Late to this thread....

how do I feel when I dissociate... I feel mentally numb, distanced from those around me.... kind of like the feeling of being medicated but not out of touch with whats real and what isnt and not actually on any medications...a hang over of sorts kind of feeling but not because of alcohol.

your question is it always because of a trigger.....answer yes here in america the new definition of dissociation is a normal response to a positive or negative trigger. A trigger is anything that causes something to happen.

examples....

going to my own wedding made me feel numb, spaced out, disconnected mentally, like an observer instead of a participant. (positive trigger the wedding, dissociation symptoms numb, spaced out disconnected)

During therapy when talking about hard things sometimes I will feel mentally numb (no emotions, no thoughts just being...), spaced out (some people call this foggy, woozy, dizzy not the same kind of dizzy that you get from passing out, this is a different kind of dizzy) Disconnected (I can look at my hand and know its my hand but not have any emotional or physical feelings or thoughts associated with that hand)