Author Archives: Shervan K Shahhian, LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, The Most Comprehensive Online Library Regarding Mental Health, Psychology and Parapsychology in the World.

Doctored Degree in Clinical Psychology (PSYD) (ABD) All But Dissertation, a Masters (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology, a Bachelor's Degree (B.A.) in Psychology, a Associate Degree (AA) in Liberal Arts with an emphases in Psychology, Certification in Anger Management, Certification in MRT-Moral Reconation Therapy®, Certification in Clinical Hypnotherapy, and Certification in Advanced Hypnotherapy.

Clinical Dissociative Symptoms, an explanation:

Clinical dissociative symptoms are disruptions in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body awareness, or behavior. They go beyond ordinary “spacing out” and are typically distressing, impairing, or trauma-related.

I will outline both descriptively and diagnostically.

Core Clinical Dissociative Symptoms

1. Depersonalization

A sense of detachment from oneself.

Feeling like an outside observer of your own thoughts or body
“I feel unreal” or robotic
Emotional numbing
Altered body perception

Seen prominently in Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder.

2. Derealization

Detachment from the external world.

Surroundings feel dreamlike or artificial
Visual distortions (foggy, flat, overly vivid)
Time distortion

Often co-occurs with depersonalization.

3. Dissociative Amnesia

Inability to recall important autobiographical information (usually trauma-related).

Memory gaps for specific events
“Lost time”
Sudden unexplained travel (fugue state)

Associated with Dissociative Amnesia and, in extreme form, dissociative fugue.

4. Identity Disturbance / Identity Fragmentation

Disruption in sense of self.

Feeling like different parts of self take control
Internal voices (not psychotic in origin)
Shifts in behavior, affect, skills

Most pronounced in Dissociative Identity Disorder.

5. Dissociative Numbing

Emotional shutdown or anesthesia.

Reduced emotional reactivity
Detachment during trauma reminders
Often part of trauma-spectrum disorders

Common in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (especially the dissociative subtype).

6. Absorption / Trance States

Extreme attentional narrowing.

Losing awareness of surroundings
“Autopilot” functioning
Hypnotic-like states

Mild forms are normative; clinical when frequent and impairing.

Clinical Clusters

Dissociation typically falls into three functional domains:

Domain	Symptoms
Detachment	Depersonalization, derealization, numbing
Compartmentalization	Amnesia, identity fragmentation
Altered Consciousness	Trance states, time distortion

Differential Considerations

Dissociative symptoms must be differentiated from:

Psychotic disorders (loss of reality testing)
Neurological conditions (e.g., temporal lobe epilepsy)
Substance-induced states
Severe anxiety or panic states
Personality disorders (e.g., borderline-level identity disturbance)

Unlike psychosis, dissociation typically preserves reality testing.

Trauma Link

Clinically significant dissociation is strongly associated with:

Early attachment disruption
Chronic childhood trauma
Overwhelming affect states
Developmental relational trauma

Neurobiologically, it reflects altered integration between:

“Consult a Neurologist, an MD”

Limbic system (emotional activation)
Prefrontal cortex (executive regulation)
Default mode network (self-processing)

When It Becomes a Disorder

Dissociation becomes clinically diagnosable when it:

Causes distress or impairment
Is recurrent and involuntary
Is not culturally normative
Cannot be explained by substances or medical causes, get a Medical Doctor’s Opinion”
Shervan K Shahhian

Clinical Dissociative Symptoms, an explanation:

I will outline both descriptively and diagnostically.

Core Clinical Dissociative Symptoms

1. Depersonalization

A sense of detachment from oneself.

Feeling like an outside observer of your own thoughts or body
“I feel unreal” or robotic
Emotional numbing
Altered body perception

Seen prominently in Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder.

2. Derealization

Detachment from the external world.

Surroundings feel dreamlike or artificial
Visual distortions (foggy, flat, overly vivid)
Time distortion

Often co-occurs with depersonalization.

3. Dissociative Amnesia

Inability to recall important autobiographical information (usually trauma-related).

Memory gaps for specific events
“Lost time”
Sudden unexplained travel (fugue state)

Associated with Dissociative Amnesia and, in extreme form, dissociative fugue.

4. Identity Disturbance / Identity Fragmentation

Disruption in sense of self.

Feeling like different parts of self take control
Internal voices (not psychotic in origin)
Shifts in behavior, affect, skills

Most pronounced in Dissociative Identity Disorder.

5. Dissociative Numbing

Emotional shutdown or anesthesia.

Reduced emotional reactivity
Detachment during trauma reminders
Often part of trauma-spectrum disorders

Common in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (especially the dissociative subtype).

