Forms of dissociation

Depersonalization

With depersonalization, you feel detached from your own body or yourself. Your body may feel strange, unreal, distorted, or not genuine, and it can feel as if you are observing yourself from a distance. Your own behavior, thoughts, and feelings may also be experienced as ‘non-self’ or strange. 

Derealization

Bee derealization Does the world around you feel unreal, blurry, or foggy? People or objects may seem unreal or distorted, or you may feel like you are in a dream. It is also possible that you experience a familiar environment or familiar people as unfamiliar.

–> Read more about derealization

somatoform dissociation

Somatoform dissociation refers to physical manifestations of dissociation, such as being unable to speak or move, or experiencing certain bodily sensations. These physical experiences have no medical cause; physically speaking, there is nothing ‘wrong’.

The dissociative experiences are partly or completely caused by psychological factors such as severe stress and trauma.

Examples of somatoform dissociation:

• Being unable to move (a part of) your body.
• Unable to speak, see, hear or feel.
• A numb feeling in (a part of) your body.
• Not feeling pain, or feeling pain without a physical cause.
• A warm or cold sensation in (a part of) your body.
• To make involuntary movements.
• The sensation of being touched when this is not the case.
• The feeling that something is on, in, or attached to your body that is not there.
• Strange sensations such as tingling or pressure.
• The feeling of not being able to breathe (well).
• Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNEA).

There can be a clear link between physical experiences you have and traumatic events that occurred in the past. For example, feeling pain or pressure in a place where you were once injured or touched. This connection can also be less clear or absent. 

Dissociative amnesia

Amnesia means memory loss. Dissociative amnesia involves forgetting important personal information or specific memories from your life. This memory loss is not the result of a physical problem or, for example, drug or alcohol use. It is often caused by severe stress or a traumatic experience.

In most cases, dissociative amnesia is relatively short-lived and can be clearly linked to a specific event. The forgotten memories can also return, for example, due to something in your environment that serves as an (unconscious) reminder.

Do you find that you often no longer know what you have said or done, and does it feel like you have gaps in your memory? Then it is recommended to seek professional help. It is possible that you may be experiencing a dissociative disorder, or that something else is going on.