You’re Not Broken: Understanding Dissociation and Its Role in Trauma

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your thoughts, your body, or your sense of self, it’s not just in your head. It might be dissociation.

I’m Rachel Tenny, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor (LCMHCS), and I’ve worked with many clients who felt confused, ashamed, or overwhelmed by these experiences. Dissociation is a trauma response, and it’s more common than most people realize.

Whether you’ve been through childhood trauma, medical trauma, or lived through repeated emotional stress, your brain and body have done what they needed to do to survive. Dissociation is one of those survival tools.

What Is Dissociation?

Dissociation is the mind’s way of creating distance from experiences that feel too overwhelming. It can look like:

• Feeling like you're outside your body
• Losing track of time or memories
• Feeling numb or emotionally "blank"
• Not recognizing yourself in the mirror
• Feeling like the world isn’t real

These symptoms can be unsettling, but they are often protective. Your brain is trying to shield you from emotional overwhelm.

Dissociation exists on a spectrum. Some people experience mild forms, like daydreaming or zoning out. Others live with more persistent and disruptive symptoms that may be part of a dissociative disorder.

Dissociation as a Trauma Response

Trauma, especially in early life, can deeply impact your sense of safety and identity. When there’s no safe outlet for fear, confusion, or pain, dissociation steps in. It allows you to keep going, even when things feel too hard to process.

You may have dissociated during trauma and continued doing so as a way to cope.

Over time, this pattern can show up in different ways:

• Depersonalization: feeling like you’re watching yourself from outside
• Derealization: feeling like your surroundings are unreal or distorted
• Amnesia: memory gaps around stressful or traumatic events
• Identity confusion or fragmentation: feeling like different parts of you want different things or even show up in different ways

These responses are not signs of weakness or being “broken.” They’re signs your body and mind are working to protect you.

How It Might Show Up in Daily Life

You might be dissociating if you:

• Struggle to recall emotional moments from your past
• Space out during conversations or stressful situations
• Feel confused about your reactions or behaviors
• Experience internal conflict between different “parts” of yourself
• Say, “I just don’t feel like myself” without knowing why

Many people feel shame or isolation around these symptoms, but you’re not alone, and you’re not doing anything wrong.

Beginning the Healing Process

Healing from dissociation often starts with awareness and gentle curiosity. If you notice patterns like spacing out, losing time, or disconnecting from your body, try grounding techniques like:

• Noticing five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear…
• Pressing your feet into the floor
• Naming the day, time, and where you are
• Holding onto a textured or familiar object
• Practicing body scans or mindful breathing

These small practices can help anchor you in the present and gently bring you back into connection with yourself. Healing from dissociation isn’t about forcing yourself to stay present all the time. It’s about building safety, trust, and compassion with your own experience, one moment at a time. Over time, these tools can become a bridge between disconnection and deeper self-understanding.

Want to learn more?

Check out An Introduction to Dissociation & Dissociative Disorders—a supportive, practical resource created for both clinicians and clients navigating dissociation and trauma recovery.

If dissociation is impacting your daily life, relationships, or sense of self, you don’t have to navigate it alone. I’m currently accepting therapy clients in Charlotte, NC, as well as virtually across NC and SC. Working with a trauma-informed therapist can be a meaningful next step toward feeling more grounded and supported.

For Providers:

If you support clients with dissociation, I offer clinical supervision and consulting to help you hold space for the complex, layered experiences of trauma and identity with compassion and confidence. Also, check out The Therapist Toolbox which offers 275+ ready-to-use resources to support clients, including those navigating dissociation and trauma.

You can also find ongoing education, encouragement, and real-life mental health content over on Instagram @sometimesatherapist.