6. Absorption / Trance States

Extreme attentional narrowing.

Losing awareness of surroundings
“Autopilot” functioning
Hypnotic-like states

Mild forms are normative; clinical when frequent and impairing.

Clinical Clusters

Dissociation typically falls into three functional domains:

Domain	Symptoms
Detachment	Depersonalization, derealization, numbing
Compartmentalization	Amnesia, identity fragmentation
Altered Consciousness	Trance states, time distortion

Differential Considerations

Dissociative symptoms must be differentiated from:

Psychotic disorders (loss of reality testing)
Neurological conditions (e.g., temporal lobe epilepsy)
Substance-induced states
Severe anxiety or panic states
Personality disorders (e.g., borderline-level identity disturbance)

Unlike psychosis, dissociation typically preserves reality testing.

Trauma Link

Clinically significant dissociation is strongly associated with:

Early attachment disruption
Chronic childhood trauma
Overwhelming affect states
Developmental relational trauma

Neurobiologically, it reflects altered integration between:

“Consult a Neurologist, an MD”

Limbic system (emotional activation)
Prefrontal cortex (executive regulation)
Default mode network (self-processing)

When It Becomes a Disorder

Dissociation becomes clinically diagnosable when it:

Causes distress or impairment
Is recurrent and involuntary
Is not culturally normative
Cannot be explained by substances or medical causes, get a Medical Doctor’s Opinion”
Shervan K Shahhian

Disassociated Behavior, explained:

Dissociated behavior (more commonly called dissociative behavior) refers to actions, experiences, or mental states that occur when a person becomes partially disconnected from their thoughts, emotions, body, memory, or sense of identity.

Dissociation exists on a spectrum, from normal and mild to severe and clinical.

Normal / Mild Dissociation (Common Human Experience)

These are everyday examples:

“Zoning out” while driving (highway hypnosis)
Daydreaming
Losing track of time while reading
Feeling slightly detached during stress

These are usually harmless and temporary.

Stress-Induced Dissociated Behavior

Under high stress or threat (related to the freeze response in the autonomic nervous system), a person may:

Appear emotionally numb
Speak in a flat tone
Seem “far away” or spaced out
Have slowed responses
Report feeling unreal or detached

This is often protective, the nervous system dampens overwhelming emotion.

Clinical Dissociative Symptoms

When dissociation becomes chronic or disruptive, behaviors may include:

Depersonalization

Feeling detached from your body
Watching yourself from the outside
Feeling robotic or unreal

Derealization

The world feels dreamlike or artificial
People seem distant or distorted

Dissociative Amnesia

Memory gaps
Not remembering important events
“Lost time”

Identity Fragmentation

Seen in severe trauma-related conditions like Dissociative Identity Disorder:

Distinct identity states
Behavioral shifts that feel outside conscious control

Behavioral Signs Others Might Notice

Sudden personality shifts
Blank staring episodes
Mechanical or automatic behavior
Inconsistent recall of conversations
Emotional responses that don’t match the situation

Why Dissociation Happens

From a trauma-informed perspective, dissociation is a defensive adaptation:

Overwhelming childhood trauma
Attachment disruption
Chronic stress
Emotional flooding
Nervous system hyperarousal followed by shutdown

It is often linked to polyvagal shutdown (dorsal vagal response),

“Consult with a neurologist/ an MD“

Important Distinction

Dissociation X psychosis.

In psychosis, reality testing is impaired (e.g., delusions, hallucinations).
In dissociation, the person often knows something feels “off” or unreal.

Shervan K Shahhian

Self-Visualization, what is it:

Self-visualization is the deliberate use of mental imagery to imagine yourself thinking, feeling, or performing in a particular way. It’s widely used in psychology, performance training, and psychotherapy.

Guided, intentional self-imagery that influences cognition, emotion, and behavior.

1. What It Is (Psychological Definition)

Self-visualization involves:

Mentally picturing yourself (first-person or third-person)
Engaging sensory details (sight, sound, body sensation)
Rehearsing a desired state or outcome
Linking imagery to emotional and somatic experience

It activates neural pathways similar to real behavior, a principle strongly used in performance psychology and sports science.

2. Two Main Forms

First-Person (Internal) Visualization

You see through your own eyes.

You feel the body
You experience emotions directly
More effective for emotional conditioning and nervous system regulation

Third-Person (Observer) Visualization

You see yourself from outside, like watching a movie.

Good for identity restructuring
Helpful for self-concept work
Used in trauma distancing techniques

3. Clinical & Performance Applications

Performance Psychology

Used by athletes to mentally rehearse races.

