“You can’t be present and dissociated at the same time.” These wise words from co-host Jennifer Wallace encompasses why this topic is so important to explore. Presence is the truth of our emotions and our reality, because we cannot heal what we do not feel. Being present with our emotions, and feeling them in our body, allows us to truly understand and heal our nervous system in ways that dissociating from the body cannot. This is a powerful conversation highlighting what goes on in the brain and nervous system when we dissociate, and how this protective mechanism can become maladaptive when its original function no longer serves us. There is a way to overcome dissociation and authentically feel emotions in the body to truly heal. In this episode, Elisabeth Kristoff and Jennifer Wallace deep dive into dissociation and its characteristics. The discussion begins with defining what dissociation is and how it is learned at an early age as a protective mechanism, followed by unraveling how dissociation shows up in the brain, specifically which brain structures are involved in disassociation, as well as the connection between the vagus nerve and the interoceptive system as it pertains to dissociation. It’s not enough to just understand these concepts intellectually, the real healing happens when we can experience them, which means feeling them in our bodies. That’s where Neurosomatic Intelligence Coaching comes in, where we teach you the tools you need to heal the whole self, and move out of dissociation and into the body in a safe way. Tune in for this and more! Topics discussed in this episode: Definition of dissociation How dissociation is on a spectrum The protective aspects of dissociation How dissociation gets wired in the brain from an early age The function of the thalamus and how it’s related to dissociation The deep connection between the vagus nerve and the interoceptive system How the brain makes predictions based on our past experiences The possibility to train in new protective skills that are not maladaptive Knowing about the nervous system is not the same as experiencing it Spiritual bypassing and dissociation The importance of presence in understanding the truth of emotions Contact us about private Rewire Neuro-Somatic Coaching: https://brainbased-wellness.com/rewire-private-neuro-somatic-coaching/ Learn more about the Neuro-Somatic Intelligence Coaching program and sign up for the spring cohort now! https://www.neurosomaticintelligence.com Get started training your nervous system with our FREE 2-week offer on the Brain Based Membership site: https://www.rewiretrial.com Connect with us on social media: @trauma.rewired Join the Trauma Rewired Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/761101225132846 FREE 1 Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens when you use my exclusive offer: https://www.drinkag1.com/rewired This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Trauma Rewired podcast is intended to educate and inform but does not constitute medical, psychological or other professional advice or services. Always consult a qualified medical professional about your specific circumstances before making any decisions based on what you hear. We share our experiences, explore trauma, physical reactions, mental health and disease. If you become distressed by our content, please stop listening and seek professional support when needed. Do not continue to listen if the conversations are having a negative impact on your health and well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, or in mental health crisis and you are in the United States you can 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If someone’s life is in danger, immediately call 911. We do our best to stay current in research, but older episodes are always available. We don
Today we are diving into a big dissociation, which is not actually one of the five distinguishing characteristics of CPTs, originally defined by Pete Walker.
But I really feel like it should be because so many people with complex trauma have the experience of dissociating in big ways and small ways.
And it's one of everybody's favorite, favorite topics to discuss on here.
So I'm really excited because today we're going to take a deep dive into understanding what's going on in the brain and the nervous system so that people have a better awareness of what's happening inside of themselves.
And it's always fun to dive deep into this topic.
So welcome to trauma rewired, the podcast that teaches you about your nervous system, how trauma lives in the body, and what you can do to heal.
I'm your co host, Elizabeth Christof, and I'm the founder of Brainbase.com, an online membership where we train the nervous system for resilience, behavior change and trauma re patterning.
And I'm also the founder of neurosomatic intelligence coaching certification.
And I'm your co host, Jennifer Wallace.
I'm a neurosomatic psychedelic preparation and integration guide, bridging the powerful modalities of your unique nervous system and the sacred spaces of peak somatic experiences.
And I'm also an educator for the neurosomatic intelligence coaching certification.
And we really hope you enjoy this re exploration of dissociation.
Like Elizabeth said, we hear so much from you about how much you like to talk and hear more about dissociation.
And we thought it was really important to come back on a year or so later to like we did with the CPTS series, like just getting a little bit more altitude on it and having our own experiences and working with clients for just that more time.
And so let's start with defining dissociation.
Dissociation, it's a phenomenon where a person experiences a disconnection between different aspects of their consciousness, identity, memory, and perception.
It's a protective response that is learned when it's too much to stay in our bodies.
It's a response that often gets patterned in development, and it continues to affect people as the triggers get repeated and activate a neurotag, which we're going to get into a little bit later.
It's really important to understanding where and what's happening during dissociation, why it's happening, and how we can start to heal it.
Because you can't be present and be dissociated at the same time.