I want to talk about dissociative disorders. Dissociative disorder is closely connected to trauma. It does not just come out of nowhere. It comes when a person has gone through a traumatic event that was overwhelming, frightening, painful, or shocking. When the mind experiences trauma that it cannot process in a normal way, it looks for another way to survive. Dissociation is one of those survival responses.
When a person goes through trauma, especially repeated trauma, the mind may try to protect itself by separating from the experience. This separation is what we call dissociation. It is like the mind saying, “This is too much for me, so I will disconnect.” The person may still be alive physically, but mentally they escape from the reality that hurt them. Dissociative disorder is therefore a response to trauma. It is not weakness. It is not pretending. It is the brain’s way of trying to keep control over painful memories. The mind tries to lock away what feels unbearable.
One of the main things you will notice in dissociative disorder is escape from reality. The person may feel detached from what is happening around them. They may feel like they are watching life from outside their body. They may feel unreal, or like the world is unreal. This is the mind distancing itself from pain.
Another key feature is disconnection. There is disconnection between thoughts and reality, between identity and memory, between consciousness and emotions. Things that normally work together in a healthy mind begin to separate. This is why dissociative disorder can be confusing both for the person experiencing it and for the people around them.
One of the strongest symptoms of dissociative disorder is significant memory loss. This is not normal forgetfulness. It is not forgetting where you placed your keys. This is deep memory loss connected to trauma. A person may forget entire periods of their life. They may forget specific events like date of birth, when they married, where they schooled or worked. They may forget people who are important to them including partners, children and parents.
You may ask someone, “When were you born?” and they do not know. You may ask, “When did you get married?” and they cannot remember. You may ask, “When did you live in this place?” and they have no memory of it. Some people forget their childhood. Some forget their teenage years. Some forget traumatic events completely. Others forget even joyful events that happened around the same time as the trauma.
In severe cases, a person may forget their parents, their children, or their close relationships. They may forget where they went to school. They may forget major life milestones. This forgetting is not intentional. It is not lying. It is the mind blocking access to memories that are too painful to face.
Along with memory loss, many people with dissociative disorder experience depression and anxiety. They may feel deeply sad without knowing why. They may feel anxious and fearful even when nothing obvious is threatening them. Suicidal thoughts can also occur, especially when the person feels lost, confused, and disconnected from themselves.
Another symptom is emotional detachment. The person may feel numb. They may not feel joy, sadness, anger, or love the way they used to. It can feel like emotions are far away or switched off. This emotional numbness is another protective mechanism of the mind.
There is also a loss of a clear sense of identity. A person may not feel like they know who they are. They may feel empty inside. They may feel like different parts of them are disconnected. This can be very frightening, because identity is what helps us feel grounded in life.
Dissociative disorder is most commonly seen in people who experienced trauma early in life. Children are especially vulnerable. When children go through physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or severe neglect, their minds may use dissociation to survive. A child cannot fight or run away in many situations, so the mind escapes inward.
That is why dissociative disorders are strongly linked to childhood trauma. The earlier the trauma, the higher the risk. But dissociative disorder is not only for children. Adults can also develop dissociative symptoms after severe trauma such as war, disasters, serious accidents, or extreme violence. However, in adults, dissociation often builds on earlier unresolved trauma.
When we come to treatment, dissociative disorder is mainly treated through therapy. Therapy helps the person slowly and safely reconnect with memories, emotions, and identity. It helps them learn grounding skills so they can stay present without being overwhelmed. Medication may be used, but it does not cure dissociation itself. Medication mainly treats symptoms like depression, anxiety, or sleep problems. The real healing work happens through therapy and long-term support.
One very important thing I want to repeat here is this: people should not diagnose themselves. Dissociative disorder can look like other mental health conditions. For example, some symptoms may look like post-traumatic stress disorder. Others may look like depression or anxiety. Without professional assessment, someone may treat the wrong condition and still suffer. That is why it is important to seek proper mental health evaluation. What looks like one disorder may actually be another. Dissociative disorder often develops after trauma and can be hidden beneath other symptoms.
I also want to say this clearly: dissociative disorder is not madness. It is not attention-seeking. It is not weakness. It is a survival response. The mind did what it could to protect the person at a time when there was no other way. So when you meet someone who seems disconnected, confused about their past, emotionally numb, or lost in identity, do not judge them. Do not accuse them. Encourage them to seek help. Offer patience. Offer safety. This is why we keep talking about mental health. The more we understand, the less we stigmatize. The more we understand, the more we can support healing instead of adding pain.
