10 Things People Think Are Normal But Are Actually Signs Of Dissociation, According To Research
Roman Samborskyi | Shutterstock Classified as a mental detachment where there is a disconnect between one's thoughts, memories, or even sense of identity after a particularly traumatic event, the effects of dissociating can definitely be intense.
Between 2% and 10% of the population will experience this phenomenon during their lifetimes. But not all the signs are noticeable; in fact, there are some things people think are normal but are actually signs of dissociation. Things like spacing out, going through the day on autopilot, and even just feeling emotionally off can all be indicators of something a bit more serious. Unfortunately, a lot of people fail to realize that they're actually detaching as a way to deal with stress, and the only way to get over it is to properly identify it and find the right solution.
Here are 10 things people think are normal but are actually signs of dissociation, according to research
1. Zoning out during conversations or tasks
Sjale | Shutterstock
This often looks as if people are distracted or not paying attention, so no one really thinks anything of it at first. But dissociation often involves the mind becoming temporarily disconnected from the present moment. Usually, when people are experiencing this, they report feeling overwhelmed or not knowing what is happening.
Their surroundings may feel off or they may have strange physical sensations. It means you might look like you're listening or working, but your focus is somewhere else entirely. It's not always a conscious choice either, which is why people are often surprised when they realize how much they've missed.
2. Doing things on autopilot and not remembering them clearly
Doing things on autopilot is something people think is normal, but it actually points to dissociating. This isn't just about doing something and coming back to yourself, realizing what's just happened. In fact, it's the opposite. Most people experiencing dissociation don't even remember the thing they've done while not paying attention.
When it happens a lot, especially during important moments, it can start to look more like a dissociative shift than just being distracted or bored. Psychology expert Lybi Ma encouraged people to practice more mindfulness techniques so as to not be living on autopilot all the time. While it can be convenient sometimes, it's not always sustainable.
3. Feeling emotionally flat
During moments where you should be feeling strong emotions, feeling nothing at all can sometimes be a sign of dissociation. You might know in your head that something should be eliciting feelings of sadness, excitement, frustration, or even joy, but somehow you can't get yourself to feel anything at all. Instead, you just feel neutral, which can make you come across as being detached even though that's not always the case.
In many cases, that might be the reason, but in other times, you're not able to have any control over it. Since dissociation is the brain's defense against overwhelming stress, it makes sense why your emotions wouldn't be all the way turned up for certain things. It's the brain's way of trying to protect you.
4. Immersive daydreaming
Daydreaming is usually seen as a harmless distraction and is even linked to intelligence. But sometimes, it can feel a lot more immersive than that, almost like you're being pulled into an entirely different reality. In those moments, the real world fades into the background in such a way where you can't seem to get back to at all.
Significant aspects of dissociation sometimes consist of a disconnect from perception and a loss of what's real and what's not. The difficulty of being able to snap out of it is usually what separates it from simple daydreaming to a full-on absorption that can truly impact your day-to-day life.
5. Feeling like you're watching yourself from the outside
simona pilolla 2 | Shutterstock
Feeling like you're standing outside of your body watching life happen is certainly not normal, even if some people think it is. It's actually one of the more unsettling signs of dissociation. Instead of feeling like you're inside of your body and in control, you instead feel like you're slightly removed from everything. It's like you're observing yourself the way you'd watch another person.
It's described as an estranged state of mind where you feel completely detached from your sense of self. It comes at the most unexpected times and can truly feel like you're being yanked from your body when, in reality, it is the brain's way of trying to pull you out of a situation it might deem as being dangerous, even though it usually isn't.
6. Walking into a room and standing there without knowing why
While entering a room, standing there for a second, looking around and even trying to retrace your steps because you've completely forgotten the reason why you entered in the first place, is a common phenomenon, doing it over and over again alongside never remembering your intention can be a sign of dissociation.
This is especially likely when your attention is already being stretched thin or shifting between different things at once. That sudden shift of having a clear reason for moving and then suddenly not having it anymore can be disorienting, even if it does only last a few seconds.
7. Words briefly losing meaning
During moments where you might be reading or thinking, it can feel disorienting when suddenly the words don't really make much sense anymore. For a moment, it can feel like you're just seeing a bunch of words strewn together rather than being able to see the meaning.
Most people might just brush it off as being a byproduct of them feeling tired. But when you look closer at it, it's more than just your brain short-circuiting in that moment. It indicates dissociation, meaning you may still recognize the words on the page but the meaning is entirely lost on you.
8. Struggling to follow your own train of thought
Because the main feature of dissociation is "a disruption in one or more mental functions," as a study published in Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience points out, you may find yourself thinking about something and it feels like you're on the right track, only to lose that thought quickly and in its entirety without knowing where you were trying to go.
It's not that the thought disappears completely either. It simply slips out of your reach before you're able to finish it. When experiencing this, it can sometimes feel like your thoughts are jumbled and incomplete. You might end up jumping from one idea to the next without even fully understanding how you got there in the first place.
9. Feeling like your thoughts are quieter than usual
fizkes | Shutterstock
Your mind might still be working, but that usual internal chatter that you're used to hearing suddenly feels harder to access. It's not exactly like you're existing in complete silence, but it's just not the same kind of presence in your thoughts that you're used to.
Your inner dialogue is seemingly gone, which makes it harder to grab onto the things you might be thinking about, at least compared to how it normally is. You might notice longer pauses happening between your thoughts and that you even have to work a little bit harder to think things through than you're normally used to.
10. Losing track of time while doing simple tasks
According to psychodynamic psychotherapist Santiago Delboy, when people experience trauma, it can distort their sense of time, and this disruption in continuity can alter an experience. "This can lead to a feeling of disconnection between different moments in time and a sense that the traumatic experiences are dissociated from the rest of our life," Delboy added.
So, it can be easy to find this harmless at first, but in actuality, losing track of time in the middle of a task can be a sign of dissociation. You start doing something that you may not have thought would take much time, then suddenly it feels like you're waking up in the middle of that task and realizing more time has passed than you anticipated.
It's not always obvious where that time has gone either. You were present and functioning during it, but your awareness of time simply drifted up and away.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
