Dissociation, Depersonalisation, and Derealisation: Understanding the Disconnection
Have you ever felt like you were watching your life from outside your body, or that the world around you suddenly seemed strange or dreamlike? These are common descriptions of dissociation, depersonalisation, and derealisation — experiences that can be confusing, distressing, and often hard to explain.
This blog post explores what these terms mean, how they are experienced, what causes them, and how therapy can help bring you back to yourself.
What Is Dissociation?
Dissociation is a mental process where a person disconnects from aspects of their experience, such as thoughts, feelings, memories, physical sensations, or even their sense of identity. It’s not always a sign of something serious — many people experience mild dissociation, such as daydreaming or “zoning out.”
But when dissociation becomes frequent, intense, or disruptive, it may indicate a deeper underlying issue such as trauma, anxiety, or stress.
Depersonalisation: Feeling Detached From Yourself
Depersonalisation is a specific type of dissociation where you may feel detached from your own body, thoughts, or identity. People often describe it as:
Feeling like a robot or as if they’re on autopilot
Experiencing their body as unreal, numb, or unfamiliar
Watching themselves from outside, like in a film
Feeling emotionally disconnected or “flat”
You might know, logically, that nothing is wrong — but still feel profoundly disconnected.
Derealisation: Feeling Detached From the World
Derealisation involves a sense that the world around you isn’t real. This might feel like:
The environment appears foggy, distant, or dreamlike
People or objects seem distorted or unfamiliar
Time feels slowed down or sped up
A sense of being behind glass or in a movie
Again, this is not a hallucination — you’re aware of what’s real, but feel strangely removed from it.
What Causes Dissociation?
Dissociation often occurs as a protective response to overwhelming stress or trauma. When something feels too painful or threatening to fully process, the mind may “disconnect” as a way to cope. Causes include:
Childhood trauma or abuse
Ongoing stress or anxiety
Sudden traumatic events (e.g., accidents, assault)
Emotional neglect or chronic invalidation
Panic attacks or other intense emotional states
Some people are more prone to dissociation than others, especially if they’ve experienced trauma or grew up in environments where they had to suppress emotions to stay safe.
How Does It Affect Daily Life?
For some, dissociation is fleeting and manageable. For others, it can be deeply disruptive. It might affect:
Relationships – Feeling distant or disconnected from others
Memory – Difficulty recalling events or conversations
Emotions – Feeling numb, confused, or flat
Identity – Struggling with a sense of who you are
Functioning – Trouble concentrating, staying present, or making decisions
These experiences can also be frightening, especially if you don’t understand what’s happening.
How Can Therapy Help?
The good news is that dissociation, depersonalisation, and derealisation are treatable. Therapy can help you understand your experience, reduce symptoms, and reconnect with yourself and the world around you.
Here’s how:
1. Understanding and Validation
Many people feel alone or ashamed of their dissociative experiences. Therapy offers a space where your experiences are taken seriously and compassionately understood.
2. Processing Underlying Causes
Therapists can help you explore past trauma, stress, or emotional patterns that may be contributing to dissociation — at a pace that feels safe.
3. Grounding Techniques
You’ll learn practical tools to stay connected to your body and the present moment. This may include breathing exercises, mindfulness, movement, or sensory techniques.
4. Building Emotional Tolerance
Therapy supports you in gradually increasing your ability to stay with difficult emotions and sensations, so that dissociation becomes less necessary as a coping strategy.
5. Stabilisation and Integration
Over time, therapy can help you feel more emotionally stable, and begin to integrate parts of yourself that may have felt split off or disconnected.
You’re Not “Broken” — You’re Protecting Yourself
Dissociation is not a flaw or failure — it’s a creative and adaptive response to pain. But you don’t have to live with it forever. With the right support, you can begin to feel grounded, real, and whole again.
If you’re experiencing dissociation, depersonalisation, or derealisation, you're not alone — and help is available.
