The term dissociation is often used to describe daydreaming or other forms of distraction. However, mental health professionals warn that the casual use of this word can obscure the real clinical definition of dissociation, making it harder for those with actual symptoms to get the help they need.
A new clinical handbook, Working with Dissociation in Clinical Practice, by Helena Crockford, Melanie Goodwin, and Paul Langthorne, explains that dissociation is more than a brief loss of focus or a rare mental health condition. Instead, clinicians describe dissociation as an automatic survival response that occurs when someone faces overwhelming trauma.
“Dissociation is as common as other serious mental health difficulties, yet remains one of the most misunderstood and under-recognised experiences in mental health care,” the authors state.
A Protective Response
Crockford, Goodwin, and Langthorne explain that dissociation allows the mind to reduce awareness of intolerable experiences. In times of high stress, this response can help individuals remain calm during a crisis and process their emotions later, once the danger is over.
“Dissociation is currently best understood as an adaptive defence to overwhelming trauma,” the clinicians explain. “It represents an automatic, reflexive evolutionary response to threat.”
While dissociation can protect individuals in the short term, ongoing dissociation can harm memory, identity, emotion regulation, and daily functioning. Dissociation can become a lasting part of a person’s daily mental function when trauma occurs at a young age or happens repeatedly.
Dissociation can show up in many ways. People might feel disconnected from their bodies, feel like the world isn’t real, be confused about who they are, or simply experience gaps in memory. These symptoms can range from mild and short to severe and long-lasting.
Unnoticed Dissociation
Many people wrongly believe that dissociation is either very rare or not a real medical issue at all. The authors disagree with both ideas. Research cited in the handbook shows that dissociative disorders are more common than many people think. About 4.1% of people may have some form of dissociative disorder, while 1.1% to 1.5% meet the criteria for dissociative identity disorder, which is considered the most severe form.
Even though dissociative disorders are fairly common, they often go unnoticed in clinics. Symptoms are often mistaken for anxiety, depression, or personality disorders, especially when dissociation is hard for patients to describe or happens irregularly.
Solving the Stigma
Skepticism about the validity of dissociation has been reinforced by sensationalized media portrayals. The authors argue that these portrayals reinforce stigma and can discourage individuals from seeking the help they need.
Advances in neuroscience challenge this stigma. Neuroimaging studies show that individuals with dissociative disorders can display distinct patterns of brain activity depending on their dissociative state. While brain scans are not diagnostic tools, clinicians argue these findings provide objective evidence that dissociation reflects actual neurobiological processes.
A Call For Better Treatment
The handbook also points out gaps in mental health care, especially when it comes to treatments designed for dissociation. In places such as the UK’s National Health Service, staff often lack the training or resources to properly spot and treat dissociation. When dissociation goes untreated, it can lead to physical health issues, trouble managing emotions, and problems with social life.
“Efforts to improve the ability of services to realise, recognise, and respond to trauma-related dissociation,” the authors write, “will benefit not just those who experience it, but also their families, social networks, and society.”
Austin Burgess is a writer and researcher with a background in sales, marketing, and data analytics. He holds a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a Data Analytics certification. His work combines analytical training with a focus on emerging science, aerospace, and astronomical research.