Grounding Techniques for Dissociation

Dissociation Disorder

Dissociation Test

Dissociation PTSD

The WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey findings that dissociation is associated with elevated PTSD symptoms, high role impairment, and suicidality are consistent with clinical evidence that dissociation is related to the severity of PTSD. [2]

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is associated with significant functional impairment in important areas, including interpersonal relationships and occupational or educational roles. Preliminary evidence suggests that the dissociative subtype of PTSD (PTSD+DS), characterized by marked symptoms of depersonalization and derealization, is associated with increased functional impairment and disease severity, including among military members and veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Similarly, first responders (e.g. police, fire, and paramedics) have also been found to experience dissociative symptoms. 

Best Grounding Techniques for Dissociation

The essential tactic is the use of an “anchoring phrase.” Prepare a sentence you can say (out loud or internally) that will bring you back to the present. Include your name, age, and the address where you reside. Specifics like where you are, what you’re doing, what time it is, and so forth can be added as they apply. Here are some additional pointers to assist you in getting back to the present.

Engage Your Senses

Focus on the sensations you are feeling right now. You might find it helpful to keep a box of things with different textures and smells (for example, perfume, a blanket, and some smooth stones) ready when you need them.

• Eat something spicy or sour
• Eat or drink anything but take your time to experience its taste deeply
• Put your hands in cold water or touch something very cold
• Close your eyes and focus on all the scents, smells, and aromas you notice
• Specifically, savor a scent you enjoy (cologne, perfume, food, etc.)
• Listen to music, sing along, play air guitar, and try to hear something you never noticed before
• Touch your bare feet onto the ground
• Touch something that comforts you (perhaps it’s a pet!)
• Create and carry around a sensory kit that contains items you can feel, touch, smell, etc.

Involve Your Body

Look after yourself.

• Move your body
• Take a walk
• Exercise, dance, stretch, etc.
• Practice deep breathing
• Seek out a hug (even if it’s from your pet!)

Soothe Yourself

• Create a list of calming affirmations you can say to yourself, e.g. “you’re doing your best”
• Visualize a place that makes you feel safe and grounded
• Think of someone you love, imagine their smile, hear their voice
• Create a plan in your head to spend quality time with the person you’re thinking about
• Whenever possible, find a safe space where you can ride out the dissociation as calmly as possible

Treat the Underlying Causes

Dissociation can be a hard challenge, even with grounding measures. You must address the underlying issue even when you’ve mastered self-soothing techniques. Typically, a trained trauma therapy specialist will provide supervision for this attempt. Finding a dissociative identity disorder specialist or a mental health professional with extensive training in addressing dissociation is crucial. The majority of therapists lack that.

One of the most effective ways to comprehend what is occurring is to speak with a skilled trauma therapist. From there, strategies and answers may be discovered.

How Long Does Dissociation Last?

Dissociation is a way the mind copes with too much stress. Periods of dissociation can last relatively short (hours or days) or much longer (weeks or months). It can sometimes last for years, but usually, if a person has other dissociative disorders.

Signs and symptoms depend on the type of dissociative disorders you have but may include:

• Memory loss (amnesia) of certain periods, events, people, and personal information
• A sense of being detached from yourself and your emotions
• A perception of the people and things around you as distorted and unreal
• A blurred sense of identity
• Significant stress or problems in your relationships, work, or other important areas of your life
• Inability to cope well with emotional or professional stress
• Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors

There are three major dissociative disorders defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association:

• Dissociative Amnesia. The main symptom is memory loss, that’s more severe than normal forgetfulness. You can’t recall information about yourself, events, or people in your life, especially from a traumatic time.
• Dissociative Identity Disorder. Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, this disorder is characterized by “switching” to alternate identities. You may feel the presence of two or more people talking or living inside your head, and you may feel as though other identities possess you. Each identity may have a unique name, personal history, and characteristics, including obvious differences in voice, gender, mannerisms, and even such physical qualities as the need for eyeglasses.
• Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder. This involves an ongoing or episodic sense of detachment or being outside yourself — observing your actions, feelings, thoughts, and self from a distance as though watching a movie (depersonalization). Other people and things around you may feel detached and foggy or dreamlike, time may be slowed down or sped up, and the world may seem unreal (derealization). You may experience depersonalization, derealization, or both. Symptoms, which can be profoundly distressing, may last only a few moments or come and go over many years.

How Can I Help Myself?

Dissociate definition is “to disconnect or to separate.” Many people may experience dissociation (dissociate) during their life. If you dissociate, you may feel disconnected from yourself and the world around you.  Some individuals trigger dissociation during sex, and some encounter dissociation while driving. Dissociation can cause great anxiety, so driving is unsafe when diagnosed with the illness. Some people with dissociative disorders present in a crisis with traumatic flashbacks that are overwhelming or associated with unsafe behavior. People with these symptoms should be seen in an emergency room. Call your doctor if you have less urgent signs indicating dissociative disorder.

If you have thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately, go to an emergency room, or confide in a trusted relative or friend.

Treatment Dissociative Identity Disorder

The primary treatment for dissociative disorders is psychotherapy. Also known as talk therapy or psychosocial therapy, psychotherapy is focused on talking with a mental health professional about your mental health. Psychotherapy aims to learn how to cope with your disorder and understand its cause.

Some commonly used medications are:

• Anti-anxiety medications
• Antipsychotic drugs
• Antidepressants

The We Level Up FL primary mental health center stands ready to help. We Level Up FL can inspire a support system through our mental health treatments to make you feel valuable. You can trust the treatment backed by leading recovery specialists practicing evidence-based therapy. We Level Up FL Treatment Center offers therapy under one roof. Get comprehensive therapy for mind, body & spirit.

Call us now for a free mental health assessment! In addition, for the substance abuse or dual diagnosis approach, our inpatient treatment, inpatient medical detox, and residential primary addiction treatment may be available at our affiliated facility. For more treatment resources and grounding techniques for dissociation, call us about your symptoms, and we can help you determine the cause and develop a treatment plan.