Why dissociation develops

• Card 1

  When a person cannot fight, flee, or change a frightening or overwhelming situation, the mind can find another way to survive it: creating distance. This is especially common when overwhelming experiences happen repeatedly, or in childhood, when there is little power to change or leave a situation.

• Card 2

  A common pattern

  1. 1Something feels unbearableAnd there is no way to stop or escape it.
  2. 2The mind creates distanceFrom the feeling, the body, or the moment itself.
  3. 3It worksThe overwhelming feeling becomes more bearable, or disappears.
  4. 4The pattern can generaliseSo it starts showing up in situations that are not actually dangerous.

  If dissociation shows up often in your life now, it may be because it once did an important job. That does not mean it is still needed in the same way — but it usually deserves understanding rather than force.

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