Hello! I'm new to the forum, but a "veteran" to CPTSD, unfortunately. I acquired my CPTSD after 20 years of law enforcement and rescue work. It was the CPTSD that caused the end of my career (early).
Disassociation was a really big problem in the beginning , when things hit a breaking point 20+ years ago. For me, it has never gone away, but has gotten "easier" to deal with. For me personally, I have learned to steer clear of triggering situations, which helps cut down on incidents. I am close and honest with my spouse and she is aware of when I disassociate. She physically places hands on me and will "dig" fingers in to make me notice and keep talking to me. The physical stimulation often helps me reconnect to the here and now real world. Snapping back to present takes real internal mental effort though! It is always easier and more comfortable for me to just "zone out", but that never really helps anything. Mentally snapping yourself back takes practice.....lots if it! I eventually adopted the use of a psychiatric service dog. Life changing! She alerts on my earliest stress or agitation and forces me to interact with her BEFORE a dissociative spell kicks in. Since using a dog, my disassociation spells have slowed to the very occasional occurrence. Disassociation for me , begins before I am aware it is starting. The dog clues into that right away and breaks that cycle. A service dog can be life changing if they fit with your situation. The big draw back is making ones invisible disability, very visible!
Disassociation was a really big problem in the beginning , when things hit a breaking point 20+ years ago. For me, it has never gone away, but has gotten "easier" to deal with. For me personally, I have learned to steer clear of triggering situations, which helps cut down on incidents. I am close and honest with my spouse and she is aware of when I disassociate. She physically places hands on me and will "dig" fingers in to make me notice and keep talking to me. The physical stimulation often helps me reconnect to the here and now real world. Snapping back to present takes real internal mental effort though! It is always easier and more comfortable for me to just "zone out", but that never really helps anything. Mentally snapping yourself back takes practice.....lots if it! I eventually adopted the use of a psychiatric service dog. Life changing! She alerts on my earliest stress or agitation and forces me to interact with her BEFORE a dissociative spell kicks in. Since using a dog, my disassociation spells have slowed to the very occasional occurrence. Disassociation for me , begins before I am aware it is starting. The dog clues into that right away and breaks that cycle. A service dog can be life changing if they fit with your situation. The big draw back is making ones invisible disability, very visible!