Feeling a bit foggy?
This blog is to serve as a free tool for educational purposes to get a better understanding about the things we support here at Reclamation and Recovery Counseling, LLC. As a disclaimer, it is important to note that this information does not constitute grounds for making an official diagnosis. Official medical diagnosis is between you and your provider. If you have any questions, please feel free to Contact Us for your free consultation.
What is dissociation?
Truth be told, most people have dissociated at least once before in their lives. Have you ever been driving somewhere, and next thing you know, you arrived and don’t remember the trip? That is a pretty common example of dissociating. At the core of it all, dissociating is a way the brain deals with things that are happening in life. In the driving example, your brain sometimes works on “autopilot” because it knows the route to work, and committing that experience to memory is not needed. However, dissociating may also be a coping skill that the brain uses to deal with bad things that happen to us. The brain may deem some bad things are “too much” to handle, so it aids you in forgetting what happened. This is typically done as a way to protect you from getting emotionally hurt by the bad thing that is happening to you. An example of this may include: if you had argument with someone and you find yourself “zoning out” or things are getting foggy. The other person may notice you were physically in the conversation, but you were not engaging in the conversation.
Is my dissociation harming me?
Most cases of dissociating are harmless and do not negatively impact your life. However, we have listed some common experiences below in which it be helpful for you to see a professional if your dissociating is creating issues for you:
You find that you are losing large amounts of time. This isn’t your standard forgetfulness from a long day at work or misplacing your phone. You have several hours or days in your week that you cannot recall. People may claim to see you doing things but you have no memory of it.
When bad things happen, you always zone out. Whether small or large, any stressful event may lead to you feel like you cannot focus, that the world is unclear or in a fog.
Other people insist that they know you, call you by another name, or are instinent that you did something that you cannot remember. For this point, this would be an experience that occurs from multiple other people, not just one person, partner, or family member. You may be in a public setting and strangers approach you with these comments.
Places that are typically familiar feel unfamiliar or places that you have never been feel familiar. Your sense of orientation to what you know feels very confusing, as you can tell where you have or haven’t been before.
