![]() 1,2ĭissociation is one of the common long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. Not only will they be able to help you identify to what degree you are dissociating, but they can also determine if your dissociation is indicative of an underlying condition, such as depression, anxiety, acute stress, substance abuse, or PTSD. If you feel that dissociation is a symptom that is impacting your life, we strongly encourage you to seek the help of a medical professional. ![]() For instance, dissociating during a workplace presentation, at a parent-teacher conference, or while being sexually intimate with a partner will cause additional challenges, anxiety, and stress. Such experiences commonly involved the survivor feeling as though they floated out of their body and watched the abuse take place from another perspective, as if the trauma were happening to someone else.Īlthough temporarily dissociating from the body was critical as a child during abuse, dissociating years after the danger is gone and you are busy trying to live your adult life can lead to unwanted interruptions and difficulties. This type of dissociating aligns with what many survivors have described as out-of-body experiences that occurred during their abuse. In these instances of dissociation, a survivor may feel as though they have left their own body and are looking at themselves from a third-person point of view. This increased intensity can lead to what is known as depersonalization, or feeling detached from your body and thoughts. This severity is what distinguishes between those feelings of blankness, numbness, and detachment, and actually “losing time,” or being unable to account for a large portion of your day. For instance, they may dissociate more frequently, for longer periods of time, or at a higher intensity. Such levels occur when an individual dissociates to a degree that significantly impacts their day-to-day functioning and well-being. Other survivors of child sexual abuse may struggle with more severe levels of dissociation. This pane of glass feels like a barrier between them and the rest of the world, one that separates them from truly engaging with the situations, relationships, and challenges in their life. Some survivors have described these feelings of numbness, detachment, or disconnection as living behind a pane of glass. Such numbness or detachment can make it difficult for survivors to be attuned to their body’s responses and signals, as well as what those signals are trying to communicate. And just as people can feel disconnected from their emotions, they can feel a similar disconnection with their bodies. This blankness is similar to the emotional exhaustion associated with depression. They may often zone out, have trouble focusing on the present, or struggle with fully engaging with their surroundings and situations.Īnother way people experience dissociation is feeling disconnected from their own emotions, which can lead to feelings of blankness or nothingness. On the milder end of the continuum, a survivor of child sexual abuse may experience a sense of detachment or disconnection from the world around them.
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