Just FYI for those who may not know ...
Dissociation and disassociation are two things that mean similar things but one is specific to psychological medicine and the other is a more general term for disconnecting from anything. A lot of people interchange these but you shouldn't.
There are 4 stages of dissociation. Each exists to help someone regulate their response to situations or tolerate/adapt to difficult stimulus. Psychological dissociation is a triggered response not a conscious one.
@thewebrecluse thank you for clarification. I have used both not knowing the difference. Learn something everyday is my motto!
@LaurasBerkshire anytime 😆
A trick to remember is disassociate (dis+associate) has the letter A which also begins the word "anything" and also "aware".
Dissociation (dis+sociation) is often an unconscious trigger and most are unaware it's happening whereas the other is usually a conscious awareness and decision to disconnect from anything you can't emotionally regulate.
@thewebrecluse I usually think of it in psychiatric terms, as in Dissociative Identity Disorder, but that's due to my work background. I never though of it as a coping mechanism.
@Lindy there are about 5 different dissociative disorders and DID is one of them. However there are 4 stages of dissociation. Like the stages of grief in a sense ... you go through them sometimes in order, sometimes randomly, but remaining in them is where the diagnosis of a specific disorder comes in. But yes dissociation is a coping mechanism primarily ... it's one of many ways the brain works to protect the body.
Usually, dissociation is combined with other psychological diagnoses. I work with many of these individuals. It is tasking to say the least as I, a layman, have to google ways to work with them. lol
@Soultender dissociation is generally a spectrum of states or phases and doesn't, on its own, automatically indicate any kind of diagnosis. Reaching any diagnosis of any kind of dissociative disorder is based on gathering a lot of information in addition to understanding the reason for the states to begin with.
Yes it can be trauma based. I do have access to previous possible trauma.
@Soultender for example subspace is technically on a dissociative spectrum but it's an induced state brought on by a combination of specific naturally occurring chemicals. It's not a response to negative trauma but rather the body naturally responding to positive stress. So it's not an indicator of a disorder ... it's just part of a phase or process in how the mind and body work together for or against you depending on the circumstances.
Like I said, I'm a layman. I work in corrections. No amount of training can be given. And I've received none on medical.
@Soultender there always room for knowledge ❤️ 👍🏾
I think now the DSM refers to 5 stages instead of 4 ... It used to just be amnesia, depersonalisation, derealisation and identity confusion ... but now identity alteration is a component to the stages.
Identity confusion is defined by Steinberg as “thoughts and feelings of uncertainty and conflict a person has related to [their] identity” (Steinberg, 2001, p. 101), whereas identity alteration describes the behavioral acting out of this uncertainty and conflict (Bernstein & Putnam, 1986).