Understanding Dissociation: Signs, Symptoms, and Brain-Based Treatment Options
Dissociation is one of the most misunderstood mental health experiences—but it’s incredibly common. Many people live with dissociation without realizing what’s happening or why their mind seems to “check out” during stress, conflict, or emotional overwhelm.
In our practice, we specialize in brain-based therapy for dissociation, including neurofeedback and EMDR therapy, which help clients reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and safely process the root causes of dissociation.
Whether you experience mild spacing out or more intense detachment, this article will help you understand what dissociation is, why it happens, and how modern brain-based treatments can contribute long-term healing.
What Is Dissociation?
Dissociation is the brain’s way of protecting you when it senses danger or emotional overload. Instead of going into fight-or-flight, the mind might:
shut down
disconnect
numb out
escape inward
There can shame around dissociation when we begin to realize it's a stress response. But dissociation is not a weakness—it’s a survival strategy. Many people experience dissociation related to:
trauma or adverse childhood experiences
chronic stress
emotional neglect
overwhelming anxiety
sensory overload
long-term nervous system dysregulation
Understanding dissociation is the first step toward healing it.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Dissociation
Dissociation, like so many mental states, exists on a spectrum. For some people, it shows up subtly; for others, it can be intense and disruptive.
Here are the most common signs of dissociation:
1. Feeling “Checked Out” or Numb
A sense of emotional flatness or detachment from feelings.
2. Losing Time or Having Memory Gaps
You may not remember parts of conversations, events, or your day.
3. Feeling Disconnected From Yourself
A sense of watching yourself from the outside, or feeling like you’re not fully in your body.
4. Feeling Disconnected From Reality
The world may feel foggy, dreamlike, or unreal.
5. Difficulty Focusing
Trouble staying present, hearing information, or staying engaged in tasks.
6. Automatic or Robotic Behavior
Going through the motions without feeling mentally “there.”
7. Emotional Shutdown During Conflict
You may freeze, go blank, or feel like you disappeared inside.
Dissociation becomes problematic when it interferes with daily life, relationships, or functioning—or when you feel you have no control over it.
Why Dissociation Happens: The Brain-Based Explanation
Dissociation is fundamentally a nervous system response. When the brain perceives danger and believes fight or flight won’t work, it may shift into:
freeze
shutdown
collapse
detachment
This is regulated by neural circuits in the brain responsible for threat detection and survival. Over time, if someone experiences repeated stress or trauma, the brain learns that dissociation is the safest option—and begins using it even during non-dangerous situations.
This is why many people say:
“I go numb when emotions get too big.”
“I disappear inside during arguments.”
“My brain shuts down without warning.”
It’s not intentional—your brain is doing exactly what it learned to do to keep you safe.
Brain-Based Treatment Options for Dissociation
Healing dissociation is absolutely possible, especially when treatments address the nervous system, not just thoughts or behaviors. The most effective approaches help retrain the brain to feel safe enough to stay present.
Below are two of the most research-backed, brain-based treatments available.
1. Neurofeedback Therapy for Dissociation
Neurofeedback helps stabilize the brain and reduce the shutdown patterns that contribute to dissociation. It trains brainwave activity so the nervous system feels calmer, more regulated, and more connected.
Potential benefits of neurofeedback for dissociation include:
increasing here and now presence
improved emotional regulation
decreased freeze and shutdown responses
greater focus and awareness
greater ability to stay connected during therapy
reduced overwhelm and nervous system overload
Many clients report that neurofeedback helps them feel “anchored” in their body in a way they’ve never felt before.
2. EMDR Therapy for Dissociation
EMDR therapy is one of the most powerful tools for treating trauma, which is often at the root of dissociation. But EMDR is especially effective because it:
helps reprocess traumatic memories
reduces the need for dissociation as a coping mechanism
integrates fragmented experiences
builds the brain’s tolerance for emotional material
strengthens the ability to stay present during stress
EMDR helps the brain complete the processing that dissociation has been blocking. For clients with significant dissociation, EMDR is often paired with stabilization work and nervous system strengthening before deeper reprocessing begins. This ensures therapy feels safe, grounded, and productive.
Why Combining Neurofeedback + EMDR Works Best
For many clients, dissociation is rooted both in brainwave dysregulation and unprocessed trauma. This is why combining neurofeedback and EMDR often leads to the fastest, most stable improvements. Together, they help clients:
build nervous system capacity
stay present and grounded
process trauma without shutting down
reduce dissociative episodes
increase emotional resilience
reconnect with their bodies
strengthen long-term stability
This integrated approach treats dissociation at the source—not just the symptoms.
