I was thinking about dissociation, a common PTSD symptom, this afternoon and how it can be both a blessing and a curse. Those who have been through a traumatic event use dissociation as a means of dealing with reality. Dissociation can also “happen to us” when our stress level rises beyond what we can handle. It’s actually a biological response that is built into our brain that conserves energy and allows us to relax.
The type of dissociation that most people experience is voluntary. This can be as simple as spacing out at your desk for a few minutes- taking a mental vacation to the islands or to your favorite place. Daydreaming is a form of dissociation. We daydream about sex or what we will do this weekend. We daydream about what we would like in the future. So, can we use dissociation in a positive way to heal and to better ourselves?
I think we can. Severe dissociation can protects us from feeling horrible feelings like fear, anger, hopelessness, pain, and the like. It’s a very powerful tactic that we use to numb ourselves. We often find ourselves dissociating on purpose in order to avoid something negative, so why not turn that into something positive?
When you have Post Traumatic Stress, it’s easy to feel negative feelings. We seldom feel positive feelings. I have worked very hard to gain control of unwanted bouts of dissociation and I did so by using grounding techniques and by deliberately “spacing out” on things that make me feel good, like goals that I’m working to accomplish or fun events that I’m looking forward to. It’s not easy and it takes a bit of practice, but once you get into the habit of directing that energy to something positive and productive, you’ll begin to feel a lot better instead of being so down all of the time.
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