If you have DID, you’ve probably experienced lost time. That is, there may be periods of time in your normal life that you have zero recollection of. It might be minutes, hours, or even multiple days that you have no memory of. These are two examples of time loss:
- You might see a text exchange with someone or messages on Facebook or other social media that you have absolutely no recollection or knowledge of.
- You may find yourself in a place without any idea of how you got there.
What Time Loss Is
Time loss like this is actually amnesia and it’s a very common experience in DID. Just as you have amnesia for some parts of your past, this time loss is amnesia in your present.
What is Happening with Time Loss
Assuming that your inability to remember a recent period of time is not due to substance use or inattention due from stress, what is going on? Time loss happens when there switching is occurring and different parts front. For instance, one alter might front and respond to a message that perhaps you weren’t sure how to respond to. Then later, when you are fronting again, you see the message but of course don’t remember writing it because you were not conscious at the time. That other part was conscious and in control.
It’s the same for “coming to” some place with no idea how you got there. Some other part of your system was fronting and took you to that location. Then, for whatever reason, you were suddenly fronting again but with no idea of how you got there or why you are there. You might not even know where “there” is. This can be unsettling!
Consider Seeking a Professional Evaluation
If you are losing time and it’s not because of stress or substance use and you don’t have a diagnosis of a dissociative disorder, you may want to see a mental health professional who understands dissociative disorders to be evaluated for a dissociative disorder.