I Feel Like a Ghost - Am I Disassociating?

Pynk Spots

02/06/21 • 71 min

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Today I am flying solo for my first Pynk Spots advice episode! I answer a question from Anonymous (she/her):
My depression and anxiety have been exacerbated by quarantine. I’ve heard disassociating and disassociation in mental health communities but haven’t researched it much.

In a conversation with a friend, I mentioned that I have been having a hard time and feel like I’ve been disassociating. She immediately told me that is not a term I should use for ‘zoning out’ (not what I said) because it’s a mental health condition that her sister has and it’s really serious and scary.

I thought it was a broader term than the symptoms she described that her sister has so now I’m confused, and I’m also hurt that she felt the need to jump in and focus on that instead of being with me in a vulnerable moment. I often feel like a ghost when I’m alone for an extended period of time, or when I’m feeling very depressed I find myself disconnecting from how my body feels.

I know you have talked about disassociating before and was wondering if you would be comfortable talking about your experiences and help me to understand if this is what is happening to me, as I don’t want to appropriate the term if it’s not. Also, am I right in feeling hurt about my friend taking that time to have an educational moment with me?

We dig deep on disassociation, what it is and what it looks like, what causes us to disassociate, and I give a lot of personal testimony along the way.

Resources

Dr. Devon Price's Essay "Therapy Isn't For Everyone" (Medium.com)
Dissociation and dissociative disorders (mind.org.uk)
Dissociation And Dissociative Disorders (Mental Health America)
Dissociation FAQs (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation)

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02/06/21 • 71 min

Pynk Spots - I Feel Like a Ghost - Am I Disassociating?

Transcript

Nichole [00:00:11] Welcome to Pynk Spots, a queer anarchist space where we smash the patriarchy by celebrating what is strong about being soft. Here we'll explore what is vulnerable, raw, hurt, healed, sensual, queer and controversial. So join me and my friends from around the Internet as we talk about deep shit and prove, as Janelle Monáe said, that pink is the truth you can't hide.
Nichole [00:00:46] Hey everybody, welcome to Pynk Spots Advice. As I've mentioned on recent streams, I real

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