Dissociation - What is it?

Dissociation is one of the two main factors that psychologists believe are a part of D.I.D. (the other part being trauma - we will discuss this next time). However, dissociation is not only an interesting part of Dissociative Identity Disorder, but also of our every day behavior. It's a very important concept to understand about D.I.D.. Dissociation happens to all of us, multiple times a day. If you've ever been driving in your car in a familiar place and arrived at your location without remembering how you got there, that's dissociation (also known as "Highway Hypnosis). To put it simply, dissociation is when your mind wanders off into "never land" while your motor skills and body remain functioning normally. Most of us do it unintentionally and don't even realize we're doing it.

The Spectrum of Dissociation

I found myself talking to a friend the other day, nodding my head and responding to what he said, but after the conversation ended, I had no recollection of what he said other than a few random words I had picked up. I had a dissociative moment, as we all do. Psychologists have also said that dissociation is a way for our brains to release energy. If you've ever been in class and you start to day-dream, your brain may be getting restless and needing to release energy; it's often completely unintentional! Dissociation actually occurs in many disorders, including PTSD, Panic Disorder and many anxiety disorders.

Basically, our brain has a "maximum capacity" of information that it can handle (internally and externally). If the brain reaches this maximum level, it begins to dissociate to release energy and relieve our stress until we settle back at a normal level. You will find that you dissociate more when you are low on sleep or after a stressful situation; times when your brain is on maximum alert and needs a break. It's the equivalent of your computer going into "stand-by mode": everything is still there, its just conserving energy until you need it again!

Isn't it amazing how our brains can literally remove us from a situation whenever we are stressed/overwhelmed/tired? Our own minds are truly unbelievable.

While there is a normal, healthy side to dissociation, there is also a dangerous side to it. While dissociation can be used for our brains to take a break, it can also activate during traumatic situations. Psychologist and Dr. D.J. Seigel even called dissociation a "survival mechanism in traumatic situations". When the brain becomes too stressed out or overwhelmed, it simply removes itself from the situation, and will regain functioning when the situation is over. Some of you may start to see how trauma and dissociation work together, but we will get into the correlation more next time!

Now that we know how dissociation works, it's easy to see how it can apply to D.I.D.. Some psychologists claim that the dissociative behavior in D.I.D. is so bad that it causes the brain to split into unique personality states. Whether or not that actually happens, I've yet to discover. I'll keep digging.

Diving into unknown water: D.I.D. - Dissociative Identity Disorder

As a hopeful student of Psychology, I love exploring the unknown of the human psyche. What we think we know and what is actually real may be two completely different things. I am so intrigued by all of the things that we don't know about our own minds, and I hope that my research can help bring awareness to many different mental disorders. We know that the realm of psychology is infinitely expanding and changing, due to our own minds being never ending. Because of this huge spectrum of knowledge and information that's out there, there is one specific, microscopic piece of psychology that especially fascinates me. Previously referred to as "Multiple Personality Disorder", Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D.) has caused quite a stir in the psychological community. Some believe that it's real, some do not. The over-arching question I want to answer is: Does the human brain actually have the ability to split itself into multiple parts? Initial research behind the disorder has created one main question regarding D.I.D's existence: Is it 'real' or is it 'constructed'? These two terms and their meaning will be discussed later, but at least I know where I can start. Before I have you engulfed in the controversy, you will want to know exactly what Dissociative Identity Disorder is, at least by a dictionary's standards: Dissociative Identity Disorder is defined as a dissociative disorder involving a disturbance of identity in which two or more separate and distinct personality states (or identities) control the individual's behavior at different times. The number of identities (referred to as alters) a person with D.I.D can have ranges from 2-100, with the average number being 10.

What I want to research. 

-Is D.I.D. real? constructed?

-What is the history of D.I.D.?

-Does therapy play a role in the diagnosis/creation/exaggeration of D.I.D.?

-Does hypnotherapy play a role in the exaggeration of symptoms?

-How does media portray D.I.D?

-How does it differentiate from schizophrenia? Borderline?

-Why do some abused children develop D.I.D. and others don't?

-What is the concluding factor in ALL cases of D.I.D.?

My hope is to address these questions in each of my blog posts in hopes of them leading to a conclusive answer to my overall question of whether or not the disorder is real. I'm sure that many more questions will come up along the way as I research, and I hope that my readers and classmates can ask their own questions as well, because we will be going on this journey through the mind together.

32897417269b2d060af1b5bd25fd6361a5ebfa8e3846387f6f