Dissecting Dissociation

A Little Help For Our Friends

What if we told you that our brains can shut down to protect themselves? When we face intensely scary or overwhelming experiences, sometimes we disconnect from the present as a coping mechanism. This is called dissociation, a process of disconnecting from present experiences like your thoughts, feelings, memories, your body, or even reality itself. In this episode, we discuss the different types of dissociation, what it feels like, and how we help ourselves and others during these dissociative states.
Check out the Dissociative Experiences Scale- II for a self-report measure of dissociation.
Zerubavel, N., & Messman-Moore, T. L. (2015). Staying present: Incorporating mindfulness into therapy for dissociation. Mindfulness, 6, 303-314.

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