[Sarmas]

Recently I've been dissociating quite a bit. I have this whole other life going on which I've lived in my head since I was 5. I think it's becoming more apparent. My 15 year old called it to my attention the one day. He basically caught me smiling. I wasn't smiling at anything happening in real life but it was what a scenario which I created in my head. Then at the gym I've done the same thing. I find that people are staring at me at times. I'm not sure if I'm paranoid but what confirmed was when my son brought it to my attention. At home I would lose countless hours to dissociation. It's where I feel more at comfort. I brought this up to my therapist but she never addressed it. It's also an embarrassing subject for me to speak about but it seems so odd or silly but it's my comfort zone. I'm not sure if I should bring it up again to her or of I should just deal with it. She didn't seem to be interested in addressing it.

[ocdabject]

I don't think it's odd or silly - dissociation is sometimes necessary - but i don't understand why your therapist didn't address it after you asked for assistance with it

You could try asking her whether it is something that she thinks would be useful to address in therapy

I've had that experience also, where i tell a therapist something that is really uncomfortable or embarrassing and they just sort of shrug their shoulders - i had one that actually responded by chastising me in a way - telling me that my intense feelings of self-hatred were the easy way out - i still feel angry about it - it made me feel worse, 'cos it took courage to tell him that to begin with

[ocdabject]

i forgot to say, yes, i've dissociated while i'm out, i don't know what i look like when i do it, though,

[Yoda]

I have done that too.

[Sarmas]

Originally Posted by ocdabject

I don't think it's odd or silly - dissociation is sometimes necessary - but i don't understand why your therapist didn't address it after you asked for assistance with it

You could try asking her whether it is something that she thinks would be useful to address in therapy

I've had that experience also, where i tell a therapist something that is really uncomfortable or embarrassing and they just sort of shrug their shoulders - i had one that actually responded by chastising me in a way - telling me that my intense feelings of self-hatred were the easy way out - i still feel angry about it - it made me feel worse, 'cos it took courage to tell him that to begin with

I would be upset as well and to top it off it's not like that response is helpful to the matter at all. I totally would understand your frustration. Did you try bringing it up again and read dressing it? It's almost like a hey this subject really matters to me but they don't see it as significant. We live with it so we know what it's like.

[Sarmas]

Originally Posted by ocdabject

i forgot to say, yes, i've dissociated while i'm out, i don't know what i look like when i do it, though,

I thought I had it under control and to myself but throughout the years I think it's become more apparent to others. I remember this one time driving and my ex was next to me and he was looking at me oddly. I didn't know that he was going to divorce me the weekend after but I noticed a him looking. That look he gave brought me back to my surroundings and I believe I was smiling at the time and I caught myself. It was similar to when my son caught me smiling as well but my sons reaction was of hatred. He just made it known.

Originally Posted by Sarmas

Recently I've been dissociating quite a bit. I have this whole other life going on which I've lived in my head since I was 5. I think it's becoming more apparent. My 15 year old called it to my attention the one day. He basically caught me smiling. I wasn't smiling at anything happening in real life but it was what a scenario which I created in my head. Then at the gym I've done the same thing. I find that people are staring at me at times. I'm not sure if I'm paranoid but what confirmed was when my son brought it to my attention. At home I would lose countless hours to dissociation. It's where I feel more at comfort. I brought this up to my therapist but she never addressed it. It's also an embarrassing subject for me to speak about but it seems so odd or silly but it's my comfort zone. I'm not sure if I should bring it up again to her or of I should just deal with it. She didn't seem to be interested in addressing it.

I do this all the time several times a day. I'd go inside and toss scenarios and situations with the Others. To a passer by, I'm sure I look like I go into a trance/daze. I'd lose focus and my eyes would cross. Everynow and then I'd erupt in to laughter over an inside joke followed by a quick look around hoping no one saw it. Outsiders don't get my sense of humor.

I always figured that I was getting lost in thought. I do this while driving, too. I'll realize that I'm gone and try to comeback, sometimes its a fight to stay present. I'm not sure if this is the samething, but to me, I'm normal because this is my normal- I don't know any other way.

[amandalouise]

my dissociation in public was a bit different than what you describe. you see here in my location its not called dissociation when someone has an internal imaginary world or imaginary place. here in my location thats now called day dreaming, using ones imagination, imaginary play, and depending upon how much it affects a persons life my location also calls it autism, Schizophrenia, psychosis, delusions, depression and many other mental illness issues depending upon what is causing a person to clip into or choose to live in their mental worlds instead of reality.

my dissociating in public were things like if I got stressed out, anxious or otherwise triggered I would have dissociative symptoms (numbness, foggy minded/spacey\spaced out, disconnected (feeling of unrealness of my limbs or those around me but knowing they were real)

the key to fixing this problem for me waa to get physical, if I was feeling dissociated sitting at my desk I would stand up and stretch or go to the coffee machine for a fresh mug of coffee, if I felt dissociated at home and it was nice out I would go down to the lake and row my canoe around the lake getting back in touch with my surroundings.

my suggestion if your entering your mental world continues to bother you contact your treatment provider, maybe even print off your post so that they can read what its like for you so that they can diagnose and treat you for this problem.