How Do Different Models Explain Dissociative Disorders and What Are the Latest Research Findings?

What you need to know

• Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, and perception that affect 1-20% of people
• Rather than trauma alone, multiple factors contribute including sleep problems, emotion regulation issues, and cognitive failures
• Treatment needs to address multiple systems including sleep, emotion regulation, and beliefs about the self

Understanding Dissociation in Daily Life

Have you ever driven home and realized you don’t remember parts of the journey? Or been so absorbed in a book or movie that you lost track of time and your surroundings? These are common examples of non-pathological dissociation that we all experience. However, for some people, dissociation becomes severe enough to significantly disrupt their lives and relationships.

What Are Dissociative Disorders?

Dissociative disorders include conditions like Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID, formerly known as multiple personality disorder) and Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder (DDD). In DID, people experience their identity as fragmented into distinct personality states. With DDD, people feel detached from themselves or their surroundings, as if they’re watching their life from outside their body or living in a dream.

Moving Beyond Simple Explanations

Historically, experts have debated whether dissociation stems primarily from trauma (the posttraumatic model) or from social and cultural influences that shape how people interpret their experiences (the sociocognitive model). However, new research suggests both views are too simplistic. Instead, dissociation likely involves multiple interacting factors including:

• Sleep disturbances and dream-like experiences intruding into waking life
• Problems regulating emotions and inhibiting unwanted thoughts
• Difficulty distinguishing between real and imagined experiences
• Challenges in accurately perceiving and labeling internal states
• Tendency for thoughts to become overly associative and disconnected

How Sleep and Dissociation Connect

One of the most interesting findings is how closely sleep and dissociation are linked. Poor sleep quality, unusual sleep experiences, and daytime drowsiness all increase dissociative experiences. This may happen because the boundary between waking and sleeping states becomes too permeable, allowing dream-like experiences to intrude into waking consciousness.

The Role of Emotion Regulation

Research shows that difficulty identifying and managing emotions plays a major role in dissociation. When people struggle to recognize and regulate their emotional states, they may feel disconnected from their experiences or attribute their emotions to different personality states. Learning emotion regulation skills is therefore an important treatment focus.

What This Means for You

If you or someone you know experiences dissociation:

• Prioritize good sleep habits and address any sleep problems
• Learn to identify and label emotions more accurately
• Practice grounding techniques to stay present in the moment
• Consider therapy approaches that target multiple areas including sleep, emotion regulation, and beliefs about the self
• Remember that dissociation exists on a spectrum - occasional experiences are normal
• Seek professional help if dissociation significantly impacts daily functioning

Conclusions

• Dissociation involves multiple interacting factors rather than a single cause
• Sleep quality and emotion regulation are key treatment targets
• An integrated treatment approach addressing multiple systems offers the most promise
• More research is needed to develop targeted, evidence-based treatments