If you sometimes feel like you’re watching your life from outside your body, if time seems to disappear or stretch in strange ways, or if you sometimes feel like you’re not really “you,” you might be experiencing dissociation. This can feel terrifying and confusing.
What is a dissociative disorder?
Dissociative disorders are mental health conditions where there’s a disconnection between your thoughts, memories, identity, and surroundings. They go beyond occasional “zoning out” and can interfere with daily functioning, relationships, and self-understanding. Dissociation can show up as memory gaps, feeling emotionally numb, sensing the world as unreal, or feeling like you’re not fully “here.” Dissociation is often a response to overwhelming experiences and is your mind’s way of creating distance from what feels too much to process all at once. For some people, it’s brief and happens only in extreme stress. For others, it’s ongoing and disruptive enough to be a diagnosable disorder.
Causes and Triggers
Dissociative disorders usually develop as a response to trauma, especially repeated childhood trauma. Your mind essentially learned to “leave” during overwhelming experiences as a survival mechanism. They can also develop after accidents, natural disasters, combat, or other overwhelming experiences.
Triggers vary but may include:
- Reminders of traumatic events
- High levels of stress or conflict
- Certain sights, sounds, smells, or locations
- Fatigue or illness
- Substance use
Types of Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Amnesia: Trouble remembering important personal information, usually related to trauma or stress.
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder: Feeling detached from yourself (depersonalization) or feeling like your surroundings aren’t real (derealization).
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Presence of two or more distinct identity states, often linked to severe, ongoing trauma in early life.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy helps you understand why dissociation is happening and gives you tools to stay grounded in the present.
We don’t force memories or rush the process. Instead we help you feel safe and stable enough that exploring what’s underneath becomes manageable. Over time, therapy can help you integrate your experiences, strengthen your sense of self, and reduce the impact of dissociation on your daily life.
In therapy, we may work on:
- Recognizing early signs of dissociation
- Using grounding skills to return to the present
- Understanding how dissociation developed as a survival strategy
- Processing trauma at a safe pace
- Rebuilding a stable sense of identity and continuity
Therapeutic Approaches
At Counseling with Compassion, we work with you at your pace to slowly reintegrate. Approaches may include:
Trauma-informed therapy: Creating safety and stability before processing trauma
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): To help reprocess traumatic memories without becoming overwhelmed
Somatic therapy: Using body-based techniques to reconnect with physical sensations safely
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: To challenge unhelpful thoughts and build coping skills
Mindfulness and grounding techniques: To anchor you in the present moment
Internal Family Systems Therapy: To explore and integrate different aspects of identity
Dissociation may have been your mind’s way of protecting you, but you deserve to feel solid, grounded, and fully here. It’s time to stop pulling the ripcord.
We’ve made it easy for you to get started right now.
Three simple steps. No waiting lists. Just real help, right when you need it.
Reach Out
Send us an email at hello@cwcrvc.com or call us on 516-476-9057 and tell us about what’s going on.
Get Matched
We’ll connect you with the therapist best suited to your needs.
Start Sessions
In person at our Rockville Centre office or online from your couch – either way, we’ll help you take that first real step toward feeling better.
