I Suffer With A Dissociative Disorder — Here’s How I’m Surviving Motherhood In A Pandemic
You can be a good parent, even if your disorder tells you otherwise
Having a dissociative disorder makes motherhood feel that little bit harder. It makes mothers feel isolated and alone, unable to connect with their children and family life. The truth is that trauma-related dissociation isolates us, but this is a lie. Yes, I am struggling, but I know I am not alone.
There is a spectrum when it comes to dissociation and dissociative disorders. It can range from checking out of reality in order to cope in a situation you cannot escape, to the brain splitting into several alters in order to cope with the trauma (known as Dissociative Identity Disorder).
For me, I sometimes have trouble connecting with the world around me because it feels like a very melancholic, greyscale dream. I daydream so deeply that hours can pass and I won’t remember what I’ve done, or what I was thinking about once I have returned to reality.
I suffer with with a dissociative disorder known as depersonalization and derealization disorder (DPDR). Depersonalization is feeling disconnected from self, whilst derealization is feeling disconnected from the world around you. It is possible to have one or the…
