What if it happens again?

I've shared this in other threads, so if this is something you've already read, forgive me.

Last week, on my way to meet with my counselor, I experienced a "time loss" driving, and wound up somewhere else. It was not far from his office, but I have no idea of passing the street I should have turned on. When I realized where I was, I could not understand how I got there. That's never happened to me before.

My appointment with him is this Thursday, and I'm worried about it happening again. All the "what if's" are circling around in my thoughts, and of course I'm thinking "worst case scenario" which is quite disturbing.

We were talking about it last Monday, when it was time for me to leave his office. I was nervous then about the drive home, and still pretty shook up over it happening on the way there. I remember laughing and telling him I could turn on the navigation in my car and set it for home. Right now that doesn't seem too funny.

Does anyone have any suggestions, that would keep "me" there? I don't understand what happened and I don't know how to make sure it doesn't happen again Thursday.

This is really bothering me! Any suggestions would be very appreciated!!

for me this was my normal. short version every time I encountered a trigger an alter would take control to handle that which I could not. sometimes that meant minutes, hours days went by with out my realizing it, waking up in places, towns and cities and not knowing how I got there. this happened to me since before I was 5.

as a child my parents/ foster parents always made sure my name and address was inside my clothing and other personal items, that way who ever found me would be able to get me back to where I needed to be.

as a teen ager I carried a wallet/ purse that had identifying information in it so that if need be those around me could help me to get back to where I needed to be.

as an adult before I was integrated I also carried identifying information and an emergency card that would tell who ever around me how to contact my family.

when I would become aware and not know where I was I would locate a public place (store, hospital, police station, school....) where I could use the phone to call 911, they would send someone to my location and they would help me to return home or contact my family who would help me to return home.

even though I am now integrated sometimes I do space off to the normal dissociative term called highway hypnosis. because of this I do not drive a vehicle.

even though I am not integrated I sometimes do space off to the abnormal dissociative terms of depersonalization/ derealization disorder and dissociative amnesia with a specifier of dissociative fugue where I may be out walking and end up not knowing how I got someplace. therefore I always carry with me a fully charged and active cell phone and emergency identifying information to my treatment providers and my wife.

in general most people including me uses their own grounding / self calming / self nurturing techniques that work best for them. what my treatment providers and I have set up together is what works for me.

my suggestion is if this continues to bother you, contact your treatment provider, they will be able to set up an emergency plan that is right for you, in how you should be handling this in you.

A great question, for sure. How to not lose time...

But here are some things you might want to try, based on my experience (and I had an incident like yours a couple of weeks ago).

Use a GPS with the volume on. I have a GPS unit for my car and a smart phone. It seems dumb to use my GPS to get to and from t office since I go there all the time, but the voice commands usually keep me on track.

Chew strong tasting gum or suck on sour candy

Drink ice water

Put hand lotion on when at stoplights. Especially if you have one with a nice scent

Do mental math. Like count backwards from 100 by threes. Or say the alphabet backward.

Talk on the phone

Maybe try using a voice recorder while narrating the trip...kind of like a black-box recording for later analysis, if needed.

Thank you!!

The GPS is speaking loudly to me. I'll defiantly do that. For some reason my mind kept going to it last Monday.

I'm usually sorting my thoughts on the way to his office. I don't really know how to shut that off. That may be feeding it, but I really am not good at putting things "away" until they need to be talked about.

The recorder, black box, suggestion sounds interesting to try. That is a good idea.

Thank you for your suggestions!!

please be careful using GPS. many people in my location have discovered sometimes GPS gives inaccurate information recently I was using GPS in a city I had never been to. the GPS directed me to an aqueduct rather than the building I needed to to. GPS has also been unreliable for me when ever I have gotten lost. its a situation where the computer is only as good as who ever did the mapping and programming of the location in question and how long ago. it could very well be that a year or more ago that aqueduct was a building but itsnt now.