Mental rehearsal improves motor coordination, reaction time, and confidence.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Visualizing successful coping
Replacing catastrophic imagery

Trauma Therapy

Safe-place visualization
Rescripting traumatic memory imagery
Strengthening ego-state stability

Identity & Self-Concept Work

Used in:

Future-self work
Self-compassion imagery
Rebuilding identity after destabilization

4. Nervous System Effects

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

When done properly, self-visualization can:

Reduce sympathetic arousal
Increase vagal tone
Strengthen neural circuits of desired behavior
Create state-dependent memory encoding

If emotionally overwhelming, it can also:

Trigger dissociation
Activate trauma networks
Intensify shame or fear imagery

So regulation capacity matters.

5. Psychological Mechanisms

Self-visualization works through:

Neuroplasticity
Mirror neuron activation
Emotional conditioning
Implicit memory reconsolidation
Expectancy effects

The brain does not sharply distinguish between vividly imagined and actual experience at the neural activation level.

6. Healthy vs Unhealthy Self-Visualization

Healthy

Grounded in reality
Enhances functioning
Builds embodied confidence
Improves adaptive behavior

Unhealthy

Grandiose fantasy
Escape from reality
Reinforces avoidance
Inflates unstable identity

Shervan K Shahhian

SMART frameworks, a great explanation:

The SMART framework is a structured method for setting clear, actionable goals. It’s widely used in performance psychology, business, coaching, and clinical work.

What SMART Stands For

S: Specific The goal is clearly defined and unambiguous. Instead of: “Improve mental health. ”Use: “Practice 10 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing daily.”

M: Measurable You can track progress with observable criteria. “How will I know I’m succeeding?”

A: Achievable Realistic given current resources, time, and constraints. It should stretch you, but not overwhelm your nervous system.

R: Relevant Aligned with your deeper values, priorities, and identity. In therapy terms: congruent with ego strength and developmental capacity.

T: Time-bound Has a defined timeframe.

Example: “For the next 6 weeks.”

Example (Performance Psychology)

Instead of:

“I want to reduce anxiety.”

SMART version:

“For the next 8 weeks, I will practice 5 minutes of paced breathing before work at least 5 days per week and track my anxiety levels on a 1–10 scale.”

Variations of SMART

Over time, researchers and practitioners have expanded it:

SMARTER: Adds:
- E: Evaluated (regular review)
- R: Revised (adjust as needed)
SMARTR: The final R: Reward (reinforcement principle)
CLEAR goals (alternative model), Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable

Psychological Value of SMART

From a clinical perspective:

Reduces cognitive diffusion and vague rumination
Converts abstract distress into behavioral activation
Builds self-efficacy
Creates measurable feedback loops
Supports executive function stabilization

It moves a person from existential overwhelm: operational agency.

Shervan K Shahhian

How Does Psychosomatic Illness develops:

Psychosomatic illness develops when psychological stress or emotional conflict leads to real physical symptoms or worsens an existing medical condition. It’s not “imagined” , the body truly reacts to mental and emotional strain through biological pathways.

Here’s how it typically develops step-by-step:

1. Emotional or Psychological Stress

A person experiences ongoing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, or unresolved emotional conflict.

Examples: grief, work pressure, relationship problems, guilt, fear.

2. Activation of the Stress Response

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST/MD)

The fight-or-flight system (sympathetic nervous system) becomes chronically activated.

The brain (especially the hypothalamus) signals the adrenal glands to release stress hormones , mainly adrenaline and cortisol.

3. Physical Changes in the Body

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST/MD)

These hormones affect many body systems:

Cardiovascular: increased heart rate, blood pressure.
Digestive: reduced digestion, stomach acid imbalance.
Immune: suppressed or overactive immune response.
Muscular: tension, pain.

If stress persists, these changes stop being temporary , they start to damage tissues or organs.

4. Symptom Formation

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST/MD)

Over time, this leads to physical symptoms such as:

Headaches, migraines
Stomach ulcers or irritable bowel
Chest pain, palpitations
Chronic fatigue, muscle pain
Skin rashes, eczema
Hypertension

The symptoms are real but are triggered or worsened by psychological factors.

5. Reinforcement Cycle

The physical symptoms cause more worry and stress, which further increases physiological arousal , creating a vicious cycle of mind–body interaction.

6. Chronic Condition or Disorder

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST/MD)

Without addressing the psychological roots (through therapy, stress management, or emotional processing), the symptoms can become chronic and difficult to treat medically alone.

