I have written before about how dissociation is everywhere.  And honestly, considering the vastness of the human population, the response to it has been lackluster.  Even people who acknowledge their own dissociation aren’t always ready to admit the prevalence of it in the world today.  And that makes sense.  One of the primary abusive strategies is to make us feel isolated and different.  So our very dissociation is set up to make us feel it isn’t common.  But as I have awakened to my own dissociation, I see it almost everywhere in almost everyone.  I know you are thinking that is obvious because I work with clients who dissociate.  But I see it throughout my daily life too.

Dissociation is a primary coping mechanism for children living in a scary world.  It isn’t something that has to be taught.  It is a natural response to a threatening environment.  And to children, it is quite common for something to feel threatening.  The event doesn’t have to be newsworthy to trigger a dissociative response.  And the dissociation doesn’t have to be debilitating and obvious for it to be dissociation.  Dissociation can be as simple as leaving the keys in the refrigerator or driving to work without really knowing how we got there (lost in thought).  This is how it works and we are all dealing with it.  So why is nobody talking about it?  It is important that we understand what is happening here.

We have relied on dissociation since the day we were born.  Actually, we have relied on dissociation since before we were born with the previous generations.  The emotional pain that runs through humanity feels too big to conquer.  It feels beyond our capacity to dig our way out of the collective muck that has accumulated through the generations of trauma before us.  So we suppress it.  We shove it deep into the crevices of our systems hoping to never see it again.  And when a new hopeful generation is born, we do the same thing to them.  We project our denial onto them.  “Don’t feel.  You don’t need to feel.  Just get on with life.  You’ll be fine.”  But there’s an important understanding about dissociation.  We cannot use it if we consciously know it’s there.  It only exists in the shadows.  So we can’t talk about it.

The prevalence of trauma and dissociation in the world feels too big.  If we acknowledge our own dissociation, we will see it in others.  And we will be faced with the global nature of trauma and dissociation.  And I’ll be honest, it can be overwhelming to see the world in this way.  But the overwhelm is outweighed by the relief of understanding why the world is in so much trouble.  When we can see the parts and their survival strategies, the fear that people are operating from, and the systematic defense of our pain, things make more sense.  And honestly, this may be one of the only places we can find real hope.  Change can happen as we heal.

It is one big purposeful cover-up.  Now you may read this and think I am going all conspiracy theory on you.  But think about it for a minute.  Dissociation is not just a survival mechanism.  It is a powerful way that people can control others, especially children.  If someone tells your conscious mind to do something, you have a choice.  You might say yes or you might say no.  But if someone traumatizes you enough to dissociate you and they tell you to do something, you don’t have much of a choice.  You now have an unconscious inner part who is programmed to do what they want.  And until you discover it, they can get you to do it anytime by activating that part.  People are purposefully using this concept in abusive families, cults, organizations and even governments.  And they certainly don’t want you to know about it.  So dissociative amnesia will be continually discredited, not because it’s fake, but because it is being used for horrible reasons.  People will lose power if it is known by the mainstream population.  Before you write this off as extreme, think about it.  Why are you writing if off?  And where did you learn that?

Waking up to dissociation isn’t just a suggestion or option.  It is a significant contributing factor to solving the problems that plague humanity today.  As we heal our dissociation, we will understand how to take new action to solve problems we never thought were solvable.  Waking up to dissociation is the most important action we can take to change the world in a positive way.  So wake up to this sleeping world.  Take time to process the fear that keeps you from connecting with your unconscious.  Defy the old controlling ways and learn to live with awareness.  Change your life and you will be changing the world.