Dissociation

Rose-Anna McDougall. Anne Tremblay
June 29, 2011
Pikogan

"I didn't feel the belt."

Rose-Anna McDougall, Anishinabe

When she was at the residential school, Rose-Anna McDougall was often called to the principal’s office to be disciplined. One day, she said to herself, "You won't hurt me anymore!" and despite the repeated blows, she didn't feel the pain. "It's dissociation," Anne Tremblay explains. To escape the pain, your mind disconnects and it blackens your soul. You no longer feel anything, good or bad. And this reaction, like the trauma that caused it, deeply affects your life. With help, we can break down the walls we built to protect ourselves, find our way back to our emotions and start living again. We’re living again.