The Hidden Reality Of Daydreaming

An explanation of dissociative disorders and how they could be unknowingly impacting your life.

The word daydreaming may bring pleasant thoughts to your mind. Daydreaming can be labeled as nostalgic. Nostalgia is reading a book, taking walks in nature, or even visions of dating your favorite celebrity.

Even though daydreaming can lead to creative thought used to avoid it has roots in mental health. Daydreaming is actually a form of dissociation. Dissociative disorders are classified as mental health conditions and can be diagnosed by qualified medical professionals.

Even if the dissociation does not fall into the categories below, it can still be considered a dissociative disorder, it can still be a coping method for the mind to get through tough times. Levels of dissociation vary from person to person. These disorders can range from severely debilitating to mild dissociation that doesn’t interrupt your daily routine.

You may have experienced a dissociation…do you daydream?

“Transient and mild dissociative experiences are common. Almost 1/3rd of people say they occasionally feel as though they are watching themselves in a movie, and 4% say they feel that way as much as 1/3rd of the time.” — Mental Health America

Dissociation is linked with trauma. People who experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also experience dissociative disorders.

The types of dissociative disorders are:

• Dissociative amnesia
• Depersonalization
• Derealization
• Dissociative Identity Disorder
• Other Specified Dissociative Disorder

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Severe and prolonged childhood trauma before the age of seven prevents the mind from integrating into a singular identity. This results in many identities existing within one body. Trauma causes this disorder, so symptoms like flashbacks, intense dissociation, and gaps in memory will mirror the experiences of those with PTSD.

Dissociative amnesia

When you experience dissociative amnesia it is not like forgetting your car keys. It is much more intense and debilitating.

Localized and selective amnesia may exist around a specific time in your life. When it comes to trauma, you may have amnesia surrounding the date it happened or maybe you only remember bits and pieces of an event.

In some cases, you lose years of memory. Complete amnesia is rare, but it can happen. Sometimes you may not be aware that you have a gap in memory.

Dissociative amnesia disorder can be debilitating, frustrating and may require decades of therapy to regain memories lost by trauma. At the same time, the mind losses these memories to protect you from reliving those traumatic times. It is a personal choice when and how you choose to work through trauma with medical professionals.

Depersonalization/derealization disorder

Depersonalization is what many describe as an out-of-body experience when you detach from your mind and body. Derealization is when you detach from the world. The feeling is comparable to living in a movie. You are in watching the film, but you are not processing it as reality.

According to an article by the National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) “75% of people experience at least one depersonalization/derealization episode in their lives.”

Mental health awareness

The first step a person can take on their journey to mental wellness is being informed. Sometimes things that happen in life are miscategorized and there can be a deeper meaning to what you experience.

Knowledge is power.

It is important to understand the difference between daydreaming and dissociation. Mental health awareness is the first step on your path to self-discovery.