Supporting Your Child/Teen Experiencing Dissociation
“Dissociation” may seem like an intimidating word to many people who hear it. This is due to media portrayal in the form of extremes such as DID (dissociative identity disorder). In reality these portrayals represent a small percentage of individuals who experience dissociation. Put very simply, dissociation is a coping mechanism that is activated when individuals encounter a significant amount of trauma, overwhelm or perceived threat, in order to disconnect awareness from experience, feeling, sensation, and/or the self, when real escape is not possible.
There are "normal" levels of dissociation that occur in most if not all people of any age. Normal level of dissociative symptoms are also common in developing child/teen brains. Some examples of “normal” levels of dissociation in children might include being very focused in the game/ activity they are currently engaging in and low awareness of what is around them, pretend play or engaging in “make believe” while understanding the difference between fantasy and reality, and “blocking out” parts of painful experiences (ie injury). Dissociation is a coping or survival response that is helpful when individuals are facing terrible, frightening, situations, but if a child or teen is dissociating when there is no real danger present, this activation can have a negative impact on their daily life, and interfere with development, learning, and overall wellbeing. Some examples of behaviors that could become problematic in significantly elevated levels include zoning-out, depersonalization/derealization, and development of dissociative parts.
If concerning levels of dissociation are suspected in your child or teen, it is important to seek the support of a qualified healthcare professional, that can properly assess, diagnose (if appropriate), and engage in treating and healing of underlying causes with the intervention style most appropriate for your child/teen’s specific needs. This will most likely include interventions to address trauma history, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and developing safety to help the child/teen feel safe in the present moment. This professional will help guide you, your family, and other support people in your child’s life (if appropriate), to help decrease the level of perceived threat in the child/teen’s daily interactions.
It is possible to reduce the negative impacts of dissociation with treatment, especially with active engagement in recommendations from your healthcare professional and support from those around the child/teen. It is important to remember that this response is a coping mechanism, involuntary, and that although resulting behaviors can be frustrating for parents, caregivers, teachers, or other individuals in the child/teens life, the child/teen needs to be approached in a peaceful, patient, and compassionate way.
Information in this post is sourced from International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation website, https://www.isst-d.org/ . Please visit this website for more in-depth information described in this post, as well as resources at: https://www.isst-d.org/public-resources-home/ .