It's hard when it happens while you are in a conversation with someone, I feel myself floating off and my mind goes totally blank and it's hard to pull yourself out of it. It's like my brain stops processing. Awkward as hell.

When i dissociate it feels like there is a lot of things going on in my brain but they make no sense to me , the reality seems like a cartoon or something

I've been feeling this since I was a teenager. Theres no way to fully explain it but how it feels is like I'm auto pilot and I'm in the back seat of my brain just watching me do things but I dont feel connected to the things I'm doing.

This feeling has been with me forever and I feel it 24'7

I feel like I’m asleep with my eyes open. Other times it’s like I’m staring into space and not knowing how much time has passed. Or even light dissociating is like brain fog and lazy eyes and not registered someone speaking.

I had no idea I was dissociating until I learned about it. I sort of just accepted that it was part of life

This is just annoying all around, my mind is constantly fighting me it feels like. This "defense" mechanism is causing more stress in my life, I would much rather not have it and deal with my thoughts instead of constantly space out and forget literally everything I have done in my day. I am dealing with HOCD, and POCD and now dissociation? I just can't get a break with my brain. I hate this spacey feeling, I hate forgetting everything, I hate walking around my house and going to a different room when I'm trying to go into a specific room. I just want to live my life without having these issues. If I can fix this without talking to a professional, can I?

I get the lost memories version of dissociation, it usually happens when I'm on my own and I start to feel panicked, but lately it's been getting worse. I was coloring with my friend, and then all of a sudden the drawing was finished and I had no memory of doing it, but my friend assured me that she had watched me color the paper. So yeah, I'm gonna talk to my therapist abt it

Fight club... this is what's happening to him in that movie.. I figured out after a lot of thinking that this is what I have. I have total memory blocks. Quite scary but its a relief to know what's happening to me

I feel like I am permantenly dissociating whenever I'm awake. People have described me as spaced out and almost everybody immediately notices I'm just not there.

I always find it really hard to explain dissociation when people ask even though I experience it. A lot of people think it's just like zoning out and it's hard to explain how it's more than that to someone who doesn't experience it. These are great tips too. I have finally got better at grounding and "coming back" and I'm really proud of myself. It's taken so long but it's definitely made a big difference to my life (and my memory)

My boyfriend had a really long violent episode on a trip we were on. It was the first time I had experienced it and I want to be able to help him so the moment I figured out what was happening i searched for information. This video was super helpful thank you so much

Who else dissociated while watching 😂😅 and don't remember half of what she said?!

Mine came from extreme insomnia induced by a pain steroid after months that lead to extreme existential dread and nightmares/terrors. It has made me feel separate from my former life in a profound way. Used to be extremely extroverted, now I struggle to make eye contact.

Isn’t it? It is a fascinating system of protection of the self, that in a way, I have tremendous respect for. The only problem is when it is applied in situations that don’t require it any more. It can be heartbreaking to try to reach a person in this state of mind, because it is so tricky. And I know, in so many cases, it is just a little child, almost like a guard who has been guarding the most precious part of themselves, for years, from the predator who hurt them. It’s like speaking to a child who has been profoundly wounded, by someone they trusted more than anyone, and trying to convince them to trust you, when you, yourself probably wouldn’t be able to either. I could only tell the child that I understood, and didn’t intend to try to convince them of anything they didn’t want to do, and they don’t have to trust me, but maybe consider trusting the other parts of themselves, especially the adult, who is old enough to take over now, so the child can be a child. Oh god, it is heartbreaking. Emdr is a huge benefit. My former partner has never fully come out of the dissociation. It became very destructive to the relationship, to me, and I had to separate to maintain my own stability. But I could never hate this person, or resent this person, and will always love this person, I just resented and hated the person who hurt them as a child. It became a situation in which the anger, denied on the surface, was being insidiously directed toward me, to the point in which I became detached from reality myself. That’s when my own survival instinct kicked in. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, because it all felt so unfair. The relationship was not the problem, it was the abuse, and the inability to accept that something did happen, it wasn’t this persons fault, and we will get through this. And, that you will never be able to wrap your head around the motives of people who hurt others so profoundly, and you don’t have to, in order to heal. You don’t have to.

this made me feel a lot better, it's incredibly scary but it's good to know it's not life- threatening like it feels it is

I felt like this for months and months after my Dad was killed. Nothing felt real. I think this might have been that...

I wouldn't be surprised that maybe our diets and accepting every little thing that bothers us has something to do with anxiety disorder. You are loved, the world is your oyster.

I feel like I'm not actually existing in this world, like every single thing is false, and I was supposed to be someone else

I hadn’t watched a video that mentioned what might help keep someone grounded, until now! Cool beans 😄 thank you!

thank you for the video it is incredibly appreciated. As someone who has a partner with mental illness it can get tough to find strategies to cope with when you feel like you’ve exhausted the whole list, but ive never looked into it as deeply as i thought i had. I will definitely be taking notes down!

So much memory loss from this. Thank you.

Timely, and needed. Thank you!!

Thank you so much for doing this video! It explains exactly what I need my carers and others to do to help me without being so overly in-depth it overwhelms them. This video is perfect! ✌️😊

True this can last many months and it is very difficult to stop when it's no longer helpful. X

Thanks so much for helping me understand what is happening to me!!! Also thank you so much for the helpful strategies to help

Whoa fascinating.