Dissociation is a natural response to overwhelming experiences, but it doesn’t have to remain your default. With the right support, your brain can learn new patterns, reconnect with your body, and feel safe enough to stay present. Our practice specializes in neurofeedback therapy, EMDR therapy, and trauma-informed treatment designed specifically for clients struggling with dissociation. If you’re ready to feel more grounded, more connected, and more in control, we’re here to help.
Written by: Mary Beth Stevens, LPCC, BCN
Exploring the Subconscious Mind with Psychodynamic Therapy and EMDR
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate” -Carl Jung (maybe)
“I am not what has happened to me, I am who I choose to become”- Carl Jung (allegedly)
These two quotes attributed to Carl Jung represent the lens through which I view therapy. Now, there is no general consensus whether he ever said these exact words. Likely people have condensed some of his longer teachings into these quotes. Unfortunately, Carl isn’t around to tell us, but the message remains the same: Becoming the person you want to be takes action.
In the ever-evolving landscape of psychotherapy, practitioners are continuously exploring new approaches and techniques to help clients heal and empower themselves. Two such methodologies - psychodynamic therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - offer distinct yet complementary tools for psychological healing. Their integration can offer a holistic approach to trauma recovery and personal growth.
At the heart of psychodynamic therapy lies the belief that much of our mental life operates outside of conscious awareness, driven by unconscious forces and dynamics. Through exploration of the unconscious mind, clients gain insight into the root causes of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, paving the way for lasting change and personal growth. Psychodynamic therapy often involves exploring early life experiences, attachment patterns, and the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship to uncover and resolve unconscious conflicts.
EMDR therapy offers a more structured approach to trauma treatment, focusing on processing distressing memories and resolving lingering symptoms. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR utilizes bilateral stimulation such as eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones to facilitate the reprocessing of memories. Through a series of guided protocols, clients are able to desensitize and reprocess past experiences, leading to symptom reduction and emotional healing.
Despite their differences, psychodynamic therapy and EMDR share a common goal: to help clients overcome psychological barriers and live more fulfilling lives. When integrated effectively, these two approaches can offer a powerful framework for trauma recovery and personal transformation.
Psychodynamic therapy and EMDR both emphasize the importance of the therapeutic relationship as a catalyst for healing by providing a safe and supportive environment in which to explore innermost thoughts and feelings. I believe this is the most important part of any therapy and what I focus on first.
Additionally, psychodynamic therapy and EMDR share a focus on the role of unconscious processes in shaping behavior and emotional experience. While standard EMDR primarily targets conscious memories of trauma, psychodynamic therapy delves deeper into the unconscious roots of psychological distress, exploring how early life experiences and relational patterns continue to influence clients' lives in the present. By integrating insights from psychodynamic theory into the EMDR process, therapists can help clients uncover and address underlying issues that may be contributing to their symptoms.
By blending these two modalities, I help my clients identify and explore the unconscious programming that has been running their lives, then rewrite it so they can begin living their most authentic life.
Written by: Grace Williamson, LPCC, BCN
What a Trauma Therapist Learns from Their Clients
Perseverance
Many of our clients come to us after years of trying talk therapy. Upon hearing that we do things a little differently here, they decide to try again with a new approach. That act alone is amazing-- that they can hold out enough hope to try a new thing. They keep sticking with it and find that there are practical ways we can assist their brain in healing itself. But they can't just come to a few sessions and experience the full benefit. They have to apply themselves, keep coming week after week, and keep hammering away at the blockages in their lives. The work required in the healing process is immense. The most successful of our clients are those that know they can't just expect to work hard for an hour a week and all will be well. They go home and apply things every single day. They commit to a new way of life. Nothing changes if nothing changes. This perseverance inspires me to keep applying the same healing principles in my own life, and not to slack off and expect my own therapist to do all the work for me, because it just doesn't work that way.
Creativity
In working with trauma, there tends to be a lot of imagination and imagery used, to bring in different resources to the client's inner experience. This has allowed me to see inside the imaginative world of clients like no other. Clients have allowed me to understand intimate moments between them and their younger selves or what it feels like for them to be at their most peaceful. I've seen monsters, healing figures, perfect imaginary worlds of fulfillment, and sacred boxes containing their most wounded selves. The innate wise self in each of my clients takes on such different forms but is uniquely creative and knows just what they need. It's a bit like reading a great novel, where the author has created a beautiful and complex world of creatures and characters. I get to visit these worlds, where my own mind is exposed to new ideas and is invited to grow.
