[ginger1776]

I know this is the SI support place but I'm not clear as to what dissociating is. I SI to avoid numbness and spacing out after i feel really intense emotions. Does spacing out mean dissociating? Does that mean I have a dissociating disorder? I'm confused and I don't see my therapist for another week so if anyone can help please do.

[Set Me Free]

i googled it up and there are a lot of good and non scary articles out there.

[ginger1776]

Originally Posted by Set Me Free

i googled it up and there are a lot of good and non scary articles out there.

could u post a link for one u looked at?

[sugahorse1]

There are other boards on PC that have many knowledgable members. I don't know much about dissociation-except that I sometimes do it.
I think the boards are under 'Personality Place'm

[LyingSweetie]

From Wikipedia (which links to various useful articles, if you don't trust wikipedia): "Dissociation is most commonly experienced as a subjective perception of one's consciousness being detached from one's emotions, body and/or immediate surroundings" aka, the person feels like they're separate from their emotions/body/environment. so if by 'numbing and spacing out' you mean like you detach from the world or your body in some way it could be disassociation. You will probably able to tell if it happens to you, the feeling is very different from just spacing out. I don't think disassociating occasionally constitutes a disassociating disorder though, disassociating by itself is a universal human coping mechanism. Like all disorders it has to be extreme enough to negatively impact your functioning. Hope I helped
(Btw I'm not an expert, I'm just summarizing what I know from my psych classes and online searches.)

[Sannah]

I agree with Lsweetie, that it is a coping mechanism. When emotions are too painful this is like a reflex to seperate yourself from them and cope better. Working with your therapist on tolerating and feeling your emotions and working through them will eventually get you to a place where you won't need to dissociate. And SI does stop the dissociation and the release of the endorphins improves your mood.

I'll bet you have a load of stored emotions? Working with your therapist on unloading these will be really helpful.

[skeksi]

It is very common for people to self-harm to stop dissociation (spacing out). Spacing out is a way to cope that people may develop when they go through difficult experiences as a young person. Do you remember feeling big, overwhelming emotions as a child, so overwhelming that you would "shut them down" or space out to get away from them? That was the best way you could cope at the time.

The problem is, the spacing out can become a scary and overwhelming experience, too. Being cut off from yourself can be scary. So you may self-harm in order to stop the numbness and return to a more normal feeling self.

You are not the only person who goes through this. You are not weird or a freak. You are a person who is suffering and trying to get through the pain the best way you know how. Working with your T, you will be able to find other ways to get through the scary feelings, ways that care for your self instead o hurting yourself.

[Set Me Free]

sorry it took so long to write back...the wikipedia one was good and i will try to figure out how to post a link anybody know?

[Sannah]

Go to the web site you want to link here and when you are there copy the entire address at the top of the page and then come here and paste it.

[suzzie]

s/i-ing sometimes causes me to dissociate.

[suzzie]

i really apologize ^^^i dont know what i was thinking. but its certainly not helpful.

[Gr3tta]

??suzzie?? I think what you said is good. It might be different from some other people's opinions, but that's good to get different view points! Thanks for sharing!

I can go either way, depending on the situation and on lots of variables. Pain can Definitely make me dissociate, but it can also help me connect to my body and my current surroundings, which Helps me be grounded and connected to the here and now.

[SoupDragon]

My T has told me that they think labels can be unhelpful - so although I think I dissociate and have other symptoms I have googled that seem to fit with depersonalisation / derealisation - I have never sought a formal diagnosis. From what I have learned, all these types of symptoms can serve as a coping strategy and in some cases can be very useful for protecting us from pscyhological / emotional harm.

I think in terms of therapy, the process to stay connected is the same.

I think SI can be connected with these symptoms - for me at times I use SI to reconnect and other times, SI helps me to disconnect.

It really helped me to talk to my T about my concerns about this. Take care - Soup