How to cope with dissociation and dissociative disorders

Dissociation and dissociative disorders can be difficult to live with. This page offers some practical suggestions to help you cope.

I came to accept that I couldn't change my thoughts and feelings directly. However, I could change my behaviours.

Grounding techniques

Grounding techniques can help you feel more connected to the present. They might help you cope with intrusive thoughts, difficult feelings, memories and flashbacks.

You could try:

• Breathing slowly while counting
• Listening carefully to sounds around you
• Carrying a strong scent with you to smell when you need to feel connected
• Walking barefoot (if it's safe) and noticing how the ground feels
• Wrapping yourself in a blanket and noticing how it feels around your body
• Holding an ice cube or splashing cold water on your face
• Touching a textured item, like a stone or pine cone
• Counting backwards from 100 – this works the logical part of your brain so can be a distraction

Remember to stay focused on the sensations you are feeling right now.

You might find it helpful to keep a box of things with different textures and smells. For example, you could include a blanket and some smooth stones.

The top drawer in my freezer is full of ice pops. The temperature change shocks me, but gently.

Visualisation

Doing things to help your body feel safe and calm can reduce feelings of dissociation.

Visualisation is a way of imagining different places or images that help you feel safe. Doing this can help soothe difficult feelings and thoughts.

For example, it could help to imagine that you're:

• Wearing protective clothing
• In a special place which feels safe
• Somewhere where identity states can all meet and talk

Imagining these things can help you feel safer and more relaxed when you're feeling anxious or threatened.

You can try visualisation yourself or ask your therapist to guide you through it.

Keeping a journal

Keeping a journal may help you remember and understand different parts of your experience.

You could also include writing and artwork you do at different times. If you have dissociative identity disorder (DID), you may write or make different kinds of art while in different identity states.

Journalling or making art could help you:

• Think about who you are, or become more aware of different identity states
• Remember more about what happened during the gaps in your memory
• Share with others how dissociation feels
• Recognise and appreciate positive times when you coped well

Practical strategies

Dissociation can make everyday life hard. Practical strategies could help you cope, such as:

• Wearing a watch with the time and date
• Keeping a list of friends and family and their contact details
• Writing notes to yourself in the house or on a whiteboard
• Tell family and friends what they can do to help when you are dissociating

Making a personal crisis plan

A personal crisis plan is a document you make when you're well. It can help you feel prepared for times when you may become unwell.

It explains what you'd like to happen if you're not well enough to make decisions about your treatment. Or other parts of your life. Sometimes it's called an ‘advance statement’.

See our page on crisis services and planning for more information about making a personal crisis plan.

Looking after your wellbeing

• Try to get enough sleep. Sleep can give you the energy to cope with difficult feelings and experiences. You might find it helpful to learn relaxation techniques. Our resources on sleep problems and relaxation have more information.
• Think about your diet. Eat regularly and keep your blood sugar stable. This can make a difference to your mood and energy levels. Our resource on food and mental health has more information.
• Try to do some exercise. Exercise can be helpful for your mental wellbeing. Our resource on physical activity, exercise and mental health has more information.

Depersonalisation and derealisation are now only occasional features in my life. But when I'm under a lot of stress or not sleeping properly, I dissociate more.

Talking to people with similar experiences

• Try peer support. Unfortunately, there aren't many peer support groups specifically for people with dissociative disorders. Unreal offers some support for depersonalisation and derealisation. Or you can try Mind's online community, Side by Side, which uses tags to help you connect with people with similar experiences.
• Read about other people's experiences. If you don't want to talk, you may still find it helpful to read. This might give you new perspectives or help you find ideas for coping with dissociation. Online forums, like Side by Side, can help with this.

Our pages on peer support and looking after your mental health online have more information.

Getting help with stigma

Unfortunately, some people don't understand much about dissociation and dissociative disorders. And they may make assumptions about you that aren't helpful. This can be upsetting. Especially if they're your family, friends or colleagues.

You're not alone though. And you have rights. Here are some options that could help if you notice stigma:

• Show people this information. This could help them learn more about dissociation.
• Talk to other people with dissociative disorders. You could try a support group. See our peer support groups for mental health pages for more information.
• Share your experience with others. Mind publishes blogs and video blogs.
• Learn about your rights. Our pages on legal rights have more information.

See our pages on stigma and misconceptions about mental health for more information.

It has been extremely difficult to open up to those around me, but having done so I've realised that people do listen and do care.

Reaching out to organisations for support

You're not alone. An important part of coping with dissociation or dissociative disorders is to reach out to relevant organisations that can help.

Often these organisations provide help for specific experiences that can trigger dissociation, such as trauma and abuse.

Some organisations include:

• The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), which supports adults who experienced abuse in childhood
• The Survivors Trust, which can put you in contact with local organisations that support survivors of sexual abuse
• Survivors UK, which helps men who've experienced abuse

For other organisations which may be able to help, see our useful contacts for dissociation and dissociative disorders page.