- Hey everybody.
Today, we're gonna talk about dissociation
because it's much more common than people think.
Research shows us that over 50% of people will have
at least one dissociative episode in their lifetime.
So we should all be a little bit more informed
about what it is and what it isn't
and all the more reason to share this video.
Oh, and in my last video about this,
I talked about why it happens and what I do
if a patient dissociates with me in session.
So if you're looking for more information about that,
I will link the video in the description.
Now, the first sign of dissociation is memory loss.
Like have you ever driven yourself home from work
and not remembered how you got there?
Guilty.
Or gotten some intense news and you don't remember
the rest of your day after receiving that news?
Memory loss is by far
the most common symptom of dissociation.
And one that if we take the time to think about it
is pretty easy to identify.
And it makes sense why it happens, right?
Because if you remember dissociation occurs when
what's going on in our life is just too much to deal with
or too much to process in the moment.
So our brain pulls the ripcord
(squeals)
on reality just for a minute or so
so that we can get through it and be okay.
Dissociation pulls us out of our body
or environment or possibly both.
If we aren't present in our mind
when we're doing things,
it's gonna be incredibly difficult
to remember what we're doing or what's going on.
We can even come to while doing things
and have no idea what it is we're doing or where we are.
And I've heard of this happening to many of you
when you have a big presentation
or do something that you're scared of.
Since it's too stressful or overwhelming for our system,
our brain just pulls us away from it for a minute
until it's okay for us to return to our own consciousness.
I know that sounds kind of weird
but that's just how it works.
And this can be the most uncomfortable treat of dissociation
and why most of you have told me
that you wish it would just go away altogether.
But remember dissociation is protective.
And as we process through what's causing it,
like maybe it's a past trauma
or a specifically stressful situation or what have you
and even building up our own resiliency, right?
So that we're able to manage stressful events as they come
as we do all of that, it can and will go away for good.
The second sign is feeling like
you're watching yourself do something
and you don't have any control over it or what you're doing.
And I know this one sounds a bit more intense
but if we think about it,
when we go up on stage to give a talk or presentation
or maybe we played sports as a child,
this could happen when we go up to bat
or when we step out on the mat.
It's scary, it's overwhelming.
And we could feel out of our own body
for even just a little bit.
I know personally when I give talks
to large groups of people,
back when that was actually common,
I would have no recollection of how it went.
The day that my grandfather passed away
I had to give a talk at YouTube Space, New York.
I was actually already in New York.
My mom had called me in the morning
to let me know what happened
cause she didn't want me to find out
from some other member of my family or online, you know.
So first thing before I even go to YouTube Space
to give the talk, I get that news.
And afterward after I gave my talk,
I had no idea how it went.
Honestly now if I even try to recall,
no memory, it's like it didn't even happen.
And I kept asking my friend Dan
who had brought me out to give the talk I'm like,
did it go okay?
Did I do what you wanted?
Like I couldn't even remember.
I was just too stressed out,
I didn't have any time to process
what I just learned before having to give the talk.
I think I had like an hour.
It's like my brain just do
what it needed to do to get me through it.
It's really amazing what our body
and brain can do to keep us going
and to get through tough situations.
And sometimes I think it can be good,
you know, even if we hate the dissociation now
it can be good to be grateful for the times
it allowed us to survive and keep going.
The third sign is feeling lightheaded.
(sighs)
I know many of you are already thinking,
well, Katie there are a lot of reasons
that someone could feel lightheaded
and you are correct.
However, when this symptom pairs
with another one that we were discussing here,
then it's possible that it's associated
with your dissociation and not the fact
that maybe you stood up too fast or whatever.
When we feel disconnected from ourselves
or our environment this can cause us to feel faint.
Many of my patients who struggle with dissociation
had told me over and over how they felt
that they were going to pass out or fall down.
And that feeling is what like,
whoop!
Jerk them back to reality.
It can also be what pushes us deeper
into our dissociative state
because feeling lightheaded can be a little bit scary
and overwhelming and overwhelm our nervous system yet again.
The fourth sign is that we don't feel any pain.
Obviously, if we are disconnected mentally
from ourselves or our environment
it could make it difficult if not impossible
for us to feel any emotional pain.
That's sort of why dissociation occurs in the first place
to give us a break from all that we feel so that we can,
(exhales)
calm down, feel okay and return to our own brain and body.
But another side effect is that we often
don't feel any physical pain when we dissociate either.
And this has been the reason that many
of my patients self-injure.
self-injuring helps them to bring themselves back
and make them feel something
or at least, you know that's what I've heard,
that's what you guys have told me.
Although they report that they often don't feel
the pain like they normally do
and that can lead them to harming themselves
more than they had planned.
But it makes sense because
if we don't like feeling spaced out
or disconnected from ourselves,
we could do things to help bring us back.
Even if those things are actually harmful themselves.
We can feel like there's nothing else that will work.
And if you struggle with this,
I would encourage you to try other things
like squeezing an ice cube
or snapping a rubber band on your wrist.
I know it's not quite as effective
as a self-injurious behavior but it's definitely safer.
And if you have self injured
while dissociating and come to only to realize
that you harmed yourself more than you had planned,
please, please, please go to the hospital
and see a doctor immediately.
Infections like cellulitis and others are very serious
and need medical attention right away.
We don't want our infection to get into our blood
and cause even more harm to our system
So please go in and get the medical attention
you need and deserve.
Finally, the fifth sign is that
we can feel like we don't know who we are.
When we are disconnected from ourselves
often and for long periods of time,
we can start to lose touch with who we think we are
or at least become confused about it.
This can be exacerbated by people telling us
about a situation or memory that they have
that we don't due to our dissociation.
And this can be confusing and cause us to wonder
who we are, what we like or don't like
and if we even remember enough
about ourselves and our life to figure it out.
This is by far the worst part of dissociation
and I believe it can lead to symptoms of depression
if it's not addressed.
That's why it's vitally important that
if any of the symptoms sound familiar to you,
that you let your therapist know
or reach out to a therapist in your area.
I know COVID has changed things
but therapy was offered online a long time
before this pandemic and it's still available now.
There are sites like Talkspace
or BetterHelp and many others.
So reach out, speak up and start figuring out
if you struggle with dissociation.
And if so, what's causing it?
Because it's just a coping skill
to get us through a distressing time.
And the sooner we figure out why it's happening,
the sooner we can work to heal that wound
and stop it from happening again.
Just like anything
the longer we ignore it, the worse it will get
but with the right support and professional help
it can and will get better.
And if you found this video helpful,
please please share it.
Since over 50% of people have had
a dissociative episode in their lifetime,
you never know who this could help.
Thank you so much for watching and I will see you next time.
Bye.
(upbeat music)