Jen yes it is possible for normal people and people with many different medical and mental health problems including dissociative problems can and do forget their children and leave them alone. almost every day in the news, somewhere someone forget they had their child with them and walked off and left their children in their cars, at school, on play grounds, at rest stops along the high way....

as for can people retraumatize their self yes they can people retraumatize their self all the time. Just yesterday I was cleaning out the kitchen cupboard trying to find the lid to a storage container. I hate spiders, I have a huge fear of spiders and I know spiders like places like dark cupboards, especially if you have the type of cupboard that sits down into the flooring where the earth meets the cupboards. I know darn well theres spiders under there but I still have to get that storage container lid. I pulled the lid out and screeched as I threw the lid into the sink and shaking turned on the hot water to kill that dang spider on the lid. my wife come running and Im standing against the door frame feet away from the sink shaking crying and having a panic attack.

I know a few people who purposely do things like seeking out rough, abusive sex even though they had been raped in the past. but they do it because thats whats normal to them, thats what turns some on, thats what makes them feel those things that became their normal.

normal people and people with mental and those with physical health problems too retraumatize their self for all kinds of reasons.

in another post you stated ...

since you only dissociated once and nothing like what you are asking about has ever happened, meaning you never had an affair/initiated having sex while dissociated and havent left your child alone during that one dissociative event you had, its a pretty fair guess (not diagnosis) that you have nothing to worry about.

but just in case my suggestion is contact your treatment providers. they can discuss this with you and do some tests to find out if you have the type of normal, mental or physical problems that would cause you to forget your son somewhere and leave him unattended.

to answer your other question is dissociative type forgetting like an alcohol black out no it isnt. in fact the diagnostic criteria states alcohol induced type black outs have to be ruled out. meaning the persons dissociative problems cant not be because of having an alcohol type black out.

do people with dissociative disorders act different...some times yes sometimes no. your treatment provider can tell you if you acted different when you were in your dissociative event.