An effect of trauma
Dissociation or feeling detached from yourself
Dissociation is what the nervous system does when what is happening is too much to stay present for. It can feel like watching your life from outside your body. Like moving through fog. Like time disappearing. Like being in a room and not really being there. Like parts of your life you cannot fully remember. It developed because it worked. It kept you here. The problem is that it can become the default even when the danger is gone.
One more thing worth saying plainly: this began as protection. At some point it was the thing that got you through. If it is still running now that the danger has passed, that is not a flaw in you. It is proof of how hard something once worked to keep you safe.
It can sound like
If any of those sentences live in your head too, you are in good company here.
Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and nothing here decides what is wrong with you, because nothing is wrong with you. Something happened to you. This page exists so that when you are ready, you can find people who understand it from the inside.
You do not have to carry this alone.
Bridge of Hope Recovery is a free, anonymous, peer-led fellowship for trauma survivors. Meetings run throughout the week by phone, by video, and in person. No cost, no waitlist, no one asking for your real name.