Anyone have experiences like these?

I'll cut to the chase:

Has anyone else had dissociation episodes that damn near mimicked some sort of brief psychosis? Because this is the strangest **** I've ever dealt with.

I have a long history with dissociation and memory problems. Some people have memories of doing things with me that I don't recall to any length, and sometimes it's just me not feeling real, or feeling that I'm looking out through my eyes but I'm not really in control, or that my limbs aren't mine, or I just revert inward and the world outside ceases to exist. This has been forever.

Now, my issue within the last two or three years has been that I get caught up in unrealities as a reaction to stress (most of the time). A god of Egypt gives me messages, a coworker controls my body and refused to let me be present, taking my thoughts e.t.c. . . and when I initially spoke to a professional about this, psychosis was discussed, given I have a history with brief hallucinations, including voices, and paranoia.

These episodes will only last days to weeks, very rarely a month, but are nonetheless distressing and take up a lot of time of mine. When I come out of it, I realize how "unreal" it was (although I don't at the time) and I end up not being able to remember when it started or what I was upset about in the first place. In fact, after some episodes I"m pretty refreshed, simply because I don't remember why I was so stressed out. My psychologist got an idea that rather than an indication of some brief psychosis (as this has been going on for years now, back and forth) that it's another form of dissociation.

Can anyone relate?

I have both dissociative problems and psychosis problems but my own treatment providers do not lump the two together. my treatment providers use the DSM 5 way which is that dissociative disorders reality remains intact.. what that means is in order for my problems to be called dissociation the problems can not be things like having hallucinations, delusions, in turn my psychosis symptoms can not be part of my dissociation symptoms. because of the standards my treatment provider uses my psychosis problems and dissociation problems are treated as two separate mental disorders/ problems.

another distinction my treatment providers use in separating the two problems is that definition of possession. in dissociative disorders it doesnt mean spirits and gods jumping into my body. its a cultural term to mean ownership. you know like when you say I am in possession of 50 bucks or that person got caught with this much drugs or alcohol in their possession.

so if I told my treatment providers a god jumped into my body and made me do things my treatment providers called it psychosis in me. once they adjusted my medication the problem was solved.

my suggestion is contact your or a treatment provider, they will tell you what constitutes dissociation and psychosis in your location and whether the two problems have to be treated as two separate things or lumped together as one mimicking the other. they will be able to tell you how to distinguish the difference from when you are having your dissociative problems vs your psychosis problems and vice versa if they decide like my treatment providers to treat the two as separate problems.

From my experience, some really dissociative states can have psychosis-like effects, typically with hallucinations and some confusion, but what you're describing sounds more like traditional psychosis.

It's certainly possible, but I would consider getting a second opinion or two from other qualified professionals.

Thanks for the answers everyone. I thought it sounded more in the realm of psychosis as well, although I'm much too lucid and it's much too back and forth. Also too short of a time period each time. I will probably look for other opinions as well, maybe from professionals, but it seems I'm one of those people stuck in the gray area where "diagnosis" and getting shoved into that tiny box of qualifications just doesn't fit me. I may also just need to accept that and stop chasing a quote on quote "answer" and just work on myself outside of all the labels. I don't know.

that type of thing is most likely psychosis. i don't believe there is a criteria for psychosis that talks about a certain length of time an episode has to last or even between episodes for it to be called psychosis though. have you taken meds (antipsychotics) to see if they help lessen things like that?

it is possible you have both overlapping things with dissociation and psychosis which stress would also cause both to become more prominent at times.

I have a long history with dissociation and memory problems. Some people have memories of doing things with me that I don't recall to any length, and sometimes it's just me not feeling real, or feeling that I'm looking out through my eyes but I'm not really in control, or that my limbs aren't mine, or I just revert inward and the world outside ceases to exist. This has been forever.

Okay....to me.....this part sounds very dissosiative dp/osdd like and the Egypt stuff very psychosis like.

But can it be a product of psychosis? Could be dunno.

I'm no shrink...just afflicted.

I have Borderline Personality Disorder along with a Dissociative Disorder. Recently while thinking about my alters, I have decided that all my alters probably have Borderline Personality Disorder. If I did not develop appropriate life and social skills from growing up in my dysfunctional family, very likely, my alters did not develop those skills also.

I made bad decisions my whole life. If you were to study the decisions that I made you would see that I was always mentally or emotionally ill. From choosing the wrong career, to deciding to move to Orlando and go to UCF (I had no family or friends in Florida.), to buying houses that I should not have bought, up to the move to Athens last year where I blew most of my money, I just cannot make sane decisions!

I do not know if my alters have any psychoses. I usually don't unless I binge drink. Then sometimes I can get psychotic and paranoid.

I believe, that those of you who have both a dissociative diagnosis and psychosis, you were probably abused much worse than me.