When a person goes through trauma, especially repeated trauma, the mind may try to protect itself by separating from the experience. This separation is what we call dissociation. It is like the mind saying, “This is too much for me, so I will disconnect.” The person may still be alive physically, but mentally they escape from the reality that hurt them. Dissociative disorder is therefore a response to trauma. It is not weakness. It is not pretending. It is the brain’s way of trying to keep control over painful memories. The mind tries to lock away what feels unbearable.
One of the main things you will notice in dissociative disorder is escape from reality. The person may feel detached from what is happening around them. They may feel like they are watching life from outside their body. They may feel unreal, or like the world is unreal. This is the mind distancing itself from pain.
Another key feature is disconnection. There is disconnection between thoughts and reality, between identity and memory, between consciousness and emotions. Things that normally work together in a healthy mind begin to separate. This is why dissociative disorder can be confusing both for the person experiencing it and for the people around them.
One of the strongest symptoms of dissociative disorder is significant memory loss. This is not normal forgetfulness. It is not forgetting where you placed your keys. This is deep memory loss connected to trauma. A person may forget entire periods of their life. They may forget specific events like date of birth, when they married, where they schooled or worked. They may forget people who are important to them including partners, children and parents.
You may ask someone, “When were you born?” and they do not know. You may ask, “When did you get married?” and they cannot remember. You may ask, “When did you live in this place?” and they have no memory of it. Some people forget their childhood. Some forget their teenage years. Some forget traumatic events completely. Others forget even joyful events that happened around the same time as the trauma.
In severe cases, a person may forget their parents, their children, or their close relationships. They may forget where they went to school. They may forget major life milestones. This forgetting is not intentional. It is not lying. It is the mind blocking access to memories that are too painful to face.
Along with memory loss, many people with dissociative disorder experience depression and anxiety. They may feel deeply sad without knowing why. They may feel anxious and fearful even when nothing obvious is threatening them. Suicidal thoughts can also occur, especially when the person feels lost, confused, and disconnected from themselves.
Another symptom is emotional detachment. The person may feel numb. They may not feel joy, sadness, anger, or love the way they used to. It can feel like emotions are far away or switched off. This emotional numbness is another protective mechanism of the mind.
There is also a loss of a clear sense of identity. A person may not feel like they know who they are. They may feel empty inside. They may feel like different parts of them are disconnected. This can be very frightening, because identity is what helps us feel grounded in life.
Dissociative disorder is most commonly seen in people who experienced trauma early in life. Children are especially vulnerable. When children go through physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or severe neglect, their minds may use dissociation to survive. A child cannot fight or run away in many situations, so the mind escapes inward.
That is why dissociative disorders are strongly linked to childhood trauma. The earlier the trauma, the higher the risk. But dissociative disorder is not only for children. Adults can also develop dissociative symptoms after severe trauma such as war, disasters, serious accidents, or extreme violence. However, in adults, dissociation often builds on earlier unresolved trauma.
When we come to treatment, dissociative disorder is mainly treated through therapy. Therapy helps the person slowly and safely reconnect with memories, emotions, and identity. It helps them learn grounding skills so they can stay present without being overwhelmed. Medication may be used, but it does not cure dissociation itself. Medication mainly treats symptoms like depression, anxiety, or sleep problems. The real healing work happens through therapy and long-term support.
One very important thing I want to repeat here is this: people should not diagnose themselves. Dissociative disorder can look like other mental health conditions. For example, some symptoms may look like post-traumatic stress disorder. Others may look like depression or anxiety. Without professional assessment, someone may treat the wrong condition and still suffer. That is why it is important to seek proper mental health evaluation. What looks like one disorder may actually be another. Dissociative disorder often develops after trauma and can be hidden beneath other symptoms.
I also want to say this clearly: dissociative disorder is not madness. It is not attention-seeking. It is not weakness. It is a survival response. The mind did what it could to protect the person at a time when there was no other way. So when you meet someone who seems disconnected, confused about their past, emotionally numb, or lost in identity, do not judge them. Do not accuse them. Encourage them to seek help. Offer patience. Offer safety. This is why we keep talking about mental health. The more we understand, the less we stigmatize. The more we understand, the more we can support healing instead of adding pain.
