DISSOCIATION
Dissociation is thought to be a primary defense strategy of the
human body/mind. Scientists do not know how dissociation works,
simply that it does. Dissociation simply means disconnection of
aspects which normally are connected - sensation, imagery, behaviour, emotion/feeling
states, and meaning. In its extreme form, it is thought by some to be a
fundamental reaction to inescapable shock. As humans, we have been doing
it since first being chewed by sabre-tooth tigers outside our cave-dwellings!
Instinct abandons mindfulness at such times.
Dissociation refers to a continuum of behaviours:
-
everyday experiences of spaciness or blanking out. We commonly experience
this as "highway hypnosis," memorable to any who have driven the Trans-Canada
through southern Saskatchewan. Similarly, this level of dissociation allows
us to read in a busy airport by blanking out surrounding stimuli.
-
peritraumatic dissociation. During a traumatic episode one may disconnect
from one or many aspects of the experience. For example, if a person has
had their leg pinned under the dashboard in a bad car accident, he or she
may dissociate from the sensation. Or one might dissociate the image of
the large truck coming toward the car. Or the sound of the horn blaring
to warn of the accident. These examples illustrate the inescapable
aspect of traumatic shock. This type of dissociation is quite common in
single-event, adult-onset traumatic occurrences such as motor vehicle accidents,
near-drownings and serious falls.
-
difficulties involving aspects of memory, identity and consciousness. This
includes complex PTSD, the range of dissociative disorders as defined by
DSM, and other manifestations of traumatic events which have been repeated
over long periods of time.
The persistent forms of dissociation take many different forms. Dissociation
may occasionally appear as "fugue states" or brief periods of travel while
functioning as if another person, often associated with periods of extreme
stress or overwhelming life events. Dissociation may be periods of extreme
forgetfulness about big "chunks" of one's life, or feeling detached from
one's body - like living in a dream. Or it may be the presence of shifting
identities, formerly called multiple personalities. Occasionally such individuals
have experienced abuse by organized perpetrator groups, or ritual
abuse.
Mindfulness is the foundation of my work with people struggling with
dissociation. Acceptance of dissociative phenomena is an important step
for individuals contending with traumatic aftermath; mindfulness helps.
Such work is often very difficult for clients; mindfulness eases the process.
People with dissociative difficulties have the same goal as everyone else
- to accept all the different parts of oneself!