Dissociation is a common experience among those of us who’ve experienced trauma. We’ve all experienced mild out-of-body experiences where we lose touch with the present moment—for example, zoning out during a conversation or binging on a TV series to get respite from a stressful period. Even intensely positive experiences can lead to surreal disconnection when we think, “Is this wonderful thing really happening?”
From a developmental perspective, chronic dissociation, or a dissociative disorder caused by previous trauma, is the feeling of being outside one’s body even when overwhelming events such as those centering on abuse, fear, or shame, are not actively occurring—that is, the out-of-body state is “triggered” by something relatively harmless. Part of my intellectual and therapeutic practice has been learning how to be mindful of when I’m entering a dissociative state. And part of my spiritual practice has been learning to bring myself back into my body through grounding exercises, which can be as simple as standing barefoot outside, or noticing the breath moving in and out of my body.
What’s this got to do with writing? Well, everything, if you’re writing narrative. A story is basically: Something Happens, then Character Responds.
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