Dissociation — what it means

A protective disconnection from your thoughts, feelings, body, or surroundings under stress — feeling unreal, foggy, watching yourself from outside, or losing time. A stress-related BPD criterion, and common in trauma survivors generally.

What it looks like

Mid-conflict they go flat and far away, "not there" behind their eyes. Or you do: an hour later you can't quite remember what was said. The mind stepped out to survive the moment.

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