Dissociating is when you feel distant and out there. It's any time that you're more someplace else than aware of what is going on around you, like when you're really intent in thought or even watching a movie or something. When we are dissociating all the time and can't control it, then it can get to be a problem. One of the reasons some people SI is when that unreal feeling (which is dissociation, and we use it as a tool to avoid something that's hard to deal with) gets too uncomfortable. That's what is happening if you SI and don't feel it, too. SI temporarily can pull you out of a dissociative state, but there are better and more effective ways like grounding or doing something to feel more in contact with your surroundings - making a conscious effort to feel something. Like the temperature of the air, and the pressure of the chair you are sitting on, etc. Or getting a drink of cold water and paying attention to how it feels going down, or wrapping up tightly in a blanket.

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