Dissociation and driving. PTSD and mental injury. 

My name is Xanthe Wyse.
Had a viewer request asking what dissociation is and how it affects driving.
I am actually dissociating moderately in this video, so not currently able to drive. When moderate, I stumble on my speech more, I struggle for thoughts etc. I wrote down keywords before this video, otherwise, I would struggle to recall examples.
Have posted a few videos at the end with more severe dissociation. With extreme dissociation, I can't even hit record (as not able to think, move etc). This is called 'catatonia' by clinicians.
Dissociation is a disconnect with body and mind. Everyone dissociates mildly at times. eg daydreaming, zoning out in front of TV.
Moderate to severe and chronic dissociation may meet criteria for a diagnosis. There are several. Dissociation is part of my post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis.
Dissociation is basically being stuck in a 'freeze' of 'fight/flight/freeze'. When severe, it's like being unconscious. Mild to moderate dissociation can be a safety issue when driving. (I can't even drive at all with severe dissociation).
It makes it very hard to function and it means I have limitations on driving. Sometimes I can't drive at all. I can no longer drive in cities. I can't drive very far. I know I am too fatigued and not alert enough to drive currently. I need to be able to drive to keep my job.
I try to maintain a moderate level of fitness to optimise my mental faculties with a mental injury. I still have significant impairments even after treatment (still currently having treatment and not likely to improve further).
I can paint abstracts when sedated, dissociating etc as abstracts don't require cognition. Just use intuition. Painting is still very demanding but it helps (like walking) to optimise capacity with the mental injury.
I've written about dissociation in both of my self-published books:
'Bipolar Courage: Are You Sure You're Not Autistic?' (memoir)
'Pet Purpose: Your Unspoken Voice' (novel - blend of memoir & fiction)
Both books are on Amazon & major ebook distributors.
Book links:
www.soarpurpose.com/books.html
I have made a note to add some specific examples of dissociation to the sequel novel, Soar Purpose. Dissociation is one of the major challenges when writing and editing (and doing anything else).
Some videos with dissociation and shutdowns (was hard to record anything at all):
• "Brain-dead", shutdown...
• Shutdown - can't think...