Fainting when you dissociate?

Typically, the only overt symptoms I get when I dissociate are light headedness or dizziness, and most often, losing touch w/T. Tonight, I posted a response to someone on the Psychotherapy forum - the response itself was a bit of an unexpected "aha" moment to a problem my T and I are trying to understand. It's a huge thing. I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, came back out and was walking through the living room when I fainted.

Is this something any of you do, either once in a while or always, when you dissociate? I have an appt. w/T tomorrow and this issue we've been working on will be front and center. I've been living in my head all week, which I sometimes need to do to process my thoughts and feelings about something that's been triggering over-the-top reactive behavior. Fainting would certainly be an appropriate response to get away from what's occupied my mind this week.

I suppose anything can happen when dissociating, but this was a first for me. Scared the bajeebeez out of me! Any thoughts? I would appreciate anything anyone is willing to share. If fainting is common when dissociating, I need to warn my T (and not wear a dress to appts.)

No, I've never fainted when dissociating. None of the people I know with DID have had fainting as a symptom of dissociation.

i have never fainted before... although i have felt like i was going to, having a sensation of falling out/backwards from my body... severe disorientation/dizzy ect...
have had conversion type symptoms but i dont know if it was part of dissociation..

have you looked into epilepsy?

https://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/n...s#.V7P3iqLzLbk

Seizures vs. Fainting | Epilepsy Foundation

stay safe..

I dd pass out one time but my treatment providers did not call it part of my dissociative problems. reason being medically fainting is the process where there is a sudden drop in blood pressure or lack of oxygen due to physical health problems like anemia, blood disorders, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, hypertension, carbon monoxide poisoning... all kinds of physical health problems. some people with seizure disorders like epilepsy can also have this problem...

my point due to the diagnostic criteria for dissociative issues technically fainting knocks out having dissociative problems.

that said some people can work their self up into such high heights of anxiety that they end up physically holding their breath and passing out or breathing too fast (hyperventilating ) causing their self to pass out, I know a few children who when angry with their parents will hold their breath, and some that engage in the dangerous game of choking, which results in their feeling dissociative like (or in medical terms euphoria)...

treatment for fainting is medical intervention like medication for high blood pressure, medication for anemia, medication for epilepsy (medication for what ever is causing the fainting)

sometimes inpatient for indepth MRI's EEG's EKG and others to find the physical health problem.

my suggestion to anyone who finds their self fainting to contacting their medical doctors, letting fainting go untreated can result in some life threatening problems.

with in me the fainting turned out to be mini \mild strokes associated with having MS, not dissociative. if I had left it untreated because it was just a faint it could have escalated to full blown stroke.

please anyone finding their self passing out\ fainting contact a medical doctor.

i have had times (rare) where i would almost faint or have the sensation related to dissociating...but fainting generally is due to lack of oxygen to the brain.

i have fainted in the past due to a combination of not eating enough, being dehydrated, and a medication which was a sedative type...i also had low blood pressure which would cause me to feel light headed and almost feel like i would faint at times.

sometimes even anxiety/panic can be a cause for fainting due to shallow breathing. i had my vision go black once from a panic attack..it was really scary.

so, those are all some potential things that generally could cause fainting.