Understanding Trauma

Understand trauma and its effects with clear, trauma-informed insights. Explore dissociation, CPTSD, emotional abuse, and how trauma shapes identity, memory, and the nervous system.

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What is DDNOS/OSDD? Understanding Other Specified Dissociative Disorder

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Understanding DDNOS and OSDD DDNOS (Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) and OSDD (Other Specified Dissociative Disorder) are diagnostic categories for people who experience significant dissociative symptoms that don’t quite fit the criteria for other specific dissociative disorders like Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or Dissociative Amnesia (Brand et al., 2016). In 2013, the diagnostic manual (DSM-5) […]

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What is Depersonalisation?

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Understanding Depersonalisation Depersonalisation is a dissociative experience where you feel detached or disconnected from yourself—your thoughts, feelings, body, or sense of identity. It’s like watching yourself from the outside, as if you’re an observer of your own life rather than actively living it. People experiencing depersonalisation often describe feeling like they’re “not themselves,” living in

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What is Derealisation?

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Understanding Derealisation Derealisation is a dissociative experience where the world around you feels unreal, dreamlike, or somehow “off.” It’s as if you’re looking at the world through a fog, a glass barrier, or like you’re watching everything happen in a movie rather than experiencing it directly (Sierra & David, 2011). People experiencing derealisation often describe

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Dissociation vs Other Experiences: Understanding the Differences

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Why Understanding Differences Matters Grounding Check-In Take a moment to notice: Where are you right now? What can you see, hear, and feel? You are safe in this moment, and you can pause or stop reading at any time if you need to. Dissociation is often confused with other mental health experiences, which can lead

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