Does dissociation mean “multiple personality”?

No, in the vast majority of cases. Dissociation is a broad spectrum of experiences of disconnection, from moments of “absence” or unreality to more severe forms. The form with multiple identities is rare and accounts for only a small part of dissociative disorders; the way it is portrayed in films is, as a rule, greatly exaggerated.

Usually not. Many people fear this, because dissociative experiences are strange and hard to describe. The fact that you notice them and wonder about them usually shows that you are in touch with reality. A medical assessment can tell the difference.

What I go through sounds strange. Will I be taken seriously?

Yes. Specialists know these experiences and take them seriously. Simply putting them into words is already an important step.

Yes. With the right support, the episodes can become rarer and easier to manage.

Dissociative disorders and depersonalisation

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What are dissociative disorders

Dissociation is a disconnection from your own thoughts, emotions and memories, from your body or from the reality around you. We all experience it in a mild form at times: you drive a familiar route and cannot remember the journey, or you feel you are “on autopilot”.

In dissociative disorders, these experiences become more intense, more frequent or more distressing and come to affect everyday life. They are well-known reactions of the mind, far from “madness”.

Signs and symptoms

Dissociation takes different forms. Perhaps you have experienced:

Disconnection from yourself (depersonalisation)

the feeling that you are watching yourself from the outside, like an observer of your own life
the impression that your own body, voice or actions do not entirely “belong to you”
a state of emotional numbness, as if you were “behind a pane of glass”

Disconnection from reality (derealisation)

the world around you seems unreal, as in a dream, as if on a film set
objects or people seem changed, far away, flat
time seems to flow differently

Memory gaps and “absences”

memory loss for certain moments, conversations or periods
the feeling of “coming back” and not knowing exactly what happened
moments of “absence”, of sudden disconnection

The intensity of these experiences varies a great deal from person to person.

Dissociation as a protective mechanism

Dissociation is easier to understand if you see it as a survival strategy of the mind.

When an experience is too overwhelming to be lived through fully (intense fear, pain, a situation with no way out), the mind can partly “disconnect”, to protect the person from what would otherwise be unbearable. In that moment, it is a real help.

The problem arises when this mechanism stays active after the danger has passed, and is also triggered in ordinary situations. That is why dissociation is closely linked to intense stress and to trauma, especially repeated or early trauma. Understanding this link often makes dissociation easier to manage.

When to see a specialist

An assessment is worthwhile if:

you have episodes of disconnection from yourself, your body or reality that distress you
you have memory gaps for moments or periods of your life
these experiences happen often or affect your everyday life
they frighten you and you wonder whether “something is seriously wrong with you”
you notice links between these states and periods of stress or difficult experiences
you use various means to cope with the states of disconnection

An assessment helps you understand what is happening and tell dissociation apart from other states. Often, the clarity alone brings relief.

The first step

If you recognise yourself in what you’ve read, book a conversation with one of our specialists. Together, we’ll look at what’s going on and what your options are.

Services: Psychiatry · Psychotherapy · Counselling
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This information is for educational purposes and does not replace a specialist consultation.

Dissociative disorders