Hi. My name is Trish Fotheringham.
I have a message for you about the important topic of
Dissociation.
As a survivor of ongoing trauma, in the form of ritualized abuse, torture, and mind control, my questing
mind led me to glean valuable life experience and understanding. This is what I want to share with you.
My
personal journey taught me to recognize patterns within Dissociation, and within our Beliefs about ourselves, the
world we live in, and our place in that world. Patterns that appear in, and apply to, all levels of human existence
-.individual, communal, global, natural/ environmental, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual - you name it, as far as I
can tell, these patterns apply to everything!
Everyone is Dissociative!
Do
You Know How Dissociation Affects You?
Dissociation
affects us all, to varying degrees. Some of us are more aware and connected to ourselves,
our feelings, experiences, thoughts, perceptions, beliefs and motivations, others less so. Some of us remember every little
detail of events, while others remember other, very different details of the same event.
Although this is partly based on where our attention is focused at the time, what we experience and
remember also depends on other factors, such as hunger, thirst, fear, safety, trust, past experiences, tiredness, calmness,
and sooooo much more.
Amidst these common factors is where understanding Dissociation
begins.
What
is Dissociation?
Dissociation is
a natural, necessary, built-in human coping mechanism.
Dissociation
exists to protect us, make our lives better, help us.
Often, Dissociation interferes
instead, complicating lives through Dissociative responses and effects that do not serve individual best interests, or the
best interests of society in general. This is because Dissociation encompasses
a broad Spectrum of responses in the human body, mind, heart, and soul.
One end of the Dissociative Spectrum applies to simple day-to-day human functions, occurences
such as dissociating the conversation at the next table in the restaurant so you can hear what your friend is saying at your
table, or dissociatively overriding the pain of stubbing your toe as you run for the telephone. These are not really consciously
chosen actions - they are simply natural dissociative functions at work, helping us through our daily lives.
At the other end of the Dissociative Spectrum, we essentially find the varying effects
of trauma played out in the human condition. This end involves less common, more severe societal and individual ills,
including such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D.), (used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder or M.P.D.) and
a variety of other psychiatric diagnoses and extreme criminal activities.
The entirety of the Dissociative Spectrum makes the truths about, and answers to, a vast
array of human challenges, conditions, and dysfunctions easy to recognize and understand. From simple, everyday
"make-life-easier-or-better" impacts through to vast and seemingly impossible changes, the Dissociative Spectrum
offers us all abundant opportunities for co-creating a happier, more sustainable world where we can all thrive.
Understanding how Dissociation works, and applying understanding of the Dissociative Spectrum
to all aspects of life and society is already bringing about inevitable positive change!
