dissociation becomes harmful when it interferes with a persons life and function...example using your post...having a hard time reconnecting.

in normal dissociation a person is able to let their mind wander, during their relaxation time. disconnecting, a feeling of numbness or spaciness during times when there is nothing to do and is normal and ok..

but when someone is trying to do something and they become disconnected, numb and spaced out it affects what they are doing and they cant do what needs to be done...

when its not harmful it doesnt feel robotic for days. a person stops being robotic the moment they re engage their focus on their life...

heres a dramatic example of what can happen with harmful dissociation vs helpful dissociation....

having a hard day at work a person pulls over to the side of the road to relax, let their mind wander, noticing their body feel numb and spaced out from the stresssful day.. then they come back to their body notice whats going on around them no longer feel numb and spaced out get back on the road and finish driving home.

having just put in a hard day at work a person who is driving their car suddenly spaces out and feels numb, their attention is jerked back to the moment and discover they have been in a car accident because they were not able to focus on the road and what they and other vehicles were doing.

dissociation runs on both normal and abnormal\harmful levels.