I Go Numb or 'Leave My Body': Signs & Therapy for Dissociation
- ✓I've lost entire afternoons and don't know where the time went
- ✓I watch myself have conversations like I'm floating outside my body
- ✓My partner sent me this link after I 'checked out' for ten minutes mid-argument
You're not broken—your nervous system is using an old survival strategy.
Up to 30 percent of people with trauma responses experience dissociation. According to the NIMH, feelings of detachment after trauma are common—and they often signal your system is trying to protect you, not that something is wrong with you.
This isn't weakness or 'being dramatic.' Dissociation is your nervous system's way of creating distance when things feel too intense. Many people who experience [trauma triggers](/topics/trauma/trauma-triggers/) find that their system swings from hyperarousal to this shutdown state. It's a protection strategy that made sense once, and you can learn to work with it.
Why Dissociation Happens (The Shutdown Response)
Your nervous system isn't broken—it's learned to protect you. When your threat response hits a threshold, your system can shift into hypoarousal: a shutdown state that creates distance from overwhelming sensations. Research shows this 'cold' state is just as much a trauma response as hypervigilance, just at the opposite end of the spectrum. This isn't a character flaw; it's [emotional regulation](/topics/trauma/emotional-numbness/) gone into protective overdrive. According to the NIMH, feelings of detachment after trauma may signal worse mental health outcomes if left unaddressed, making professional support crucial for restoring your sense of self.
Signs You're Experiencing Dissociation (Numbness & Disconnection)
- •**You Lose Time:** Hours pass and you can't account for them, or you find yourself somewhere with no memory of getting there.
- •**You Feel Like You're Watching Yourself:** Conversations, work, even intimate moments feel like they're happening to someone else.
- •**Your Body Doesn't Feel Like Yours:** Touch, temperature, even your own reflection can feel foreign or unreal.
- •**The Shame Afterward:** You feel like a ghost in your own life, and the disconnect from people you love hurts more than the numbness.
Something to try
The Cold-Water Reset (DBT TIPP Skill)
Splash ice-cold water on your face for 30 seconds, or hold an ice cube in your hand. This triggers the Mammalian Dive Reflex, forcing your nervous system to downregulate and pull you back into your body. Research from DBT literature shows temperature change is one of the fastest ways to shift physiological state and interrupt dissociation.
This is an anchor in a storm—to change the pattern, you need therapy that maps your triggers and rebuilds your sense of safety from the inside out.
What to expect in therapy
Therapy for dissociation starts with stabilization—learning to stay present before processing trauma. Your clinician may use Somatic-Informed Care to track body sensations, Trauma-focused CBT for skills, or EMDR with careful pacing, always matching the modality to your system's tolerance. The goal isn't to force presence, but to build it gradually.
With the right support, you can feel present in your life again without needing to leave your body to survive.
Ready for support that fits?
If grounding exercises haven't stuck because you can't feel your body to begin with, or if past therapy moved too fast and you checked out—we get it. You need a clinician who understands dissociation and knows how to work with a system that's learned to disappear. You don't have to figure out which therapy works; we do that for you.