dissociation
n. C / Un. a feeling of being disconnected from your thoughts, feelings, or the world around you. People often experience this mental state to cope with extreme stress. It can also mean the general act of separating two things.
n. the act of separating or disconnecting two or more entities. In psychological contexts, it describes a mental process wherein an individual disconnects from their thoughts, memories, or sense of identity, often as a defence mechanism.
Therapy helps her manage her dissociation when she feels overwhelmed.
The patient described a sense of dissociation during the accident, recalling the event as if watching a movie of someone else.
Critics noted a profound dissociation between the government's optimistic economic reports and the lived reality of citizens struggling to afford basic groceries.
Borrowed from French dissociation, from Latin dissociātiō(n).
Uncountable when referring to the general psychological state; countable when referring to a specific instance of separation. Often followed by 'between' or 'from'.