These strategies are catered to people experiencing anxiety related dissociation and not trauma triggered dissociation, as those cases are more complex and should be addressed by a mental health professional.
Ways to cope with dissociation often involve grounding and anchoring yourself to the present moment, so most discussed in this article describe ways to do so.
Getting enough sleep is a good start to dealing with dissociation. It could be considered a preventative measure as lack of sleep has been linked to worse symptoms of depersonalization in people diagnosed with the disorder (Simeon & Abugel, 2006). Make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Sleep deprivation can make a person’s day to day life foggy and contribute to the disconnect experienced in dissociation.
Effective strategies for coping with dissociative feelings or disorders are similar to those of regulating panic and anxiety attacks. Strategies that ground you to the present moment and require the use of one or more of your senses can be helpful as they snap you out of that disconnect between yourself and your body. An example is holding ice in your hand discussed in the, “Anxiety Attacks: What They Are and How to Regulate Them” article also available under “Resources” on the Mental H2O website. When you feel a heavy dissociative episode coming on, or are simply experiencing minor dissociation stemming from anxiety regarding social interactions, an upcoming event, etc—- holding an ice cube in your hand is helpful for snapping your attention back to the moment.
Stretching and utilizing body movement to your advantage could also help ground you when in a dissociative state. The sensations you feel when you stretch can help bring you to the present moment, similar to regulating breathing, and the ice cube method. When conscious of the present moment the disconnect you experience while dissociating is prevented. So when you start feeling experiencing it a sudden new stretch or some movement may be helpful in preventing it or at least lessening feelings of dissociation (Linhan 2012).
Lastly, remembering why you are dissociating in the first place may also be helpful in realizing why it’s happening and taking measures to stop it. Recall that dissociation is a defense mechanism as explained in a past Mental H2O article titled, “Feeling Disconnected? You May Be Experiencing Dissociation”. You may be spacing out and detaching from your reality because of not wanting to face a problem or situation in the real world. Targeting your feelings regarding said situations or problems can help alleviate dissociation and depending on the severity help you prevent it being used as a defense mechanism in the future.
Links to the MentalH2O articles referenced in this article are here:
References:
Cuncic, Arlin . “An Overview of Dissociation Anxiety.” Verywell Mind, 23 June 21AD,
www.verywellmind.com/dissociation-anxiety-4692760.
Linhan, Ruby. “The Path to Safety: Treating Dissociation with Movement.” GoodTherapy.org
Therapy Blog, 6 Apr. 2012, www.goodtherapy.org/blog/treating-dissociation-with-movement-0406125/. Accessed 1 July 2024.
Simeon, D., & Abugel, J. (2006). Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Reviewed by Etzel Cardeña, Ph. D., Thorsen Professor, Lund University, Sweden. (2010). American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 52(4), 353–355. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2010.10401738
Written By: Carmela Gonzalez, Mental H2O Youth Resource Writer
