My dissociation is varied. When heavily triggered, I lose all memory of a period of time. I have very spotty memories from my childhood, maybe a handful from my entire 18 years before moving to college. I'm starting to regain some of those memories, but they are all trauma memories coming back.
When I'm less dissociated, it just feels like i'm floating in a grey fog far away from everyone and everything. Sometimes I can't hear people talking to me. I'm not always aware of the dissociation until someone points it out to me, but there are times I'm very aware. Those times it feels like i'm on autopilot; saying and doing things because that's what's expected of me.
There are times when I'm surprised at my appearance and the fact that I have a body & a face. That used to happen a lot more when I was younger. I would walk past my reflection and stop to stare at it. I needed to study it because I had no clue that's what I looked like, or that I even existed as a corporeal being... those instances have lessened in severity. I still stare at my reflection at times, but it doesn't take as long to understand I'm actually a person.
Regardless of the type of dissociation, I generally don't feel anything like physical touch, or even pain... Sometimes the dissociation is accompanied by flashbacks, but other times my mind is blank...
What's your experience been with it?
|