What are the Types of Dissociation?

One of the most common ways that our brains protect ourselves from receiving too much traumatizing information is through dissociation. 

Dissociation is one of the powerful and merciful ways that our brain takes a break from reality in order to protect us from feeling pain, taking in traumatic information, or feeling overwhelmed with memories or triggers. The severity of dissociation can vary.  

Have you ever been driving and you arrive at your destination without a memory of all the turns, red lights, or other things that took place during your drive? That’s a type of dissociation. Your brain is “going offline” for a bit.  It could be because you had a stressful or overwhelming day. It could also be because something triggered you earlier and this was your chance to decompress.  

In the most serious version of dissociation, you might not feel like yourself or feel like you can be present in your own body.  I’ll walk you through the different types of dissociation and why it can be an important indicator of your internal stress levels. 

There are generally five types of dissociation: 

1.Distancing from bodily sensations.

One of the ways we are able to protect ourselves is through disconnecting from our bodily sensations. You might feel little or no pain for things that should objectively cause physical pain. There’s research to support that when we are in an intense freeze response, some of our pain receptors turn off and blood rushes away from the limbs in order to prevent bleeding out if we were physically harmed (Source). It's important to remember that our nervous systems evolved over time and we were better equipped to survive if our bodies were evolving to our benefit.

2. Trouble remembering recent or important events with the same detail as others.

It might be a sign that you are dissociating if you have a hard time recalling or remembering details of recent or important events. If the events involved triggers or reminders to previous trauma, then your brain might have been signaling that it was time to shut down and “go offline” for a bit in order to avoid any painful reminders, sensations, or feelings. Our brains are incredibly avoidant. We are bent in the direction of not remembering anything painful, so we end up avoiding anything that might potentially cause negative feelings. When we are trauma survivors, our brains are actively searching for any indication that we are in danger again and small moments can easily trigger dissociation.

3. Feeling emotionally numb, detached, or checked out.

Some dissociation can leave you intellectually connecting with the world around you but leaves you feeling emotionally detached from the moments you are witnessing. I like to think of this like you are watching the world go by and can even describe the details, but there’s a thick glass between you and the world. You are watching things happen but the emotions of the event are muted because you aren’t quite connecting to the full experience. In its most severe form, this is called derealization.

4. Feeling like a different person at times.

One of the more frightening versions of dissociation is depersonalization. This is when you feel like you are so detached from your bodily sensations and/or thoughts that you have a hard time feeling like you are you. This can be scary for many and most worry they are experiencing some psychotic symptoms. Depersonalization is not psychosis, but rather an important way that your brain is trying to protect you.

5. Having out-of-body experiences.

This is another form of depersonalization, where you might feel like you are floating above your body and observing the things that are happening to you. Some even describe this dissociation as watching themselves through a dreamlike state. This is a sign of significant need to get out of one’s body, which usually indicates that a traumatic experience has occurred.

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Final thoughts

Dissociation is an important tool that your brain and body are using to protect yourself. If you are experiencing dissociation, it’s worth speaking to a mental health professional or getting additional support in helping you understand what might be contributing to the need for your brain to “go offline.”

We always offer several ways to get the support that you need.

Survivors: Dissociation is sometimes the only way our brains can survive our religious trauma or cult experiences. We are just so dang overwhelmed. If you find yourself in need of practical and supportive information about cults and religious trauma, then we suggest joining our survivor membership, A Year of Non-Magical Thinking. We teach you all about dissociation, trauma responses, and religious trauma dynamics to help your brain get un-overwhelmed. You can stop our google searching and just have one place to get the helpful information you are needing. Join us today.

Therapists: if you are helping religious trauma clients through the nitty gritty of their recovery, we would love for you to join us in A Year of Non-Magical Thinking for Therapists. It's a curated education and consultation platform, where you learn all about religious trauma, cult recovery, and how to help your clients recover. Join us today.