**Clinical Definition of Dissociation:**
Dissociation is a psychological process characterized by a disruption in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, perception, and/or awareness of self and surroundings. It can range from mild detachment from reality (such as daydreaming) to severe disconnection, often seen in dissociative disorders.
In clinical settings, dissociation is commonly associated with trauma, stress, or psychiatric conditions such as **dissociative identity disorder (DID), dissociative amnesia, depersonalization/derealization disorder**, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Symptoms may include:
• **Depersonalization** – Feeling detached from one’s own thoughts, body, or emotions.
• **Derealization** – A sense of unreality or detachment from surroundings.
• **Amnesia** – Memory gaps for personal information, events, or traumatic experiences.
• **Identity fragmentation** – The presence of multiple distinct personality states (in DID).
Dissociation can be adaptive (e.g., a temporary coping mechanism under stress) or maladaptive (e.g., persistent disconnection affecting daily life). Treatment often involves psychotherapy, particularly trauma-focused approaches like **cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)**.
See Also:
- [[Dissociation and Family Relationships]]
- [[Attachment Theory]]
- [[Dysregulation]]