Petrified like Medusa: A Post about Catatonic Dissociation.
(more like how catatonia and dissociation work, creating a devastating combo. oof!)
Have you ever got that feeling where you cannot move your limbs, say a word, or even breathe? Do you feel like all your functions had stopped as if it's a statue? Where everything ceases to a halt as your body betrays whilst doing your daily activities? Something else might felt wrong and odd too;
It's not just your imaginary,, it is something real that us, systems sometimes experience. May this post bring you understanding of today's topic!
The difference between catatonia and dissociation
Catatonia is similar to freeze response, the only difference lies on the reason, which is: it is usually a byproduct of something (usually by overwhelm), while freeze activates from stressful situations. Being catatonic means:
Stuck in a position, no matter how uncomfortable or what pose you're at.
Find it hard to execute/keep up with basic actions such as eating, drinking, breathing, or even blinking!
You find yourself actively struggling/fighting against the heavy friction of the unmoving body. Or is absent from any forms of thoughts, seemingly empty inside out.
Stiff, rigid movements, making soft skills harder to perform.
Dissociation on the other hand, is an active defense that works by flinging you out from there by any means. Making you feel physically + emotionally detached, and mentally not engaging the situation. It is a veil that blurs the details and such, minimizing as much damage as possible.. it can look like:
The world looking a bit slow, distorted, or unclear.
Tactile sensations and sounds feel toned down and damped.
Your thoughts and movement may or may not get sluggish/lagged.
Memories feels fuzzy, preventing clarity of the situation.
How it affects us, systems..
Catatonic dissociation can happen when we are faced with inevitable, stressful moments. Depending on how bad the situation is,, when you're dissociating, catatonia can slowly creep up on you and petrify everything from top to bottom.. like medusa; This alone can hinder the communication and body coordination in systems.
Luckily, you can be aware of the warning signs soon before it sets in, pay attention to:
Feeling a huge reduction in movement, or have confusion of it.
It's harder to speak clearly, possibly restricting volume or vocals.
You are unbothered when someone is pushing you, for example. And stayed passive/still trying to process what happened.
Finding yourself standing/sitting/etc longer than you'd expect to.
A change in switching patterns, or show clear struggle in attempt.
Things feels like it skipped a beat, and you 'snapped out' every few moments. As if you were put into a trance.
Additionally, catatonia-like dissociation can also happen when you are in the middle of the process of a switch, feeling extra blank and unmoving until a new fronter completely took over, too! To minimize discomfort and possible injuries, practice caution by choosing a safe, comfortable spot beforehand.
The takeaway and tips to overcome this:
This episode is temporary, lasting from a few minutes to an hour or two (there might be instances that it will be longer). Frequency is subjective,
There are things that can be done to ease and lesson such discomfort or struggles; starting from planning a tactic for this situation, minimizing current triggers/stressors, finding a spot to lay down/sit although it'll be hard.. so take this step steady, and stay comfortable until it disappears by itself. Grounding techniques could help, though i have not tried them myself, feel free to test the theory.
Lastly, this concludes the end of the post!
Thankyou for helping me decide which to do first, so please expect the other one to be out in a few weeks as i go down the rabbit hole, yet again. If you find this interesting, or helpful, or worthy of being shared to other people, i will appreciate every one of you who had read 'til the bottom of the post <3
jacobvanloon
