Dissociation During Trauma: Why Does the Mind Sometimes Dissociate Amidst Distress?

There are instances when one may feel disconnected in a stressful event. This could actually be the brain's attempt to protect the person.

What Is Dissociation?

In the midst of traumatic situations or circumstances, people could experience emotional numbness or feel disconnected from reality. They may also have an out-of-body experience.

These are all symptoms that describe dissociation, which is a defense mechanism that separates threatening ideas and feelings from the person's psyche. Dissociation could be useful in situations where a person cannot physically run from danger or stress, such as when they are a victim of abuse or violence.

Dissociation During Trauma

The sympathetic nervous system, which handles the "flight or flight" response, gets activated when a person faces imminent physical danger. Humans have evolved to have such a response, which pushes survival either by fight or flight.

Dissociation is another way the nervous system responds to trauma in cases when the fight or flight response is impossible or too dangerous. According to Steven Dubovsky, a psychiatry professor emeritus from the University at Buffalo in New York, describes a scenario wherein a person could be followed or attacked by a group in a dark alley. If this person is unable to fight back or escape, they could end up stuck in the situation. Professor Dubovsky explains that when a stressful circumstance cannot be escaped from, one may find it difficult to function unless the fear can be turned down.

By mentalling separating the person from the pain-causing situation, the defense mechanism can protect a person in the actual moment. Such a coping strategy could be linked to freezing and separating the person from the traumatic event's memory.

In most cases, victims of sexual assault or abuse report experiencing dissociation in the event itself. There have also been some reports of foggy memories of the event because of dissociation.

Professor Dubovsky explains that while the lack of feeling attached or the lack of clear memory could be jarring following the fact, dissociation could impede a person from relieving the memories of the painful experience.

Ruth Ellingsen, an associate clinical professor of psychology from the University of Oregon, explains that for some individuals, dissociation could be their only way to remain safe in the midst of an abusive experience. In these situations, disconnecting and freezing could be more than just emotional separation from the stress. It could also be the best choice for the person's survival.

Professor Ellingsen notes that, however, problems could surface if people keep on dissociating even after being separated from the strong trauma. This is opposed to depending on other ways to cope, including meditation, mindfulness, or professional help.

Both professors explain that people who keep on dissociating typically experience difficulties with daily stress, such as speaking with peers or meeting deadlines at work. Several of them could feel detached in their relationships and may be distracted in previously usual tasks or interactions. Professor Ellingsen notes that it is possible that since the dissociation helps keep them safe or detached from the memories, the coping mechanism has become their default way to cope with other stress forms.

Professor Ellingsen explains that if a person frequently dissociates in the face of stress, this could indicate that the person does not have more healthy coping mechanisms that work.

However, when it comes to addressing long-term dissociation, the goal is not to eliminate the mechanism, as it could still come in useful for surviving a dangerous situation. Traumatic memories are also typically painful and disruptive. Professor Dubovsky explains having a distance from the trauma could result in better quality of life post-trauma.