DISSOCIATION - Your Questions Answered! 

Which one of these comments resonated with you the most? Or do you have a different experience with dissociation? Feel free to share any thoughts, helpful coping skills, or ways dissociation has effected you! I hope this video was helpful :) xoxo

I feel I live in a constant state of dissociation because I never seem present and I forget anything and everything as soon as I hear something. I don’t do it on purpose but others make it seem like I don’t care about what they’re talking about or that I’m ignoring them, when I’m reality I’m trying extra hard to pay attention to each and every word. I just feel like I’m lost all the time. I wish I could get others to understand without getting so annoyed and angry with me. I wish I knew what to do to manage being in the present. Thank you for this video.

The comment about the lack of control of what one can say when we are experiencing disassociation resonated with me the most. This has happened to me once, and I knew I was talking but couldn’t recall anything I just said. I just said something and I’m sure people around me were like “wtf”. So unlike me.

I used to have Dissociative Identity Disorder and I am so grateful that I had it. I grew up with a father who is a sadistic, violent tyrannical pedophile who romantic feelings towards me. To him, I only existed to serve his ever whim with complete subservience and devotion. He didn't just want my submission. He wanted my pain, my terror and my complete hopelessness. If I wasn't making him happy, I didn't deserve to exist, which my father absolutely relished. I was home schooled in the wilderness. I had no idea what the outside world was like and I was conditioned to mistrust it. I wasn't left alone with mandated reporters until I was 15 years old. The first assault that I can remember, was when I was 18 months old and I was left alone with that guy for 3 days. I was assaulted every night. The first memory I have of my father's assault, I was under 5 years old and part of the sexual assault included verbal violence and being beaten. The last assault that I remember happened when I was 8 to 9 years old. It was a man that my parents allowed to take me to his home for the day. My father used me regularly. I wasn't allowed to cry or show any signs of physical or emotional distress while he was hurting me. Most of the memories that I have are like I watching it happen from above me like it is was happening to someone else. Dissociative Identity Disorder was my resilience. I didn't want to integrate. I loved each alternate identity that shared my body. I learned to trust that they would take care of my body and the daily tasks of my life while I was dissociated. I could ask them to take over for me. Sometimes they would offer. In times of extreme distress one would respond to it like an emergency and I would fade out. This condition kept me functional through some really dangerous crisis. They helped me escape some really dangerous situations where I would have frozen up instead of taking action. Without the filter that I was conditioned with, I was fiercely committed to keeping myself safe and alive. Once I cut off contact with the people who were hurting me and started trauma therapy, they faded out. I still have all of the strengths that they gave me and I am more present.

I love this idea, what a wonderful way to answer questions 😊

Thanks for reacting to the comments. It is helpful to see, that others are struggling with the same issues and to get your insights on our comments. And I would have never associated my daydreaming with dissociation, this was an eyeopener for me.

Thank you. It has been detrimental to my life for 50+ years. My brain seizes upon a story and some time I cannot force my brain to "get out" of it. My fantasy stories center around how special / superior / etc. I am. This problem has become pathological : it sucks limes. I had been brutalized and tortured from about 5 years of age to 20 years. The times I wake up screaming, soaked with sweat, have declined as I age. I recall being "unpresent" in my body while I was being beaten and/or being surrounded by violent thugs wailing on me for "fun" (I assume): my mind was somewhere else while my body took the blows. Up until two years ago I did not know that not everyone "wiggs out" in fantasy most of the day.

Hi Kati, I have to mention this; I had Trauma and diss amnesia when I was a child and it took fifty years to remember the cause of the trauma. What helped, Im not encouraging this, was micro-dosing psylocibin (magic mushroom). It really opened my memories and allowed me to understand what has been going on most of my life. I must have been suppressing the memories the whole time. Stay strong Kati. ;-)

Found you on cinema therapy, and love your videos. Hope you understand and appreciate how much what you do matters.

When I'm disconnected from our world I go into RU-vid and type in Kati Morton and it gets me calmed down

Thanks again Kati ❤️ the hardest thing I find is when people don’t/can’t understand or empathise. It’s so frustrating and invalidating but it’s very complex. Education and awareness is probably the only way to improve the stigma with so many mental health related things. I’m always encouraging people to watch your videos, it’s so important to be able to support your loved ones, co-workers, friends etc. So many tiny things that people say or do can have a huge impact on people, good or bad.

