[TrailRunner14]

Quoting a post on another thread, and this thought/question popped in my head. I thought it might be an interesting topic for a thread.

I started running when I started sorting out what was going on with me. That has been about 3 years ago. About a year ago, my counselor and I were talking and it dawned on me that I "go away" when I run. Not completely, but to a certain degree. Earphones in my ears, sunglasses on and I empty my mind. I'm in a world of my own. Dissociation is a continuum and I guess you could maybe call that "runner's high" or "the zone" - except from what I understand about those terms, it happens after you reach a certain "point" after you start running. Mine starts when I get there and start to stretch. It's like it's triggered at the beginning, by itself or by me unconsciously. Hope that makes sense.

My question is, Is it ok to "go away" on purpose, if you are trying to stop it from happening when it's not on purpose?

Sometimes, I can feel the tingling in my feet and hands and know that I'm on the verge. I haven't really learned just yet how to put the brakes on and stop it, but I am learning the signs that it's about to happen. Other times, it's like a zip line and I'm gone and don't realize it, until after it's happened.

If I'm going running, with knowledge that this is what is happening and openly inviting it, is that reinforcing the zip line when it's not on purpose? I hope that makes sense!!

I'm starting yoga to help me learn to be more centered and body aware. It is supposed to help with staying present. My counselor is encouraging it more than my running. It makes sense, but there is a power struggle going on inside of me between the two.

I'm trying to find a mix for running and yoga, but are they battling each other in the process?

Just curious if anyone else has experienced this.

[Shaly78]

I'm an advocate for being in your comfort as a system if on purpose is how you want to describe it then so be it. As long as your not under someone else's microcosm then do as you/they want. I'm just purging some of my personal story I guess thinking that impeding doom that someone will require on demand switches and influences if I let on to this information. The world is only required to know you as what your relationships are your career, family etc so everything else is secondary. I just wanted to comment on this angle that we are great at whatever we do.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by TrailRunner14

Quoting a post on another thread, and this thought/question popped in my head. I thought it might be an interesting topic for a thread.

I started running when I started sorting out what was going on with me. That has been about 3 years ago. About a year ago, my counselor and I were talking and it dawned on me that I "go away" when I run. Not completely, but to a certain degree. Earphones in my ears, sunglasses on and I empty my mind. I'm in a world of my own. Dissociation is a continuum and I guess you could maybe call that "runner's high" or "the zone" - except from what I understand about those terms, it happens after you reach a certain "point" after you start running. Mine starts when I get there and start to stretch. It's like it's triggered at the beginning, by itself or by me unconsciously. Hope that makes sense.

My question is, Is it ok to "go away" on purpose, if you are trying to stop it from happening when it's not on purpose?

Sometimes, I can feel the tingling in my feet and hands and know that I'm on the verge. I haven't really learned just yet how to put the brakes on and stop it, but I am learning the signs that it's about to happen. Other times, it's like a zip line and I'm gone and don't realize it, until after it's happened.

If I'm going running, with knowledge that this is what is happening and openly inviting it, is that reinforcing the zip line when it's not on purpose? I hope that makes sense!!

I'm starting yoga to help me learn to be more centered and body aware. It is supposed to help with staying present. My counselor is encouraging it more than my running. It makes sense, but there is a power struggle going on inside of me between the two.

I'm trying to find a mix for running and yoga, but are they battling each other in the process?

Just curious if anyone else has experienced this.

here in my location yes it is perfectly acceptable to purposely disengage this way. its actually taught to children and adults alike as a stress reduction, sleep aid, take time to relax and just be. it is taught in many different careers and activities including therapy techniques like meditation, ...

though... my location... does not call it dissociation (no letter A between the s's). my location when someone shuts their self down or tunes out purposely its called dis associating.

that said many treatment providers in my own location use active dis associating as a way for a person to begin to recognize when they are dissociating.

example sometimes when I am really stressed out I will go out on the lake and row as fast as I can from one point to another. with my mind just concentrating on the rowing....repeating the same word over and over again...pull pull pull at some point my mind would disengage and I find I am rowing with out thinking nor repeating the word, just doing.

I have many different activities where my mind now therapeutically and on purpose will dis engage \ dis associate with out my even trying to do so.

my therapist thought this was great progress that I could notice when my mind purposely dis associated (not dissociation in my location) and went into observing but not thinking. she then gave me a homework assignment of when I notice i was purposely dis associated to bring my mind set back to being associated (reconnect my thinking and observing by saying something aloud like... wow that was fun rowing across the lake)

ever time with using recognizing when I was dis associated and then re associating I was able to recognize when I was dissociating (no A between s's) and the same tools i used to re associate worked to reground.

example if I got triggered by a thunder storm, into dissociating (feeling numb spaced out, and all my other dissociating symptoms) i could remember focus back on the present moment and self calm, self sooth and then take care of the problem that caused me to feel numb and spaced out.

there are many great books out there that teach how to dis engage (dis associate ) they are usually under the titles of meditation, relaxation, guided visualizations, stress reduction, the observing self, the thinking self and other psychology based topics. and how to use this natural process to ones advantage for stress reduction, better sleep and other problem areas.

[elevatedsoul]

a form of meditation maybe...

in some cultures and religions it is something that is taught, the disconection of feeling and thought...

i dont think there is anything wrong with it especially when you are doing an activity like that...
its when you need to be here and you have trouble staying here that its a problem right?

i have done many different exercises with the mind... and i find it a relaxing and refreshing thing when you can control it... totally dont see anything wrong with doing it on purpose...
its just when you lose the ability to is when it starts pissing you off

wish i could make myself start go running... the runners high is from what i understand is when you have been running for long enough for certain endorphins to start flooding the brain, right?
so if you push yourself hard fast and long you will get the runners high?

i think it sounds like running just relaxes you, helps you to drop away the worries... i find that completely acceptable as long as you can come back when the run is over..

[TrailRunner14]

Thanks for the posts and opinions. They have helped me think this through some more.

In the title of the thread I said "on purpose" and reading what has been posted, it makes me question whether it's on purpose or not. I do know that it happens, but I'm not sure that it is my doing - on purpose.

When I started going to my trail and running, it was in response to a situation that could be considered traumatic. I witnessed myself "split" in a reaction to being mentally/verbally backed into a corner and my mind not knowing how to deal with - how to make it right. The "runner" came from that point of impact.

So now, after thinking about it and reading these posts, I'm wondering if I'm experiencing a "shift" as apposed to "going away" if that makes sense.

I'm wondering if the part that split off from me then, is what I shift into when I go there. That part "the runner" feels like it would be everything I could not be in that moment.

Does that make any sense?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[finding_my_way]

there is nothing wrong with it unless it's taking away from your ability to do everyday tasks or takes away from your responsibilities, etc. if it does, then it becomes maladaptive.

so, it's completely normal when done for stress reduction/management. a lot of people who run/jog use it for that reason.