Shervan K Shahhian

How to Increase Willpower:

Increasing willpower isn’t about “trying harder.” It’s about regulating energy, attention, and emotion so that self-control becomes sustainable rather than forced.

Here’s a structured, psychologically grounded approach:

1. Redefine Willpower: It’s Regulation, Not Force

Research in self-regulation initially framed willpower as a limited resource (“ego depletion”), though later findings complicated that model. What consistently holds true:

Willpower fluctuates with stress, sleep, glucose, and emotional load.
It’s easier to design around temptation than resist it repeatedly.

So the goal is reduce friction, not heroic resistance.

2. Strengthen the Nervous System First

Because you’ve been exploring hyperarousal, dissociation, and regulation, this is crucial:

Willpower collapses when the nervous system is:

In fight/flight (impulsive action)
In freeze (avoidance, procrastination)

Build regulation capacity:

Slow nasal breathing (4–6 breaths per minute)
Cold exposure (brief, controlled)
Sleep optimization
Strength training (improves executive function)

When the body is regulated, prefrontal control improves.

3. Use “Pre-Commitment” Instead of Raw Discipline

Borrow from behavioral economics:

Remove junk food from the house.
Put phone in another room.
Schedule workouts in calendar with reminders.
Use website blockers.

This reduces reliance on moment-to-moment willpower.

4. Build Micro-Wins (Neural Conditioning)

The brain builds identity through repetition.

Start with:

5 minutes of the task.
1 small promise kept daily.
One cold shower breath hold.
One delayed impulse per day.

Consistency > intensity.

Each kept promise increases self-trust.

5. Train Distress Tolerance

Willpower fails when discomfort feels threatening.

Practice:

Urge surfing (notice impulse, don’t act for 10 minutes)
Sit with mild boredom without stimulation
Delayed gratification exercises

This strengthens impulse control circuits.

6. Clarify Meaning (Not Just Goals)

Willpower increases when action connects to identity and values.

Ask:

Who am I becoming by doing this?
What future self benefits?
What kind of psychologist / thinker / practitioner am I training to be?

Identity-based motivation is stronger than outcome-based motivation.

7. Protect Cognitive Bandwidth

Willpower drains when:

You make too many decisions.
You’re sleep deprived.
You’re emotionally overloaded.
You’re ruminating excessively.

Simplify routines:

Fixed wake time.
Repeated meals.
Structured schedule blocks.

Reduce unnecessary internal debate.

8. Practice “Delayed Reaction Training”

Example exercise:

When you feel urge (check phone, snack, react emotionally)
Wait 60 seconds.
Breathe slowly.
Decide intentionally.

This builds the gap between impulse and action.

That gap is willpower.

9. Avoid the Grandiosity Trap

From a psychological maturity perspective:

True willpower isn’t extreme asceticism.
It’s steady, boring consistency.

Grand commitments often collapse.
Small sustainable systems build character.

10. Measure What You Keep

Track:

Promises made vs. promises kept.
Urges resisted.
Sleep hours.
Emotional triggers.

Awareness increases executive control.

Short Version

Willpower grows when you:

Regulate your nervous system
Reduce temptation exposure
Build small daily wins
Increase distress tolerance
Anchor action to identity
Protect sleep and energy

Shervan K Shahhian

SMART frameworks, a great explanation:

The SMART framework is a structured method for setting clear, actionable goals. It’s widely used in performance psychology, business, coaching, and clinical work.

What SMART Stands For

S: Specific
The goal is clearly defined and unambiguous.
Instead of: “Improve mental health.”
Use: “Practice 10 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing daily.”

M: Measurable
You can track progress with observable criteria.
“How will I know I’m succeeding?”

A: Achievable
Realistic given current resources, time, and constraints.
It should stretch you, but not overwhelm your nervous system.

R: Relevant
Aligned with your deeper values, priorities, and identity.
In therapy terms: congruent with ego strength and developmental capacity.

T: Time-bound
Has a defined timeframe.
Example: “For the next 6 weeks.”

Example (Performance Psychology)

Instead of:

“I want to reduce anxiety.”

SMART version:

“For the next 8 weeks, I will practice 5 minutes of paced breathing before work at least 5 days per week and track my anxiety levels on a 1–10 scale.”

Variations of SMART

Over time, researchers and practitioners have expanded it:

SMARTER: Adds:
- E: Evaluated (regular review)
- R: Revised (adjust as needed)
SMARTR: The final R: Reward (reinforcement principle)
CLEAR goals (alternative model), Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable

Psychological Value of SMART

From a clinical perspective:

Reduces cognitive diffusion and vague rumination
Converts abstract distress into behavioral activation
Builds self-efficacy
Creates measurable feedback loops
Supports executive function stabilization

It moves a person from existential overwhelm: operational agency.

