Dissociation

Dissociation – it’s a defence mechanism, a mental process of disconnecting from one’s thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity – in shock, we switch off, and that is how we protect ourselves – so please respect that people might not want to connect with their emotions, they might seem cold and distant, it has nothing to do with you but with their need to survive which can sometimes move on even beyond traumatic times – what helps it to be patient, soft, respectful and to recognise it as a natural defence reaction

This #IWD2022 month, we are discussing stabilisation – a process of supporting traumatised people into safety. We use stabilisation as the first stage of support for victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, refugees, war veterans and people who have PTSD.