Dissociation is something that can happen to anyone. It can happen to older individuals or younger ones. It can occur even if the person to whom it’s happening is not aware of it.
Navigating through dissociation and anxiety can be challenging, but it’s usually possible if you get help from the proper channels. We’ll discuss whether dissociating is a healthy thing to do in this article.
What Precisely is Dissociation?
You might not know the term dissociation, so let’s define it before we progress any further. Dissociation is a trauma response. It’s not generally one that the afflicted individual can control. It means you’re mentally checking out of a difficult or traumatic situation.
In other words, someone who dissociates may not remember details of a traumatic event or only scant details of it. Medical professionals believe this lack of continuity to be a defense mechanism by the brain. To prevent further emotional and psychological trauma, the brain effectively shuts down.
When Is This Likely to Happen?
Dissociation can happen in many situations. For instance, you might dissociate if you’re a civilian in an active war zone. Maybe a bomb strikes your house. Afterward, you may have little or no recollection of the event’s details.
Survivors of sexual assault can dissociate, as can those who are in violent car accidents. Anyone who survives a mugging, a bank robbery, or any other high-stress situation may dissociate. It’s hard to believe such a thing can happen, but it is common.
Is This Ever a Healthy Thing to Do?
As for whether it’s ever a healthy thing for a human to do, there are two ways of looking at it. The first and most obvious way is that it’s happening for a reason. If an event is simply too traumatic for someone to face, this mental occurrence can happen for self-preservation.
The details of a shocking or horrifying event may be too much for the individual to handle. As such, dissociation is a logical occurrence. It might be the only way for someone to get past an event without becoming completely catatonic.
Is There An Unhealthy Side to It?
This means that the short answer is yes, it’s sometimes healthy to dissociate. However, while it’s natural to do so, there are dangers that go along with these situations as well.
Someone who dissociates may seem more or less okay after the event. The brain shutting out the details of the terrible occurrence to which the person was subjected might have saved them from a far worse reaction.
That does not mean the details may not come back at some point, though. They may return as intrusive thoughts weeks, months, or even years after the event.
When that happens, the afflicted individual will probably need to take action to process those events. Those actions might include therapy or other ways of coping. Failing that, the delayed reaction to the events might have a devastating effect on the person’s life long after the incident itself occurs.
