Driving Dissociated

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All such dissociative processes directly correlate to one’s active use, not only as a defense but also as a newly forming and extreme coping skill, which, upon further use, will continue on its present course, morphing itself, over and over again. Think of the ocean waves that come rolling and crashing upon the shoreline, then back out again.  There is a cyclical pattern and unique structure to its natural, ebb and flow, and we identify this fluidity of motion, as high or low tide.  Whether daily living stressor levels are present, or higher level stressors from significant trauma is happening, the dissociative process actively goes up and down a dissociative scale in a similar type motion as the ocean waves, following a similar pattern and type of movement like the ebb and flow of the tide.  

Another description that is quite befitting here is from the movie ‘War Games’, starring Matthew Broderick.  Matthew breaks in to the military’s computer called Joshua that is named by the software designer’s geek dad, after his young son, Joshua.  As the young teenager begins to play the game he takes a turn and then Joshua follows suit.  The situation is such that the teenager doesn’t realize that Joshua is learning from each and every step while they are both playing the game for it’s software design is such that every move the computer makes becomes a strategical move, wherein the computer continually analyzes every potential move, and will teach itself the next best move to make.  Each and every step is a learning process for Joshua and the computer begins analyzing all it’s strategies, planning and taking more actions, according to how they are ‘both’ playing, “Thermo-Nuclear War”. Unknown to Danny, Joshua is setting up a reality based defense response and intends to “win the game” because he thinks the game they are playing is real. 

Is it really protective by continuing the internal process of Dissociation? Or does it get locked into a cognitive/emotional pathway of Neuronal firing, hence neurons that fire together wire together. 

However, when traumas have stopped and have ceased altogether, then why would dissociation need to continue? The neurons fire as a protective measure however the abuse has abated and they are  still firing. Why?  

Is there something in the firing mechanism that is faulty, causing firing even though dangerous or harmful people or scary places or trauma events have stopped, at least for the moment or time being.

I am suggesting that the firing continues because it is supposed to fire. It scans the environment for danger never to relinquish its strong security team, so that all dangerous situations are prevented from happening, be it from the past or those that may happen in the future. It becomes preset to Protect even from future problems that may or may not ever occur again.

The more the child dissociates the more she learns new more effective strategies using this same process. Furthermore, she becomes quite adept at using her system of parts at some point, she doesn’t know any other way to function or often does not recognize the need to balance her current use of dissociative processes. I submit that she doesn’t  know how to stop using dissociative skills, or that she even should stop using them.  Dissociation is very effective to fend off danger and harm, and becomes easier and stronger with every use becoming naturally addictive. Its continual use relieves any direct or indirect responsibility for the survivor for it allows her to live life positioned directly behind her parts, protected, comfortable, yet unsure and or terrified of life. And as her dependence grows on her helpers, Dissociation will change and morph into a “learned helplessness” of significant proportion, where parts are her best protectors and life dare not be lived without them doing what they do best.