From:
A providers guide to working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse

What is dissociation?

Dissociation is a mental process that causes a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memory and sense of identity.

It falls on a continuum of severity.

Mild dissociation could be like daydreaming, getting "lost" in a book, or when you are driving down a familiar stretch of road and realize that you do not remember the last several miles.

A severe and more chronic form of dissociation is seen in the disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder, once called Multiple Personality Disorder. 71

Dissociation is a normal response to trauma, and allows the mind to distance itself from painful or overwhelming experiences. 72

Several studies have found a relationship between childhood sexual abuse and dissociation in adulthood. 21 22 23 24

Dissociation can also be defined as emotional detachment from traumatic stimuli that can be triggered by anxiety or a stressful situation. 19

It can be one of the methods of self-preservation that survivors may have used has children to cope with repeated sexual abuse. 19 20

Dissociation can be triggered by anxiety and is related to the severity of the abuse. 41 20

For me, stressful situations or revisiting the topic of past abuse can cause a deep brain fog to descend over me. It's very hard to think or function or carry on a conversation. I tend to forget having been in this state after the fact, and can't recall events very well when I've been in this state. On the upside I tend to forget unpleasant things, which is usually not a problem unless there's a need to recall, and it doesn't dramatically interfere with my life. But it's unpleasant and if bad it is accompanied by deep brain fog/haze (as if drugged), vague nausea, sense of being about to choke, floaty sensation, intense sense of being emotionally overwhelmed, feeling stunned/reeling/dazed as if from a blow to the head, a rushing or swirling sensation about the head, and a prolonged pressure in the head with a bit of headache.

So it's not too fun and is a bit like being sick while feeling deeply upset inside.