Dissociative Disorders
Marriage and Family Therapist, PHD, LMFT
A strategy our mind uses to deal with a traumatic experience is to separate from what is happening. Sometimes this strategy is generalized and we find ourselves feeling disconnected, sometimes outside of our bodies. We first learn different strategies and ways to relate with our pain.
26 Years Experience
Dissociative Disorders
Psychologist, Licensed Psychologist, MD , Psy.D.
Grounding, soothing, and leaning to separate out past trauma from present reality helps decrease dissociation. I also approach this with some of the approaches I’ve already mentioned. People who dissociate are often plagued with past thoughts or memories of a very difficult time. Exploring childhood patterns of family interactions gives one a key to understanding their dissociation as a trauma response. Also essential is the learning of other trauma responses that don’t come with the down sides of dissociating, like memory problems or depersonalization/derealization anxiety.
31 Years Experience
Dissociative Disorders
Psychologist, Psy. D., M.A.
When people experience trauma, the mind has a wonderful way of protecting us from the pain that sometimes comes at the service of disconnecting from ourselves.