The Spectrum of Dissociation

You are driving on your way to work - the windows are down, your favorite podcast playing, but then something said in the podcast makes you think about a conversation you had with a friend the night before. You become lost in thought for what feels like only a moment but as you begin take in your surroundings, you realize you missed your exit 2 miles back. Your mind was somewhere else while your body was safely and efficiently driving your car. This is an example of an extremely common occurrence called dissociation.

Dissociation is a mental ability where a person disconnects from their body, thoughts, emotions, surroundings, or sense of identity. This is a process that is completely unconscious. It is important to name that dissociation exists on a spectrum - ranging from daydreaming or “highway hypnosis” (as described above in the scenario I shared about driving on the freeway) on one end of the spectrum to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID…