“The level of healing and depth that you can provide for another is completely dependent on the level and depth of healing that you have gone into yourself.”
Sajah Popham
Teaching about dissociation and depersonalization is not easy. The media has sensationalized these serious mental health concerns. Our trauma-obsessed society has turned a defense mechanism into a source of shame. But still, people suffer, and my students need to understand the process.
A simple question about why our brains compartmentalize experiences led to a great conversation. Like most mental health conditions, dissociative disorders exist on a continuum. We all put things in boxes. We put people and experiences in boxes for different reasons, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously.
If we are preparing to work with others, we need to know what’s in those boxes. If we don’t, we’re going to get triggered. When that happens, we cannot help anyone.
So, yes, sometimes class feels more like group counseling. But I’m okay with that.
