Typed protocol for DP/DR, amnesia & shutdown
Coming back to now
If you're feeling foggy, unreal, far away, or like you're watching yourself from outside — this sheet helps you arrive back in your body, in this moment. Go slowly. Out loud is best.
Why this helps
Dissociation is your nervous system going somewhere safer when now feels like too much. Naming the date, the place, your age, your senses out loud signals to your brain that it's safe to come back.
Take a breath. Notice what's true without judging it.
Speaking out loud helps your brain catch up. Say each fact slowly.
For example: Today is Tuesday. I'm in my apartment. I'm 34 years old. I'm safe.
Pick one or two and hold it for 30 seconds. Notice exactly what you feel.
A simple thinking task pulls your attention forward. Pick one and do it out loud.
Check in again after the steps above.
Dissociation grounding — a typed in-session protocol for DP/DR, amnesia, and shutdown
This free dissociation grounding tool is a clinician-guided in-session protocol for working with depersonalization, derealization, dissociative amnesia, identity shift, and absorption. Type the episode, orient, route by Window of Tolerance, capture the protector function, and close with a severity re-rate. Built for clinicians who work with complex trauma, DID/OSDD, DP/DR disorder, and any client whose dissociation interferes with treatment.
Why dissociation needs its own grounding protocol
Standard grounding assumes hyper-arousal. Dissociation often involves hypo-arousal — the freeze, faint, and feign-death end of the autonomic spectrum — where calming techniques (slow breath, soft voice, weighted blanket) can deepen the shutdown instead of resolving it. A dissociation-aware protocol routes by Window of Tolerance: down-regulate when over-activated, up-regulate (movement, cold, smell, taste, posture, voice) when shut down. It also names what the dissociation is protecting against — without that, the intervention is just suppression.
The protocol — six steps
- Type the episode. Depersonalization, derealization, amnesia, identity shift, or absorption. Naming alone returns prefrontal engagement to the room.
- Orient. Today's date, the room, the client's age, three things that signal "now" rather than "then".
- Graded sensory anchors. Hold a textured object, sip cold water, smell a strong scent — with a hold-timer so the contact is sustained, not glanced.
- Route by Window of Tolerance. Above the window — long exhale, slowing, weighted pressure, low voice. Below the window — movement, cold water, sharp smell, posture change, voicing.
- Capture the protector function. What was the dissociation keeping the client from? Honoring the function is part of the intervention; without it the protector returns at the next trigger.
- Close with severity re-rate + 3 aftercare micro-steps. 0–10 re-rate, plus three small things the client will do in the next 24 hours to consolidate (hydrate, eat, contact one safe person, etc.).
Who this tool is built for
- Complex trauma and C-PTSD clinicians — for clients who dissociate during reprocessing or affect tolerance work
- Specialists in DID and OSDD — as a structured aid within phase-oriented treatment (stabilization, processing, integration)
- DP/DR disorder treatment — for the typed episode log and routing protocol
- EMDR and somatic therapists — for the moment a client drops out of the window mid-set
- DBT and BPD clinicians — for clients whose distress crosses into dissociative shutdown
Pair with the rest of the trauma-stabilization stack
- Standard grounding tool — 5-4-3-2-1, TIPP, body anchoring for hyper-aroused (not dissociative) activation.
- Polyvagal state tracker — pair episode logs with autonomic state tracking to see patterns over time.
- IFS parts mapper — when a dissociative shift is a part going forward, map the system around Self.
- Therapeutic body map — locate where in the body the dissociation lives and how it changes after the protocol.
Frequently asked questions
- What is this dissociation grounding tool?
- It's an in-session, type-and-route protocol for working with dissociative episodes — depersonalization, derealization, dissociative amnesia, identity shift, and absorption. The therapist (or client, with support) names the type, orients to date/place/age, runs graded sensory anchors with a hold-timer, routes intervention by Window of Tolerance (down-regulate vs up-regulate), captures the protector function of the dissociation, and closes with a severity re-rate plus three aftercare micro-steps.
- How is dissociation grounding different from regular grounding?
- Regular grounding (5-4-3-2-1, TIPP) assumes the client is hyper-aroused. Dissociation often involves hypo-arousal — flat, foggy, numb, far-away — where standard grounding can deepen the freeze instead of resolving it. Dissociation grounding specifically routes by state: down-regulate when over-activated, up-regulate (movement, cold, smell, taste, posture, voice) when shut down. It also assumes the dissociation is doing a job (protecting from an unbearable affect) — so the protocol names that function rather than only trying to suppress the dissociation.
- When should clinicians use this tool?
- Use in session with any client who dissociates: complex PTSD, DID and OSDD (structural dissociation), borderline personality, depersonalization-derealization disorder, severe panic with depersonalization, trauma reprocessing where the client drops out, or any time a client 'goes away' mid-session. It is not a self-help app for unsupported clients during acute episodes — the protocol is built for clinician-guided use, with the option to revisit between sessions.
- Is it safe for DID and OSDD clients?
- The protocol is informed by the structural dissociation model (van der Hart, Steele, Boon) and the phase-oriented treatment approach for complex trauma. It emphasizes orientation, titration, and naming the protector function — the safety-first stance for dissociative disorders. As with any intervention for DID/OSDD, use clinically with consent from the client's system and within a treatment frame; this tool is a structured aid, not a substitute for specialist training in dissociative disorders.
- Does it route by Window of Tolerance?
- Yes. After typing the episode and orienting, the protocol asks whether the client is above the window (hyper-arousal: down-regulate with long exhale, slowing, weighted pressure, low voice) or below it (hypo-arousal: up-regulate with movement, cold water, sharp smell, posture change, voicing). This routing prevents the common error of running calming techniques into a freeze, which deepens dissociation rather than resolving it.
- What are the five dissociation types in the tool?
- Depersonalization (feeling unreal or detached from self), derealization (the world feels unreal, dreamlike, two-dimensional), dissociative amnesia (gaps in memory for events, identity, or skills), identity shift (a different part is forward; voice, posture, or preferences change), and absorption (lost in inner experience to the exclusion of outer reality). Naming the type is the first intervention — it returns the prefrontal cortex to the room.
- Is the tool free?
- Yes. The dissociation grounding protocol is free with no account required. Clinicians can sign up free to save per-client episode logs (type, triggers, what worked) and watch patterns emerge across treatment.
Clinical note: dissociative disorders (DID, OSDD, DP/DR disorder, complex trauma with structural dissociation) require specialist training and a phase-oriented treatment frame. This tool is a structured aid for clinicians already working within that frame — not a replacement for it, and not a self-help app for unsupported clients during acute episodes.