I've been working on trying to dissociate less in therapy and it is exhausting! I can see a difference. I'm a little less dissociated, but when I dissociate i cut the cord fully and can't do anything. It's also harder to come back. Thanks for answering so many questions!

I love these follow up videos! Thank you for always answering our questions!

Thanks Katie, you always give me something to be curious about. :)

thank kati for your great shares and content.i for one find it vary helpful.i hope you are coping ok making sure you focuse enough on addressing your difficulties with struggling .we all struggle sometimes, theres no shame in that. i wish you all the best kati x

Great video! I have a friend who has psychosis and often talks about dissociation, and this helped me understand what they are going through much better! I was also wondering if you had any comments about how mental health issues are portrayed in the new season of Russian Doll?

I'm Maladaptive Daydreaming Patient, severe one, I'm 27 now and I have been MDD guy since 3. I don't have any trauma in that age. This Maladaptive daydreaming became big hurdle in my studies, as a my Aerospace Engineering degree got delayed for 2 years, and I have average in studies due to lack of concentration. But I recently notice in past few months that I also other dissociation traits, I had massive financial problem few months ago and solved by simply my mind literally separated from me and everything happened like a movie and its wild just like Depersonalization I went on autopilot. And I realized how come my parents or some of my teachers think I'm a excellent student and I'm not, it is because before the exam time and if its really crucial exam my body goes in Autopilot and starts studying on its own and does good in exams and it happens rarely when that personality operates nothing is in my control it doesn't let me go into Daydreaming state either, sometimes this autopilot episode happens for weeks especially when I'm in a competitive exams rather the general academic exams which i score low and I'm l. So people with one dissociative disorder can potentially other disorders again as defence mechanisms. In my case my Depersonalization saved me from my own Maladaptive daydreaming. And whenever I have a fever or I'm sick and I will completely forget that the Day has happened, like once i submitted assignment which i thought it was on time, but my teacher was like, you were supposed give it yesterday and I'm like WHAT!!1 I don't remember anything, so yeah there's a mild case of Dissociative Amnesia. 3 out of 5.

This is such a great topic

Hi, Mind Life Flow - Patrick here...great answers to questions on disassociation. You provide honest and trusted advise to so many people!

My mom had disociation. She was also bipolar, had borderline personality disorder, PTSD, anxiety & other mental illnesses. She was also an alcoholic & gambling addict. There were some very scary times with her, being raised by her as a single parent as well as when we were both adults. I have depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc myself. We had a very complex relationship. It was very codependent. We were very close for most of my life while she was alive, but there was also so much of our relationship that was damaged. I often wonder how much of my mental health issues were a result of being raised by her, as well as inherited genetically. I went through a time where I was incredibly angry at her for ruining my & my sisters' childhoods. I'm thankful I was able to forgive her while she was alive. Despite everything, she was my mother. Most of her flaws were not her fault, having been raised by a mentally ill, alcoholic, gambling addict single mother herself. I'm thankful, too that I did not inherit the addictions she had. Mental illness on its own is quite enough, although I certainly have addictive behaviors of my own.

I'm glad to know maladaptive daydreaming is a thing. I didn't know that other adults do this. I had a lot of shame because I felt like I was "playing pretend" (though it's daydreaming, I don't really actually play, just how I framed it because I didn't know the words) and know that's something adults "shouldn't do". It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who does it because that makes me feel a little better about bringing it up with my therapist

I totally relate to #6. I started dissociating during a dating relationship that was very intense and went way faster than I was ready for, and I didn’t even realize that I was dissociating until about 3.5 months in. By that time, I had already told him that I was sure I was going to marry him and we even started talking about engagement and wedding dates, all of which I was not at all ready to commit to. I ended up having to tell him that I wasn’t actually sure about marrying him. When people ask me about what happened there, I am confused and don’t even know what to say to them, to the point where it was/is kind of embarrassing and I feel shame about it. But I am trying to give myself grace and understand that the dissociation was a part of it and I don’t have to beat myself up about it ❤

I dissociate severely due to trauma. Specifically derealization and depersonalization. It can get really scary when the dissociation gets super intense. I’ve been trying grounding skills, and sometimes they help but sometimes they don’t. I start trauma therapy in a few weeks and I’m hoping that working on the trauma will lessen the dissociative episodes.

Thanks for putting the same topic questions in 1 video, very helpful!

