Association and Dissociation

From The Graham English Wiki

When you are associated, you feel the feelings that go with the experience.

When you are dissociated, you have feelings about the experience.

You are associated when:

• You are in the here and now.
• You are absorbed in what you are doing in the present and do not track time passing.
• You are inside your body looking out from your own eyes.
• You feel your bodily sensations.

Association is good for:

• Enjoying pleasant experiences.
• Enjoying pleasant memories.
• Practicing a skill.
• Paying attention

You are dissociated when:

• You are thinking about something rather than being in it.
• You feel at a distance from what you are doing.
• You see yourself in your imagination, you are not looking out through your own eyes.
• You are aware of time passing.
• You are at a distance from your bodily sensations.

Dissociation is good for:

• Reviewing experience.
• Learning from past experience.
• Keeping track of time.
• Taking a step back from unpleasant situations.