Dissociation vs Derealization vs Depersonalization – What’s the difference?

Dissociation vs Derealization vs Depersonalization

Although dissociation, derealization, and depersonalization all share similarities, they are distinct things. Dissociation is the broad experience of feeling disconnected from yourself and the world around you. Although dissociation can be used to describe most experiences, researchers have found it helpful to break dissociation down into two subcategories: derealization (disconnected from your surroundings) and depersonalization (disconnected from yourself). 

Let’s explore the differences between these three experiences.

What is dissociation?

Dissociation is a relatively common occurrence. People dissociate when their brains have trouble dealing with intense stress, but it can also happen due to repetitive, familiar motions or fatigue. 

Dissociation is when you feel disconnected from yourself and the world around you. It can feel like watching yourself from the outside, not feeling real, not understanding where you are or what is happening around you, or numbness from your emotions. 

Dissociative episodes can last from a few minutes to a few days. Extreme cases can last weeks or even months. Most people will experience mild cases of dissociation that last minutes to hours. People who regularly experience dissociation or experience very long dissociative episodes (weeks or months) may have a dissociative disorder. 

Dissociation is often divided into two subcategories of symptoms: derealization and depersonalization. People may experience one or both during a dissociative episode.

What is Derealization?

Derealization is one of the subcategories of dissociation. During derealization, you will feel disconnected from your surroundings. It can feel like the world around you is unreal. People have said derealization makes everything feel “foggy”, “lifeless”, or “dream-like”. 

People and objects may seem unreal, you may have trouble keeping up with your surroundings, not hearing people, or not understanding what you are seeing.  

What is depersonalization?

The second half of dissociation is depersonalization, which is feeling disconnected from yourself. During depersonalization, you might feel unreal, may not recognize yourself, or like you’re seeing yourself from outside your body. You might feel like your thoughts and sensations are someone else’s or like you’re watching them form but have no control over them. 

Often, depersonalization is accompanied by a deep sense of emotional and physical numbness. The same fog that seemed to envelop the outside world with dissociation envelops the inner world with depersonalization. 

How do I tell if I’m dissociating?

Knowing when you’re dissociating is the first step to break out of it. In the case of a dissociative disorder, breaking a dissociative episode may require medication, therapy, or a combination of both. However, in mild cases (or when the dissociation is a symptom of a different issue, like ADHD, Depression, or trauma), coping skills can be used to reconnect to yourself and your environment. We’ll discuss those below. First, let’s learn how to identify a dissociative episode. 

You might be dissociating if you:

• Feel disconnected from yourself and/or the world around you
• Forgetting events, personal information, or recent events (more so than usual)
• Not knowing how you got from point A to point B (like not remembering how you got dressed or the drive to work)
• Feeling little to no physical pain, even when you know you should be feeling pain (like in the case of an injury)
• Feeling emotionally numb 
• Feeling checked out and struggling to understand what people are saying, instructions, or what you are doing. 
• Feeling like you’re watching yourself from the outside, like your thoughts, emotions, and actions aren’t your own. 
• Feel “spacy” or like time is slippery 
• Being unable to account for blocks of time
• Zoning out frequently, for many minutes at a time

Everyone experiences dissociation differently. Also, if a mental health disorder is the cause of your dissociation, your symptoms may vary. For example, a dissociative episode caused by ADHD will be different than one caused by trauma.

What causes dissociation?

At its core, dissociation is the mind’s way of dealing with stress. When your mind cannot cope with the stress it is experiencing, it might dissociate to protect itself. Although it can have harmful effects, dissociation is a protective mechanism. For example, when you’re experiencing a trauma, your brain may dissociate to protect yourself from the emotional horrors, enabling you to do what you need to do to get to safety. 

