Before searching for the core of the problem, treatment providers tend to resolve the symptoms being presented by varying diagnoses. Consequently, people suffer with their dissociations ongoing because they continue to suffer with their trauma.
Trauma is a sudden, abrupt, impactful change in one’s perspective of themselves and the world they live in. Trauma can be so overwhelming that it shuts the brain down. Try as it may, the brain cannot and is not willing to work to comprehend fully a traumatic event. The brain compartmentalizes and shuts down,
Learning to be is part of the process of trauma recovery. Stop the cycle of merry-go-round treatment and find the solution you’re looking for in trauma treatment. Through effective residential treatment, Khiron House helps you find the path you need toward health and wellness in recovery. For information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).