10 ways by which dissociation impacts complex trauma: Therapist explains

Dissociation's impact on people with complex trauma leads to memory gaps, challenges in maintaining relationships and impaired sense of identity.

Dissociation is the condition where a person dissociates from their thoughts, emotions and feelings. This can happen due to lack of continuity or traumatic experiences. "Dissociation is a common response to stress or trauma, where you might feel disconnected from your body, your surroundings, or your sense of self. It's like watching your life from a distance," wrote Therapist Linda Meredith. Some of the symptoms of dissociation are feeling numb, having memory gaps and feeling a sense of unreality. "Understanding and acknowledging dissociation is a crucial step toward healing. It's a defense mechanism your mind uses to protect you from stress or trauma but recognizing it can help you seek effective coping strategies," the Therapist added.

How dissociation can impact people with complex trauma:

Sense of identity: It can make us have an impaired sense of self and identity, that is far from the reality we are living in.

Concentration: We face challenges in concentrating and focusing on the important matters at hand. We face dissociation and distraction.

Feeling numb: We feel emotionally distracted, disconnected and numb often. We face challenges in feeling the emotions that we should feel.

Self-destructive behaviours: This can make us get into the spiral of self-destructive behavioural patterns and substance abuse.

Challenges in relationships: Because of constant dissociation, we face difficulty in forming or maintaining healthy relationships.

Shifts in mood: We face constant shifts in mood and personality, making people around us feel confused. This can also lead to self-isolation.

Disconnect from emotions: We do not feel the physical sensations and the emotions. This can make us feel strange.

Difficulty staying present: We face difficulty in being present at the moment because our mind keeps constantly disconnecting.

Memory gaps: We have memory gaps and fragmentation of experiences – we face difficulty in remembering things, conversations and important experiences.

Impaired decision-making: We face difficulty in making choices - our sense of judgement gets impaired.