Courage
Nothing inspires me to keep courage in my own life and healing process quite like my clients. The things we look at to reprocess in therapy are often dark and difficult, but they have seen what the other side can be like--being free from their past experiences and set free to enjoy what Is, now. So they dig deep and walk forward with me into the darkness. While there may be tears in that darkness, the darkness starts to let up, and they walk out into a clearing with lots of light. It's a terribly beautiful thing to witness, but what amazes me most is their grit to go there in the first place. It's not easy, but it is good.
Keep going. I'm here for it.
Written by: Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed, LPC, BCN
How to Find the Right Therapist for You
One of the most difficult parts of therapy is reaching out to get started. I wanted to write this blog for those who are thinking about reaching out, but aren’t sure where to start! Here are a few things you should know when looking to find a therapist that is right for you.
1. One of the easiest resources to help find a therapist is psychologytoday.com. You type in your zip code, and the therapists that show in the results are located within 5 miles. From there, you can filter further by the type of insurance you have, specific types of therapy, and more.
2. It can be helpful to know what therapist credentials mean since there are quite a few options! The CSWMFT Board can be a great resource to learn more about specific credentialing. Don’t worry, I’ve taken the information from their website (cswmft.ohio.gov) and summarized it here:
Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC, LPCC, LPCC-S) have specialized knowledge, education, and training in the fields of human behavior, counseling principles, counseling methods and problem solving.
LPC: Licensed Professional Counselor- a therapist with this license has earned a master’s degree in counseling and passed the licensure exam.
LPCC: An LPC may upgrade to a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) after completing two years of training experience under the supervision of an LPCC-S.
LPCC-S: Supervising Counselor- a therapist with this license has at least one year of post LPCC experience and additional continuing education hours in clinical supervision.
All Licensed Professional Counselors must complete 30 hours of continuing education every two-year renewal period.
Licensed Social Workers (LSW, LISW) have specialized knowledge, education and training in the fields of human development and behavior, methods of social intervention, social welfare and policy and social work theory.
LSW: Licensed Social Worker- a therapist with this credential has at least a bachelor’s degree in social work and has passed the national exam.
LISW: An LSW may upgrade to a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) after completing two-year post-master’s supervised experience and pass the national exam.
All Licensed Social Workers must complete 30 hours of continuing education every two-year renewal period.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT, IMFT) have specialized knowledge, education and training in the fields of human behavior, marriage and family studies, appraisal of individuals and families, and problem solving.
MFT: Marriage and Family Therapist- a therapist with this license has earned a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and passed the national exam.
IMFT: An MFT must complete a two-year post-graduate supervised experience period before becoming an Independent Marriage and Family Therapist (IMFT).
To keep their licenses, all MFTs must complete 30 hours of continuing education each two-year renewal period.
3. Another piece of information that will be helpful to know is the different types of therapies offered. Here are some common therapies you may see listed in your search:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behavior and emotions.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. After successful treatment with EMDR therapy, emotional distress is relieved, negative beliefs are reformulated, and physiological arousal is reduced.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified type of CBT. Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others.
Play Therapy is a method of therapy that uses play to uncover and deal with psychological issues, primarily used with children.
Neurofeedback (not so common) is a cutting edge, non-invasive, research supported approach for teaching the brain to function in a more balanced and healthy way. Individuals learn to self-regulate their own brain wave patterns through a learning process which can help improve many symptoms including mood, anxiety, sleep, relationships, memory and ability to focus on accomplishing goals.
4. Read bios of different therapists on Psychology Today, or on the company’s website. You might be able to get a feeling of which therapist might be a good fit for you. Usually, the bios will explain any specializations they may have, or populations that they work with most.
5. Once you choose a therapist, go for a few sessions before deciding if they are a good fit or not. The first session is always the intake and is filled with a lot of questions and a lot of information. It may take a few sessions to begin to feel more comfortable and get an idea of the therapist’s personal counseling style.
6. It’s okay to “shop around”. If you go to a few sessions, and still feel like the therapeutic relationship doesn’t quite click, it’s okay to ask for a different therapist at that company or find a new therapist elsewhere.
Written by: Olivia Clark, MA, LPC, BCN
5 Reasons You Should Try EMDR Therapy
EMDR, also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a revolutionary trauma-focused therapy designed to help people gain freedom from their traumatic experiences that have come to define how they approach life. Don’t get tripped up by the word trauma—trauma can be big events that we typically think of (e.g., bad car accidents, war combat, or sexual abuse), or less dramatic events that can impact us just as much (e.g. dysfunctional family dynamics, hurtful childhood experiences, or job loss).