Wow, having struggled with dissociation and psychosis for the better part of almost 5 years, going on my obsessive bouts of frenzied 'research' about the matter countless times throughout those years - this is the only video that has ever been worthwhile at all. You know what it feels like, and you know what a person going through something such as this needs. I've seen so many videos, read so many texts about it all, and they all utterly pale in comparison - for they do not mention these myriad variable things. Other mental disorders might be easier to define than dissociation - on account of the vast variety of ways it might coalesce inside a person, under what circumstances and for what reasons - in addition to then figuring out what works to calm it down as you mentioned, for it's all so individual. So thank you very much for making this video. It's something I will be returning to frequently.

thank you !

What if i have no idea what my trauma is? i've thought about it for months after watching this video and i just cant tell? does this mean i'm experiencing something else?

Yeah i have a new friend and we both “zone out”. Her mom seems emotionally distant, reminds me a bit of my mom, and so gives off a bit of narcy vibes, so i’m guessing it’s dissociation with her as well and i think it is with me, so it’d be great to learn what’s the best way to handle it Oops nevermind this is for therapists probably i’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. It’s not that big of a deal. I meed to make more friends also so i’m not dependent on her for emotional connection

I'm not understanding dissociation and deliberately thinking/doing something else. That's how I "disappear" when something is bad. I leave and drift off inside.

I have a friend who disassociating from me currently. It's great when we're together, but when I leave I can't get any communication from them and if I try to reach out I've been told I caused an anxiety attack. It sucked knowing that I was a trigger and I wish they would tell me what I can do not to trigger them. It also feels unfair that they can communicate with all their other friends, but I'm different for some reason that they haven't told me.

When I’m in my worst version of this and feel it coming on the thing that has helped me the most is getting ice and putting it in my hand my face my neck but I also have to call up a trusted person and have them ask me questions that take thought to answer. It pulls me out of it pretty quickly

Thank you

very helpful!

Thanks for your video. I didn't know what this was called until my psychiatrist mentioned it.to me.Don't know if it was because of trauma as a child>mother was an alcoholic and used to lock me in cupboard and she hit me once and i knocked my head on the table then started to get headaches on my left side.Experinced a lot of high and low moods as a child as an adult started to have panic attacks drinking heavily, then started to hear voices, see things and developed very bad paranoia.This disassociation thing i've had for a while where i feel dead inside like a dark cave,it's as though i'm looking down n myself.The actions i do i don't recognise like i'm on auto pilot with no feeling.Everything seems very dreamy it's as though i'm looking through a window but can't connect with anything.

You're beautiful, thank you for this. ❤️❤️❤️

I have had this for a year. My biggest fear causing disassociation is being alone. I have no physical support what do ever. I am alone all the time

I am so grateful for my dissociation. It kept me safe for years in my childhood. Now I wish it would leave.

I suffer from dissociation due to childhood trauma and this was a very helpful reminder, thank you. Just one question - the distracting yourself part. I was taught to go deeper into the feeling - to really connect with it, rather than zone out more. What are your thoughts on this?

Remember to Thumbs Up 👆

I feel that I am still dissociating when I'm engaging in my distractions. I play video games or watch TV, but even then it just feels numb and like I'm not really doing it just going through the motions. Should I be trying something different to deal with the dissociation rather than with distractions? Or do the distractions actually help even though I don't feel like they do?

I have ADHD and I never know when I was dissociating and what I have just forgotten because of my memory issues.

i have this a bit but i don’t have any trauma? i know i am there and i know the people are there but just feel so tired and disconnected from them and myself. is this what i have? i am dealing with so much anxiety and intrusive thoughts and the dissociation started then so is that my bodies response to me not liking the intrusive thoughts and anxiety? the things is it’s not an experience i have had it’s just situations that wouldn’t happen my brains making up and scaring me

Personally, I don’t deal with this. I deal with depression and anxiety but this has never really affected me, but my best friend is dealing with this and I want to help her. Does anyone have anything from experience that you think could help because I will do anything to help her. She means too much to me and I feel like this dissociation is affecting everything in her life, and if she’s anything like me and thinks that killing themselves might be the best way to handle things then I need to find a way to help her. Please someone help me.

Can you talk about Anorexia and Depression

I think this may be what im feeling but its not a totally mind blank. If any1 raises their voice towards me in an aggresive way. I feel like im in a movie and its all in slow motion. I dont respond or react i just stare. So arguments/rows are one sided & the whole episode doesnt feel real. Ive been called a snotty cow because i dont react,but i cant react. How do i speak "slow motion"? I just watch it. I dont recall what was being shouted at me. I just feel like its all part of a movie. Is this dissociation?

Can you visibly see if someone is dissociated? Or do they appear to act as usual? What are the signs since you can't see inside their head? Thanks

Short period of time? Mine haven’t ended since 10 months

is it normal that eyes turn to a point or move up and down in a moment of dissociation?or that sight gets bad at a moment like that?

Ok, so what heppens if sou dont have safety? Or you dont know anymore what is the thing that ypu like, or can calm you down. Because it looks sometimes that I dont have myself anymore, or my life, or activities I like to do. I stoped listen to music because it triggers me a lot. I stoped walking, training, working. I dont have a lot of friends and support. My family does not understand what is going on, and they are not suportive. My therapist gave me asignment to write down my values. And I cant find them. And it is pretty despairing.