Dr. Skinner, is disassociation a major concern?
How do you help a teen who is doing this?
Uh, well, there there's a little bit of complexity
to the question itself.
So in all human behaviors, in some ways,
we all disassociate, daydreaming could be a form
of disassociating.
So I, I almost have to say, what is the severity
and the reason for the disassociation?
Is it be related to stress? Is it related to trauma?
Is it disassociating not paying attention to what's going on
around me because my mind is elsewhere.
Not necessarily trauma related,
it's just thinking about other things.
So I, I, I guess that's, uh, part of the question is
disassociation, is to be separate from self.
Uh, that's one simple definition.
And so I would want to understand the reason,
or for the disassociation, don't know the why.
I would want to understand the why there.
So I think, uh, the first part of it, uh,
disassociation can be for protection purposes.
It's actually the body's way of saying, I don't want
to be present in this experience
because I don't know how to deal
with this event or this stress.
So it's not a uncommon
or atypical for individuals in high levels of stress or,
or trauma to disassociate from self
because it's overwhelming their system.
Now, if that's the extent of it, that
that's pretty significant,
but just understand it is the body's way
of protecting itself.
And so Oprah Winfrey
and Bruce Perry, Dr. Bruce Perry, wrote a wonderful book.
Boy, I don't know if I can come up with
that title on my own.
It's, uh, maybe what happened to you.
Uh, I think that's what it's called.
Uh, Bruce Perry and, uh, Dr. Perry and,
and Oprah Winfrey, I think it's called What Happened To You.
But they, in that book, there's a wonderful description
of disassociation, which makes it actually understood.
And it's not a negative thing,
it's just a way that we respond.
He has a section in there on disassociation.
Uh, it's a really powerful book.
I, I, I think if you wanna understand human behavior,
that book or in
and of itself is really a powerful, uh, book that explores
how life happens and, and, and how it changes us.
So I, I really like that book as a reference, Michelle.
