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Originally Posted by UglyDucky
I'm in the USA and having worked in the mental health profession, myself, I understand what you've been posting re: how dissociation is diagnosed and the DSM categories, etc. Thanks for providing the information. Re: letting my T know when I'm dissociating, I don't know when it's happening; I'm out of touch before I can tell T. I was professionally tested in 2015 by another PhD psychologist. Neither he nor my T could figure out why some of my testing came out as it did. Now, my T explains that I dissociate for brief periods - sometimes only seconds. Dissociation was not considered during testing - that psychologist didn't notice when I checked out...and neither did I.
What I'm doing is more disturbing to me than my T, I think. Your description: "I feel no connection to my body nor anything in the room. the technical term for this is depersonalization/ derealization symptoms (in other words dissociation symptoms and dissociative problems here where I am.)" sounds like what I experience. However, the question remains, what would it look like to my T if I dissociated while I was talking? It seems to me that if I dissociated when I was talking, I would just stop talking or speech would gradually fade out. I'm stumped on my T's question...  |
thank you. I am glad my diagnostics, testing and other dissociative information has been helpful to you.
what does it look like? my treatment provider has told me that I get this far away look in my eyes. the look of high concentration and not focusing outward look. you know how when you are talking with a relative or friend and they are telling you about their exciting adventure, sports event or what ever and they are more focused on what they are telling you and that look as if they are reliving that event/ exciting time, ... in some people they get this far away look in their eyes. thats what happens to me.
other people I know their face goes from fully animated/ showing expressions to not showing any emotions a lack of affect.
some people i know blink excessively, others I know dont blink at all or very little.
some people look to the left, some look to the right, some stare straight ahead....
other people I know their posture changes, voice changes....
these are all long term things.... a person doesnt just start one day doing some or all these things in therapy. I have been with my treatment providers for a long time so they know me and how I am, they know the subtle differences in me that they have learned about me over a long period of time.
there are many different ways a person looks when they are dissociated its individualized to that person, and many different ways treatment providers can tell when one is dissociated...
you have been in the mental profession ok start there if that was working with clients think back to when you were working with your clients and how you knew how they were feeling even when they did not vocalize how they were feeling, how did you know when they were happy, sad, dissociated, excited, angry, all that stuff...
my point is a person who is dissociated doesnt always look a certain way sometimes it is barely notice able except to the trained eye.
my suggestion is if this continues to bother you ask your treatment provider how they can tell when you are dissociated when you cant tell yourself. they will be able to explain to you what the subtle symptoms they are picking up on are.