I'm feeling so seen, and it hurts my heart. I'm in my mid 50s, and I began dissociating through daydreaming in early childhood to cope with a mother with Borderline & Narcisistic Personality Disorder. It started with putting myself into my favorite TV shows and led to creating my own cast of characters in a close family that takes care of each other. I've spent many, many hours in therapy. I don't dissociate as much now, but I do daydream occasionally when I'm stressed. I really connected with the comment of not being able to let go of the characters I created in my head. They've been with me my whole life. They're the family that got me through. I've even told my kids about these characters in case I talk about people they've never met as I get older. I'm thinking about writing these stories down to see if that gets them out of my head. Which also makes me wonder if many of the great characters and stories in literature and art were created this way -- think Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Thank you for what you do!

Recently I’ve found myself feeling like my soul was barely tethered to my body- like I was just barely in control of my body but it didn’t feel right, or as strong as it should. I’ve also had times where I’ve jumped from really big emotional gaps (suicidal, to happy, to suicidal, ) within 15-20 minutes and then completely numb and stop feeling stuff. I usually describe it as my brain say “WHOAAAA SLOW DOWN” and it shuts off. I can think the feelings and like still feel the same without actually FEELING it- There are a lot of times (particularly when I’m driving) where I will start thinking things and not pay attention to what’s happening. Classic autopilot mode. But sometimes when it happens it feels like it’s been 5 minutes and I come to and realise that the song playing has only played for 30 seconds or something. Sometimes I don’t know what happened or what I was thinking about either. I honestly don’t even know what happens- can never remember it clearly after the fact. Is any of this forms of dissociation?

Sometimes dissociation is like whack-a-mole As a kid until my late teens it was malidaptive daydreaming Then I became a drug and alcohol addict for 7 years Now I've been clean for about 9 months and my compulsive skin picking and emotional eating is insane. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Kati? I was once coerced to leave my counseling center (a community mental health clinic) after they incorrectly diagnosed me with Borderline Personality disorder, and coerced me to join a DBT group at a local hospital. When I met with them, it was clear it was not what I needed. I had been desperate to pass the bar exam, my relationship was deteriorating and I suffer from severe fibromyalgia. I was in danger of homelessness and isolation-- no family support and had begun to self harm, a first for me -- in my 40's. It is now clear I have CPTSD. What they did was very harmful to me. That program for BBD, was so extensive and group-oriented and would never have addressed what I needed. I needed trauma work. As someone who is low income, but highly educated, I have run into these situations in which Medical and Psychological institutions have tried to force me to get treatment I do not need, when what would help was very different. I still have not found the treatment I need, at age 57, but I have done a lot of work on myself and healed a great deal. Don't say congratulations-- that will make me feel worse-- it was just necessary. I feel a great deal of abuse in these institutions are from classist and incredibly elitist people who are overwhelmed by the need to provide decent services for those of us who have little to no money, and inadequate insurance. It makes me very angry and very sad. It needs to change-- how can you, as a woman with a voice, address these issues, since you are a part of that system? Thank you.

THE INTRO OMG THE INTRO

Hi Kati! I have never asked a question on here, but I have enjoyed your videos for a long time and I had something that I was thinking about recently that maybe you could answer . I am only 23 years old and have lived through a lot of family related trauma. And I have always been aware that around the time of year that certain traumatic events occurred, I become more depressed and irritable . I am aware of this so I make special effort to be patient with myself and to ‘regrieve’ , if that makes sense? I’ve learned how to cope with this but last year, may 20th, my dad unexpectedly passed away. And 2 weeks before, I had to drive my father to the ER before we learned that he had leukemia and that was the last time I saw my father. I’ve noticed small occurrences of disassociation in myself before, but usually not related to the pain of an anniversary . This year, I seem to be dealing with it more frequently and it feels constant. my social anxiety is spiked because I feel so out of body. I don’t feel like myself. And I struggle to control the tones in my voice and the way things come out of my mouth. Even coworkers have noticed that I am acting differently. I don’t feel connected with my actions, and I start to feel a panic that maybe I cannot control what I’m doing even though I know, logically, this isn’t true. Could this be a symptom of ptsd related to my fathers death? I have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in the past and shown consistent symptoms of complex ptsd, but this feels different for me. I’m not dealing with extreme mood swings, but just this out of body sensation. What are your thoughts? I know this is a loaded question, sorry about that! I just haven’t had a space to talk about this openly so I am voicing it now :) Thank you so much , sending love!

