The author's description of dissociation resonated with me, as I experienced a solid month or so of intense dissociation when I was 17, and the only way to desc

The author's description of dissociation resonated with me, as I experienced a solid month or so of intense dissociation when I was 17, and the only way to describe it is by saying I _knew_ I was in a dream. It was terrifying, and came and went for seemingly no reason at all. I steered clear from any mind altering substances for about 10 years, as my relationship with my own mind felt permanently unsettled. Years later, though, after lots of therapy and educating myself, I came to learn that the dissociation is often a protective measure that the mind takes to handle incredible stress. It's so counter-intuitive; my subconscious mind is trying to protect me from something my conscious mind knows nothing about by sticking me into a terrifying dream state for a month? Thanks, I guess? I still haven't tried psychedelics yet, but I plan to now that I understand far more about my mind, and I've realized that what I was fearful of was my anxiety, and my mind has been trying to help me through that since day one. I say all this because the negative experiences discussed in this article sound like things I experienced without any drugs, as they were the result of unaddressed mental health issues that needed therapy and tender care.