For years, I struggled with dissociation. It was as if I was floating outside my body, disconnected from reality, and it impacted my ability to engage fully with my life. It took me a long time to figure out how to stop dissociation, but eventually, I found a path that worked. Now, I want to share that with you.
What Is Dissociation?
Dissociation is when you feel disconnected from yourself or the world around you. It can feel like you’re watching your life from the sidelines, or that reality is slipping away. Scientifically, it’s understood as a defense mechanism. When your brain faces overwhelming stress or trauma, it activates survival responses—fight, flight, or freeze. In dissociation, your brain “disconnects” to protect itself from emotional overload, blocking certain neural pathways that process your experiences.
For many of us, like me, dissociation becomes an automatic response to emotional overload. Growing up in a turbulent household, dissociation became my way of coping with the chaos. It allowed me to tune out the intensity, but it also kept me disconnected from everything, including myself.
Why Dissociation Matters
Dissociation isn’t just a mental health symptom—it affects every part of your life. It creates a wall between you and your emotions, relationships, and experiences. When dissociation becomes a habit, it can contribute to anxiety, depression, and emotional isolation.
For me, dissociation led to deep loneliness. I couldn’t connect with others because I was too detached from myself. I remember feeling like a spectator, watching others engage while I remained distant and unable to truly participate. But then I found the cure…
How to Stop Dissociation With Meditation
Meditation became my solution. It’s how I stopped feeling like a ghost in my own life. And now, as a meditation teacher, I help others overcome dissociation too.
Meditation gradually helps you reconnect with your emotions, your body, and the present moment, pulling you out of that detached state. But it is important to meditate in a specific way, because there is a bizarre link between meditation and dissociation
Here’s the 5-step process that helped me stop dissociation in its tracks:
1. Start with Mindful Breathing
Mindful breathing is key to calming your nervous system. However, too much focused breathing can sometimes worsen dissociation. That’s why I teach a special form of mindful breathing that’s designed to ground you and reconnect you to your body. In my practice, I use “anchor points”—simple things like the feeling of your feet on the ground or the sounds around you. These points help keep you rooted, even as you relax.
2. Connect with Thoughts and Feelings
The next step is reconnecting with your thoughts and emotions. This is where Vipassana meditation comes in. It helps you tune into your emotions without judgment, allowing you to observe them rather than suppress them. You learn to label your feelings, which helps you process them without becoming overwhelmed.
In my lessons, I guide clients through Vipassana exercises to help them stay present with their emotions and thoughts—without getting lost in them.
3. Tune Into Your Body
Dissociation often leads to disconnection from the body and depersonalization, which is why somatic meditation and body scan techniques are crucial. These practices help you focus on the sensations in your body, bringing you back to yourself. Somatic meditation takes this a step further, encouraging you to release stress and trauma, leading to a deeper connection with your body and emotions.
By practicing these techniques, my clients restore balance and regain a sense of physical and emotional grounding.
4. Connect with Your Environment
As dissociation pulls you inward, it’s easy to forget the world around you. Open Awareness meditation helps you reconnect with your environment by expanding your focus beyond your internal experience. This practice encourages you to notice your surroundings using all five senses.
I remember how hard it was to truly connect with my environment after years of dissociation. But through Open Awareness, I learned to appreciate simple things—like the sound of birds or the warmth of a cup of tea. It’s through these small moments that you start reconnecting with life.
5. End with Self-Compassion
Finally, we end with Compassion Meditation. This practice encourages you to offer yourself the same kindness and understanding you would to a close friend. After years of emotional detachment, this was essential for my healing. It helped me treat myself with care and understanding, which was a crucial part of reestablishing my emotional connection.
Every Step Matters
What makes this approach so powerful is its holistic nature. Dissociation affects everyone differently—whether it’s emotional detachment, body numbness, or feeling cut off from the world. By combining these techniques, I offer a personalized path to healing, addressing dissociation from multiple angles.
The Importance of Consistency
The key to overcoming dissociation is consistency. Meditation isn’t a one-time fix; it’s a practice. I encourage my clients to meditate for at least 15 minutes every day and check in regularly to stay on track.
When I first began meditating, I didn’t see immediate results. But by being consistent, I started feeling more grounded and connected to my emotions. The fog of dissociation began to lift, and I found myself re-engaging with my life.
Accountability and Support
Support and accountability are essential. I ask my clients to check in with me after each session. This not only keeps them motivated but helps them stay connected to their practice. If they miss a check-in, I send a friendly reminder to keep them on track.
Taking the Next Step
If you’re struggling with dissociation, meditation can be an effective tool to help you heal. By practicing mindful breathing, Vipassana, somatic meditation, Open Awareness, and Compassion Meditation, you can begin to reconnect with yourself, your emotions, and the world around you.
With the right support and consistency, lasting change is within reach. If you’re ready to take the next step, I offer personalized meditation lessons to help you dive deeper and begin your journey toward a more connected life.
Ready to take the next step? Book a personalized meditation session with me today, and start reconnecting with yourself, your emotions, and your life.
Paul Harrison is a meditation teacher with 20+ years of experience and a deep passion for helping others. Known for his empathy and authentic approach, he’s dedicated to guiding individuals and teams toward mindfulness, clarity, and well-being.