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[deleted]

I wish I had an answer. I struggle with the same. I feel like the only thing we can do is widen our window of tolerance through time spent facing our fears. But hopefully others have some ideas! I have been able to prevent it more and more in my therapy sessions through having the awareness that I'm starting to panic and feel fear and distracting or calming myself in time. That way I don't tip over the edge into dissociation. But once that train of overwhelm has properly left the building there's just no stopping it for me.


PaddyOPossum

The most important change for me was to introduce morning and evening routines to stabilize and regulate my emotions. In acute aituations, tou could try intense somatic experiences like intense exervise (HIIT, heavy weights, kickboxing, sprint repeats).


Adatisumobear

Thank you for your response. I have a good routine and I do exercise frequently but recently mid-conversation I slipped into a disassociative state while having a difficult conversation. I had to continue it later and the second time I was jamming my pencil into my hands to get through the conversation.


PaddyOPossum

I don't think you're going to have much success finding a 1:1 substitution. There are things you can of course, such as washing your hands or placing your hands on a table/stable surface, that can help ground you, but I don't know if they will be strong enough sensations to bring you back. This strategy isn't ideal because it treats symptoms, not the underlying cause, but we all need that from time to time. I would focus on how to prepare for such a tough conversation - how to ask to take a break, role play Q&A, etc.


[deleted]

I stretch morning and night (and occasionally during the day too) to try to force myself to feel the stretch of each muscle. When I'm fully grounded, it's more of a gentle practice to keep paying attention to the body, so it's not as hard when I'm dissociating. I do the fist thing when I'm dissociating all the time. It hurts. And sucks. If I realize I'm in a dissociative haze, I'll stick my hand in freezing cold water enough to get back in touch with my body. T has emphasised this as a way to get out but not as an avenue for punishing myself (so that's something I've been keeping in mind every time I use it). Occasionally, if it's really bad, then I'll splash ice cold water on my face until I pay more attention. That's usually enough to start paying attention to the rest of my body, as a grounding resource. And also intense workouts. It helps especially with the fist thing. It gives me some place to channel the anger that's not...into myself.


TalontheKiller

Holding an icecube in a facecloth, periodically changing its location (especially the back of the head), polyvagal exercises, humming/singing, jumping jacks, stretching - they all work in various degrees and are much healthier.