While dissociation can work as a short-term safety measure, it can have long-term effects when not treated. Dissociation is caused by:

• Childhood trauma 
• Present-day trauma 
• Overstimulation 
• Depression, anxiety, or any other intense emotional experience 
• Chronic stress
• Being very focused and absorbed in a task, like reading a book or watching a movie
• Doing something very familiar, like driving the same route to work or doing a chore. 

Not all causes of dissociation are sinister. However, it’s still important to be aware of when you are dissociating, because it can be dangerous in some situations. Dissociating while you’re driving, for example, can decrease your reaction speed and increase the risk of car accidents. 

Dissociation and depersonalization disorders

Although dissociation is a common experience, it can become severe. In these cases, a dissociation and depersonalization mental health disorder may be diagnosed. There are three main dissociative disorders: 

• Dissociative Amnesia: Dissociative amnesia is a condition where a person experiences memory loss that is not due to a medical condition. This memory loss is often linked to stressful or traumatic events, leading to a temporary inability to recall important personal information.
• Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder: Depersonalization-derealization disorder is a dissociative disorder where individuals feel disconnected from themselves (depersonalization) or from their surroundings (derealization). This can cause feelings of being detached from one's body or feeling like the world is unreal or distorted.
• Dissociative Identity Disorder: Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder, is a complex psychological condition where a person experiences two or more distinct identities or personality states. These identities may have unique behaviors, memories, and ways of interacting, often as a coping mechanism for past trauma or abuse.

Remember, seeking support from a therapist or mental health professional can help navigate these challenges and work towards healing and recovery. There is hope for understanding and managing these disorders to live a brighter life.

How to stop dissociating

Dissociation can be hard to break out of. Because everyone’s dissociation is caused by something different, you might need to try a few different techniques. Try to stay calm and consistent when you’re addressing a dissociative episode. 

Some techniques to break a dissociation include:

• Color Scanning: A popular grounding technique, color scanning prompts you to scan your surroundings from left to right, picking out all of the instances of the color red. Then, scan your surroundings again for orange, then yellow, green, blue, and purple. 
• Take a cold shower: Taking a cold shower or splashing your face with cold ice water can help your body snap out of a dissociative state. 
• Exercise: Moving your body can be a good way to reconnect with it and is therefore a good way to break out of depersonalization. Try to focus on the way your body feels as you move, the air coming into your lungs, and your heart beating steadily and strongly. 
• Walk barefoot: Another way to reconnect with yourself and your surroundings is by walking barefoot. Choose a safe place where you know you won’t step on anything sharp. Focus on the sensations your feet are experiencing. 
• Sing loudly to your favorite music: Get loud! Dance in your kitchen. Use your voice. Do things with your body.
• Breathing exercises: Some breathing exercises are also good for grounding, like the 3-3-3 method or box breathing. 
• Do something relaxing: Sometimes you need to remind your mind and body that you are not in immediate physical danger. This can look like watching a relaxing TV show with the lights dimmed and a blanket, taking a bath with gentle music, or sitting with someone you feel safe with. 
• Reconnect with your hobbies: Other times you need to remind yourself that you are you, and doing something you used to enjoy (even if you don’t feel like it) can help. 
• Somatic exercises: Somatic exercises are specific movements aimed to connect you to yourself and release negative energy. In the “fight, flight, or freeze” trauma response, people who have a freeze response may trap negative energy in their nervous system. Releasing it by shaking yourself vigorously (think like a dog), somatic breathing exercises, dancing, or somatic yoga. 

Most of these techniques are grounding and mindful exercises that help you reconnect to your body and environment. They are designed to snap your nervous system out of a fight or flight mode (which leads to dissociation) and return to a state of rest. 

If these simple exercises don’t work for you, more extensive therapy may be required. Therapy and medication can help you break out of a dissociation or depersonalization episode. 

Lifebulb offers affordable, online therapy for dissociative disorders. We have virtual therapists located across the U.S. who have available sessions and accept most major insurance plans. Don’t wait to seek help; therapy can help you break out of a dissociative episode. 

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