Shervan K Shahhian

Self-Visualization, what is it:

Guided, intentional self-imagery that influences cognition, emotion, and behavior.

1. What It Is (Psychological Definition)

Self-visualization involves:

Mentally picturing yourself (first-person or third-person)
Engaging sensory details (sight, sound, body sensation)
Rehearsing a desired state or outcome
Linking imagery to emotional and somatic experience

It activates neural pathways similar to real behavior, a principle strongly used in performance psychology and sports science.

2. Two Main Forms

First-Person (Internal) Visualization

You see through your own eyes.

You feel the body
You experience emotions directly
More effective for emotional conditioning and nervous system regulation

Third-Person (Observer) Visualization

You see yourself from outside, like watching a movie.

Good for identity restructuring
Helpful for self-concept work
Used in trauma distancing techniques

3. Clinical & Performance Applications

Performance Psychology

Used by athletes to mentally rehearse races.
Mental rehearsal improves motor coordination, reaction time, and confidence.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Visualizing successful coping
Replacing catastrophic imagery

Trauma Therapy

Safe-place visualization
Rescripting traumatic memory imagery
Strengthening ego-state stability

Identity & Self-Concept Work

Used in:

Future-self work
Self-compassion imagery
Rebuilding identity after destabilization

4. Nervous System Effects

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

When done properly, self-visualization can:

Reduce sympathetic arousal
Increase vagal tone
Strengthen neural circuits of desired behavior
Create state-dependent memory encoding

If emotionally overwhelming, it can also:

Trigger dissociation
Activate trauma networks
Intensify shame or fear imagery

So regulation capacity matters.

5. Psychological Mechanisms

Self-visualization works through:

Neuroplasticity
Mirror neuron activation
Emotional conditioning
Implicit memory reconsolidation
Expectancy effects

The brain does not sharply distinguish between vividly imagined and actual experience at the neural activation level.

6. Healthy vs Unhealthy Self-Visualization

Healthy

Grounded in reality
Enhances functioning
Builds embodied confidence
Improves adaptive behavior

Unhealthy

Grandiose fantasy
Escape from reality
Reinforces avoidance
Inflates unstable identity

Shervan K Shahhian

Mental Rehearsal Activates, explained:

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

Mental rehearsal activates many of the same neural systems as real performance.

This is why it’s powerful in performance psychology, sports, therapy, and skill acquisition.

Here’s what it activates:

1. Motor Cortex

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

The primary motor cortex (in the frontal lobe) becomes active during vivid imagery of movement.

Research shows that imagining lifting your arm activates similar neural circuits as actually lifting it, just at lower intensity.

2. Premotor & Supplementary Motor Areas

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

These regions plan and sequence movement.

When someone mentally rehearses a tennis serve, surgical procedure, or public speech, these planning circuits fire as if preparing for execution.

3. Cerebellum

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

Involved in coordination and timing.

Mental practice refines timing patterns, even without physical movement.

4. Basal Ganglia

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

Supports habit learning and automaticity.

This is why repeated visualization improves smoothness and confidence over time.

5. Autonomic Nervous System

(CONSULT A NEUROLOGIST)

The body partially responds.

For example:

Heart rate may slightly increase
Muscles may show subtle activation (EMG detectable)
Stress hormones can shift

This is why emotional rehearsal (e.g., imagining a stressful interview) can either desensitize or intensify anxiety depending on how it’s done.

6. Emotional & Threat Circuits

If imagery is vivid, the amygdala activates—especially in fear-based rehearsal.

This explains:

Why trauma flashbacks feel real
Why confidence imagery reduces performance anxiety
Why catastrophic rumination strengthens fear pathways

7. Mirror Neuron System

When imagining or observing actions, the brain simulates them internally.

This supports:

Skill learning
Empathy
Behavioral priming

Why This Matters

Mental rehearsal works because:

The brain encodes imagined experience as “real enough” to strengthen neural pathways.

This principle is used in:

Elite sports psychology
Surgical training
Trauma therapy (e.g., imaginal exposure)
Performance anxiety treatment

Mental rehearsal strengthens whichever circuit is repeatedly activated.

Rehearsing competence: strengthens mastery networks
Rehearsing humiliation: strengthens threat prediction
Rehearsing dissociation: strengthens avoidance pathways

The nervous system doesn’t strongly distinguish between external and vividly simulated internal events.

Shervan K Shahhian