142: HSPs & Complex Trauma Series: What is Dissociation?

“[Dissociation] can happen with anything that is overwhelming or intense and I think it is important, especially to those who are highly sensitive, to be aware of because it’s not just perceived danger or a lot of anxiety or stress. It can be something very positive that you actually want.” [9:20]

In this episode of Women In-Depth, Lourdes Viado and Carmen Schmidt Benedetti continue their podcast series on Complex Trauma and Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs). Today’s episode explores the coping mechanism of dissociation, diving into what it is, what causes it, and potentially how to avoid and combat dissociation.

Dissociation is a common coping mechanism for many people, but can be harmful for people who are HSPs and have experienced complex trauma in their lives. Listen as Lourdes and Carmen shed light on the signs of dissociation and possible tools to help keep you present.

In this episode you will learn:
What is dissociation? [3:33] Why do we experience dissociation? [4:30] Biological responses that cause dissociation. [9:50] The continuum of dissociation. [11:35] How to distinguish between dissociation and anxiety, stress, or overwhelm. [17:15] Ways to cope with and respond to dissociation. [28:22]
Dr. Lourdes Viado is a psychotherapist for anxious and overwhelmed highly sensitive women in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI) Certified Practitioner and integrates Jungian psychology, mindfulness, neuroscience, and astrology into her work with clients. She is also the host of the Women In-Depth Podcast: Conversations about the Inner Lives of Women, which has been downloaded over 450,000x in 107 countries.

Carmen Schmidt Benedetti is a psychotherapist for highly sensitive womxn in Sonoma County, California. She helps them to heal layers of unrecognized childhood trauma and create calm, balance and stability in their life. As a Certified EMDR therapist, Carmen guides adults in reframing their past from an empowered perspective, coming to believe they are ‘good enough’ and their needs and feelings matter

Resources:

Lourdes’ website: lourdesviado.com/

Carmen’s website: carmenschmidtmft.com/

Pete Walker, Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving

[@empath2freedom550]

I disassociated quite often as a child due to abuse and codependency. I discovered later in life that I had compartmentalized emotions and feelings to survive. Thank you for this. It shines a powerful light on my experiences and how to heal from them.

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Thank you for listening! So glad to hear this was helpful!

[@susie5254]

This helped me uncover a major issue. I'm very grateful to you.

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Glad this was helpful, thanks for listening!

[@lovelyella]

Thank you for this. 🙏🏻 Really struggling with severe dissociation / depersonalization. I have CPTSD, am HSP and have not been able to find a capable therapist to help me through this. These videos help 💜🕉

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Glad these have been helpful and I hope you have been able to find the support you need. Thank you for listening!

[@BBFCCO733]

I have CPTSD among other disorders. I am just learning to understand how I am feeling, instead of just feeling these distressing emotions and taking it as reality. I seem to forget how I felt before the trauma, and what it is to feel safe, but it is slowly coming back little by little. I still have difficulty understanding what dissociation is, but some of this makes sense. Thank you for this information. I hope that more specialists can write and speak about dissociation because its not very well understood even by victims of abuse.

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Glad you are slowly remembering what safety feels like. And remember in trauma recovery, slow is fast. Thank you for listening!

[@Blankenshipable]

When my body is experiencing stress, sickness or even extreme joy, I have an increased risk of seizures. Can you speak on this topic? For instance, I broke my wrist. That night I had 2 seizures.

[@aeiouaeiou100]

Is there a reason you do this specifically for women? Because as a HSP man with CPTSD this is also very useful

[@AmethystWoman]

Yeah for HSP men! Sorry you know CPTSD.

[@sadiehudson6195]

The podcast is for women. This is probably the wrong place to be expecting content for men. Having said that, the topic applies to everyone so you can extrapolate to apply it to yourself.

[@lovelyella]

Agreed, this podcast is specific to a woman’s perspective which is very much needed right now. But if it’s helpful to others than great. 🕉

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

The podcast started out w a focus on women's experiences, but much of the content applies to any gender. Thank you for listening!

[@ananyats5063]

Pete walker

[@juiorchevsxx]

I often see people talking about dissociation as something that is transient. Is it possible to start trauma treatment if you’re still stuck in a dissociated state? I have not been able to fully connect with my sense of self or surrounding for a very long time with no break.

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Survey Invitation for HSPS who have experienced Trauma We're in the process of creating resources that are beneficial for Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) who have experienced trauma. We’ve developed a questionnaire in order to best understand what’s most helpful. If this applies to you, and you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we would love to have you participate in this survey. Your responses are anonymous unless you choose to provide that information. Please feel free to share the link with others! Link to survey: forms.gle/bmWQrDNFJ8frXT6W9 Lourdes Viado, PhD, LMFT and Carmen Schmidt Benedetti, LMFT