I’ve known maladaptive daydreaming wasn’t great for a while, but didn’t realise it was because of PTSD. I’ve done it nearly my whole life to varying degrees.

Love this video. It’s really interesting as I’m a beginner in Korean but I love BTS, so it’s interesting to understand how they speak more as I don’t know this when I watch their videos

I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I was anorexic for the first 25 years of my life. I never knew that was part of dissociating. I also drive long distances often and my brain wonders off a lot on the way.

I, myself, have had some interesting experiences that taught me alot. I believe my dissociation is less trauma based and more neurobiological, because I found out that when I took high doses of niacin (which is crucial in making certain neurotransmitters), I would snap out of my dissociative state within an hour. I assume my serotonin and dopamine have been low, cus ik those with depression often have low levels of each and can experience this "passenger in my own body" feeling, so I just started Wellbutrin and Lexapro, and am already starting to consistently feel more present.

The person who wrote comment 4, I was the same when I still lived with my mother. Memories started resurfacing after I left home & was safer I guess...then even more after I had my second child as the birth was traumatic. My therapist at the time said trauma can re trigger past traumas too.

While I was dissociating in my therapy appointment I told my therapist that I will redecorate her room for her 🙈 I hope she doesn't take me up on it 😱😊

Great topic

I never thought that I might do any dissociative activities, but maladaptive daydreaming really struck me. I have a world where no one can hurt me. I do things and then don't remember forgetting appointments, doing badly on a test, losing an important paper. I thought these were just the result of poor organization

Can you do a video on a dissociative Fugues state. It's happened twice for me.

We have DID and this is a good video mate.

I love that painting

Is it normal to not even know for myself whether I’m dissociating (knowing that I just FEEL like things aren’t real) or whether I’m experiencing delusions/psychosis (truly believing that this is a dream and that something is fundamentally different about life, it is literally a dream, etc)? Sometimes I literally actually believe that life is not real and it’s all a dream and past events weren’t actually me. But it seems like kind of a fuzzy line between dissociation and delusions/psychosis and I’m not sure how to know what I even think.

I have this almost everyday, I suffer from severe anxiety and depression as I'm a hypochondriac as well i try to balance things but I have so much stress I can't find the balance I sleep alot or not sleep well I don't eat well it's a hard struggle day to day life

I think that I may be a maladaptive daydreamer, and that I have been for years. I'm not sure if it is that intense though, and I don't think anything was trauma. I do know once, that after a stressful day, I started daydreaming- but it was different. Typically my daydreams are a fun escape, that don't feel out of control (I have thought of them as a coping mechanism,) but this was a horrible daydream that I kept daydreaming on... I didn't want to, I wasn't to stop, but for days I couldn't escape. I slept more and stayed in bed more thoses days. Getting up to check my phone felt like an accomplishment. I was able to interact with people and do my chores fine and no one was like "uh, are you ok?" But...?

Idk if I have this.. I’m trying to figure it all out.. I occasionally get this terrifying feeling where I’m confused, which then makes me panic to the point where I have an anxiety attack. The confusion I feel would be described as not knowing why I’m here, how I got here, and sometimes who’s around me and why they’re there. It’s really scary and hard to snap out of :( it usually happened when I’m over tired or if I’ve been unwell recently

Hi Joe there...I've just subscribed to your channel about 2 weeks ago for the childhood neglecting video...and I saw that you really got the skill of detecting problems and I just wanted to ask you for a little help...I'm bachelor and my exams are in the end of this month...I'm feeling really really nervous although that I studied alot...I'm still feeling that I would fail in persuing my goals and destroying my life in one moment...I dunno what to do I feel that this grade is bigger than me and I can't afford responsiblity...I dunno if I'm accurate of mentioning my proplem because I'm really bad at explaining...but I need your help...let's take math for example...all of my grades in individual exams in collage are around 55 to 60 out of 60...and I'm still feeling that I forgot everything in math...or I can't make an exam of all units in one go...or I don't have much time and how that will effect the other subject..I don't feel that I can focus or believe...and the worst of all I don't have much time...sorry if my proplem isn't related to your video...and I dunno if you gonna see this comment...but I need some kind of a pusher...I dunno..sorry again.

