🕯️ IFS and Dissociation

Dissociation is the mind’s way of stepping out when reality feels unbearable. In IFS, it isn’t brokenness—it’s strategy. It’s how protectors learned to keep the system alive when being present was too much.

• A foggy part may dull sensations to avoid panic.

• A watching part may float above, observing instead of feeling.

• A blank part may erase memory to protect the body from overwhelm.

Each one is loyal. Each one carries the wisdom of survival.

IFS doesn’t rush to “bring you back.” It builds relationship:

• “Who helps me disappear?”

• “What are you protecting me from by going away?”

As these parts begin to trust Self, they discover that safety no longer requires absence. Presence can exist without danger.

Dissociation, through IFS eyes, is not disconnection from Self—it’s devotion waiting for safety. When the system finally feels held, the world comes back into color, one breath at a time.