Trauma is anything that your nervous system experiences as too much too soon, or too little for too long—when things are overwhelming. These experiences are then stored maladaptively in your body and brain, causing trouble. Everyone experiences trauma in some form and is impacted by their past, whether they’re aware of it or not. Here’s some reasons why you might consider trying this form of therapy for yourself.
1. You want freedom from your difficult past experiences
Many of us are triggered (again, whether we’re fully aware of it or not), by our past experiences in daily life. EMDR allows your body to fully process and re-digest the traumatic experience. The memory literally moves locations in your brain: from raw emotional memory storage to long term memory storage where it belongs. When this happens, your brain understands that the past is truly in the past, instead of experiencing it as a present reality (the feeling of being triggered).
2. You are sick of the same old patterns repeating in your life
Traumatic experiences create reactions in the brain that build templates for how we will act in the future. EMDR Therapy is designed to allow you to let go of those past experiences and create templates for better functioning in the future.
3. You find it hard to talk about (or remember!) your traumatic experiences
One of the coolest things about EMDR is that it doesn’t require you to go into detail about what has happened to you. It’s not necessary for your therapist to know all the nitty gritty details. You can keep those to yourself if you want, and the work can still be just as effective. This is also relevant for those whose memories around their trauma might be hazy. EMDR works with how the brain naturally stores traumatic memories, which involves body sensations, emotions, negative beliefs, and sensory experiences, not just autobiographical movie clip-type memory playback.
4. You want a natural approach to healing
Many clients come to us because of our focus on holistic, natural methods to healing. EMDR is as natural as you can get. EMDR therapists simply make the conditions right for your brain to be able to heal itself. This is why healing from EMDR is so deep and transformative. The body is able to work out the trauma, and the insights and new perspectives you’ll get are coming from your own mind—not the therapist’s.
5. You’ve tried talk therapy and it isn’t cutting it
EMDR is very efficient and powerful. Every 1 year of EMDR Therapy is about equivalent to 3 years of traditional talk therapy. I often get reports of how much EMDR has changed someone’s life in just a few weeks, after doing years and years of regular talk therapy elsewhere. EMDR is designed to get to the very root of your problems, instead of addressing symptoms of those problems. This ends up being more cost efficient, too, which is always a good thing.
Check out our page on EMDR for more information.
By Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed., LPC, BCN
Understanding the Triune Brain and Trauma
Over the last 2-3 decades, there has been a significant increase in findings related to brain development and functioning. Due to these developments, understanding trauma and the impacts to the human brain have directly correlated to finding successful interventions for trauma resolution…
Over the last 2-3 decades, there has been a significant increase in findings related to brain development and functioning. Due to these developments, understanding trauma and the impacts to the human brain have directly correlated to finding successful interventions for trauma resolution.
A Yale neuroscientist, Paul MacLean, described the brain as the “triune brain” or three brains in one that are developed in stages from bottom up.
Reptilian brain
Mammalian brain
Cerebral cortex.
Starting with the reptilian brain: located at the base of the skull and in charge of all the human functions we do not have “conscious control over.”
Brain stem: regulates breathing, digestion, reflex responses, blood pressure, bowl and bladder control
Cerebellum: coordinates balance, voluntary movements and posture
Basal ganglia: assists in coding procedural memory (routine behaviors or can viewed as muscle memory) and houses the reward center of the brain that helps encode habitual behaviors and learns from conditioning (positive/negative reinforcers)
Then the mammalian brain (limbic system): housed in the midbrain area, right above and between the brain stem. This part of the brain regulates human emotional responses and understanding of attachment. Overall, this part of the brain is involved in most of the “typical” trauma responses.
Thalamus: linked with the brainstem and receives sensory input from the external world, this part of the brain is unique due to its activity involving all levels of the brain (brain stem, limbic system, and pre-frontal cortex)
Hypothalamus: regulates autonomic nervous system responses (sympathetic-activation/increase in heart rate and parasympathetic-decrease in heart/rest), body temperature and food/drink intake
Amygdala: known as the “fear center” and has a direct link to the thalamus which sends the amygdala sensory information to assess in order to determine if stimuli is safe or unsafe. Depending on how amygdala assesses information, it sends signals to the hypothalamus to release specific hormones. For example, if an experience if pleasurable it may send dopamine (our reward neurotransmitter) or when around a loving care giver, it may release oxytocin (a neurotransmitter which promotes bonding and attachment). If stimuli is dangerous or unsafe, the amygdala will signal for hypothalamus to release cortisol or adrenaline which mobilize the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses
Hippocampus: sits directly on top of the amygdala and helps the brain organize emotional experiences into time and context. It sends the information to the pre-fontal cortex shifting implicit responses to explicit memory.