I disassociate but I don't know what trauma could have caused it. I had a lot of little traumas like being bullied as a kid and my parents getting divorced but I've never been assaulted. I was in a 4 year emotionally abusive relationship but I was an adult. I've wondered if maybe something traumatic happened to me when I was a kid that I blocked out.

How do you overcome regression? I know this is completely off topic and just know I watch all of your videos 💗 In about the last two months I have noticed.. I've regressed socially♡♡ Since this is an therapy channel I figured this would be the best place, to ask that question I'm also on the Autistic Spectrum 🙂❤💜 xox

So what about talking to ourselves as if we’re talking to our best friends or therapist as a way of processing things? I have been doing this since I was very young, although I am aware of what I am doing, am at, and can stop when needed, or if I’m too close to someone physically who may overhear me (although I have been “caught” before…oops). Is that a form of maladaptive day dreaming?

I have dissociation 1 minute I’ll be able to pay attention for 5-10 seconds then another couple minutes go by then I’ll be able to concentrate again It’s like I’m here and then I’m there Is this permanently and will it go away from emdr therapy??

I relate to that first comment so much argh

I struggle with day dissociation and have done since a young age im now 43 and still do it like the day dreaming

Is TMS or Ketamine therapy effective for this?

How do I share with others that I have DID? It’s impacting my life and relationships.

I have chronic pain so dissociation helps me greatly, between memory issues and lack of filter, ability to run on autopilot and fastforward saves me from great amounts of pain, if you ask me how yesterday was I would say ok, but that is a lie but no one knows my days are living hell. Win win. lol. ish. Living Ghost.

love you kati

Half the time I don’t realize I’m dissociating until it starts getting really bad and I become so light headed I blank out. After I realize I try to be gentle with myself but I kinda just have to ride it out till the episode ends. Sometimes it goes away after a few hours or days.

I'm currently in a dissociative state for 5 days now I had to call my doctor begging for way to get out of it I've been doing everything to reconnect my self back to myself. even tried shocking my self and getting 2 piercings still nothing feel like I'm going insane this is the longest its ever lasted. triggered by a flash back after being in an uncomfortable situation. I can't focus and my short term memory has been shot

Sometimes I am talking to someone and I am paying attention to them, and out of nowhere I am thinking about something else (mostly things I have to do or mistakes I commit that day) and not listening what the other person is telling me. Could this be considered a kind of dissatisfaction? There is another name for it? (Sorry for my English btw)

Kati how do we leave our questions for you privately?

What would you do if you noticed a client dissociating in session? Do you try to pull them out of it, leave them to come out of it naturally or something else and how would you do this? I'm worried about it happening in session... Your videos are so helpful!

I’m learning that I had a negative disassociation reaction from counseling. I’m not sure what the protocol for therapy is for clients to be prepared and equipped for disassociating in a session. I felt good going into the session and felt like I lost myself and went into this negative dark place and have been in a hyper aroused state. I’m not sure if this is good therapy or which clients benefit from disassociating?

Well i guess the positive thing is i could go into surgery without anasthesia and still not feel anything. I remember what the wind felt like on my face but now i just feel numb. People dont trust me bvsuse of the vacant look on my face and flat effect in my voice. You mentioned coping with drugs and alcohol but weirdly i cant even get high when im dissacociated. Well accept for Marijuana lol. Thats a one way ticket to traumatic panic attack town. I guess thats like a high, just a really shitty one. It started with maladaptive daydreaming but now i feel im stuck there. I didnt realise i was in dissociation until i randomly came out of it and everything felt so different and rich and real. I dont know wht to do. I have been trying to get as much satisfaction and enjoyment out of life while dissacociated but its bullshit bcause i csnt feel shit and im missing out on life and opportunities. 9

I don't know if I have dissociation. I just know that since times of high stress and restlessness I've been feeling outside of my body.

Hi, idk if you’ll see this but I had a question. I have dpdr and I’ve had it chronically for 4 1/2 years. I see a psychiatrist and therapist (and have seen multiple). No one came really help me, I think mostly because they are not well enough versed with it (some admit to that and I thank them for their honesty). I’ve tried to find someone who specializes in it who can help me but I live in an area that you don’t really find specialists in. Even with telehealth services becoming popular I still struggle to find someone I can feel confident about. I’ve been failed by so many medical providers regarding this disorder and none of them have been able to at least pointed me in a helpful direction. I was wondering how I can find some help. I’m sorry this was a lot. I’m just desperate. I’ve lost almost half a decade to this and I’m only 29. It changed my entire life. So if you have any resources or suggestions on how I can find a reliable specialist for this I’d appreciate it:3 thank you and thank you for your videos!!

can a child explain this as everyone but them in a frozen state? a weird numbing/tingling sensation? with little no memory besides conversations? thank you!

I know I disassociate and experience dpdr, but I don’t know how to stop it from happening. I know my symptoms become worse when I’m overwhelmed or in pain or overstimulated but I can’t stop those things from happening because they happen because I’m autistic. Since I will always be autistic I don’t know how to stop this and feel better since it really impacts my life

Amazing video. You're amazing

I’ve recently started therapy for a few things and my therapist made a comment yesterday that sent me spiraling a bit and he asked me some grounding questions that I answered yes to and once I was more grounded and I couldn’t remember what he had even asked or if yes was even the right answer.

Is there a difference between maladaptive daydreaming and creativity? Is creativity a type of maladaptive daydreaming?

I need help. I watched your video about having the wrong therapist. She checked off everyone I sent a text...cuz it's bad. Non-functional. Where should I go.? Can we see you over the phone. I was burnt on the therapist before current bad one.

Every night in order to sleep (get comfortable) I make a fake scenario in my head, or even put an asmr video of someone acting out a fantasy scenario I thought I was weird until I saw tiktok videos of thousands of people saying they do that 😂, but is that some form of dissociation?

When I’m dissociated, I do recall trauma. My Littles hold the trauma for me.

Can you explain the difference between disassociation and brain fog? I thought I had disassociation but found out I am actually experiencing brain fog due to a chronic illness.

This was really helpful for me, I personally get dissociate in different ways where my body doesn’t feel like it’s my body and it’s only doing things out of courtesy. I’m times like that I need help walking cause I’m more like to get ran into, or if I’m crossing the road, hit by a car. (I’m going to also look into your maladaptive daydream videos and see if I also relate to that) I just recently learned that what happens is dissociation and I wanna know what I can do in those sistuations in case I don’t have someone I know that can help me cross the road safely or avoid walking into things.

I have derealization/depersonalization but I don’t maladaptive daydream when I disassociate. It’s more like a mental state where I know something is different but I can’t just snap myself out of it. But I don’t daydream while in that state. Maybe it’s not disassociation then? Is it something else?

so pretty

Does dissociation get better or is it permanent

I am wondering if you are going to address this. As someone who is abused at a Catholic school and someone who is a member of the LGBT community who is presently Under Fire by the Christian right. What could you possibly say to me if I was a client given that you are a Christian. Or will you, like every other person dismiss my experience in order to protect your own belief system

I have depersonalization disorder for 8 years. I don't know why. No major trauma. I have it even with no anxiety. I don't think its a dissociative or anxiety disorder.

what about individuals who've been in the same dissociative episode for years? i have a friend who's been dissociated since she was twelve or eleven, she's seventeen now, and nothing has changed. how does one distinguish when they aren't dissociated anymore if they no longer remember what it felt like to not be?

How can I heal my trauma and stop day dreaming forever

I got so much worse without my maladaptive daydreaming 😢

The 6th one?? 😉

I don’t know why she’s so cute but she is

Oop & the third comment haha

I'm perplexed with the constant reference to maladaptive daydreaming. Daydreaming is not the kind of dissociation that is diagnosable. How do you talk about dissociation and totally ignore true DID. Most of this talk had nothing to do with true dissociation. I'm not sure what I just watched. "Daydreaming" is not what happens to kids who are abused as children. Calling it daydreaming would give the average denier the idea that even you are saying visions and flashbacks and nightmares are just silly little dreams not to be taken seriously. I've never seen trauma therapy for daydreaming. Unless it was clear there was extreme denial of trauma and the person is using the wrong word. People who stare out a window and fantasize about their dream car, are not psychiatrically dissociative. Comparing the two is just more denial of abuse. By any one looking for an expert to agree that none of it is real. Please follow up with dissociation that is not "a choice to stop fantasizing and do your homework." DID is not a choice you can wish away. Neither are people with BPD who dissociate and self harm. You made it feel like fluff. Dissociation is not fluff. It's the most severe symptom a trauma survivor has. It's not "just stop then." It's not dreaming of a new house on a lake. It's leaving your body because someone is raping you and you are 5 years old. Please speak to that Dissociation. Get more real please.