Lastly, the thinking brain or cerebral cortex: refers to the frontal lobes or outside layer of the brain, which separates humans from other mammals due to higher-thinking, language, and emotion regulation.
Separating the right from left hemispheres:
Right hemisphere: more directly linked to emotional brain, spatial reasoning, metaphorical thinking, nonverbal communication and processing negative emotions
Left hemisphere: has more connections to the pre-frontal cortex, analyzing logic, verbal communication, integrating positive emotions and organizing (sequencing) our life experiences in a coherent narrative.
Dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex: involved in working memory, decision making, planning, insight/awareness, and relationship to the external surroundings
Medial pre-frontal cortex: directly linked to emotion regulation and impulse control, receives input from the limbic system (specifically the amygdala and hippocampus) to form explicit memories and house conclusions/decisions based on our past experiences. However, when the emotional brain is highly activated, the medial pre-frontal cortex is unable to access executive functioning. For example, the term “he flipped out” is referring to emotional brain taking over responses and hindering the pre-frontal cortex to assist with regulation.
Putting it all together: So you have all this information regarding functions of different parts of the brain but what do this have to do with trauma? Let me break it down.
You are faced with a dangerous event
This sensory information is taken in through your senses and sent to the thalamus for the amygdala to determine if it is safe or unsafe. If it is unsafe, the hypothalamus releases hormones which activate the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses.
These responses are our brains efforts to do everything in our power to stay safe whether that is fighting, running away, or numbing ourselves to be able to endure significant pain.
In efforts to insure safety for the future, the amygdala encodes all the sensory information associated with the dangerous/threatening event to form implicit memory.
Implicit memory includes the felt experience portion of the memory:
The most significant part (worst image)
Cognitions: conclusions/meanings made about self, others, and world
Emotions experience in the event
Body sensations: what did you feel in your body when the event happened
The amygdala will encode the implicit memory and anything moving forward which seems the same or similar (anything that brings up the worst part, cognitions, emotions, and/or body sensations) to the original event will trigger the fight, flight, freeze, fawn response.
Keeping the cerebral cortex from being able to shift sensory stimuli to explicit memory which can be filed away in long term memory (the factual details of the event, knowing there is a beginning and end, and overall meaning of the event).
What can help?:
There are several therapies which are evidenced based and found to be helpful in stabilization and resolution of trauma.
Here at Alternative Therapeutics, EMDR (Eye Movement De-sensitization and Re-processing) therapy is the major therapy utilized.
EMDR utilizes our brains natural healing process by accessing memory networks with bilateral stimulation.
Bilateral stimulation (or dual attention stimulus in EMDR talk) is the process using specific sensory stimuli (visual, auditory or tactile) to create rhythmic left-right pattern.
For example:
Eye movements: following the therapist’s hand in a back and forth pattern with your eyes
Auditory/Tactile: using a machine called a theratapper or audio/tac machine which includes tappers: which vibrate to facilitate the back/forth rhythm and headphones: which use a tone to facilitate the back/forth rhythm
This left-right pattern assists with keeping the person present and focused on a certain stimulus, while simultaneously having them bring up a distressing memory, thought, emotion, and/or body sensation.
EMDRIA reports, “this process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion).
Researcher and well-known therapist, Arielle Schwartz says: “EMDR Therapy changes maladaptive neural networks by connecting the traumatic memory with new information. The distressing thoughts and emotions are blended with new positive thoughts and emotions; embodied awareness allows frozen sensations in the body to resolve through healing movements.”
Overall, EMDR helps the person with shifting implicit responses to explicit memory by reducing the level of disturbance related to the distressing event, installing 2. a healthier conclusion/meaning related to the event, and releases any discomfort still held in the body.
For more questions regarding EMDR or how trauma impacts the brain, feel free to contact us!
This blog was adapted from the work of Paul MacLean, Courtney Armstrong, Daniel Siegel, Mary Vicario, EMDRIA and Bessel Van Der Kolk.
Please see these resources for more information:
https://www.findinghopeconsulting.com/
“Rethinking Trauma Treatment: Attachment, Memory Reconsolidation, and Resilience” by Courtney Armstrong
“Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation” by Daniel Siegel
“The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Written by: Chase Harshbarger, MA, LPCC