What term describes a trauma coping mechanism where an individual experiences a sense of unreality or detachment from their own body or mental processes?

The term describing a trauma coping mechanism where an individual experiences a sense of unreality or detachment from their own body or mental processes is depersonalization. Depersonalization is a specific type of dissociative symptom characterized by a persistent or recurrent feeling of being an outside observer of one's own thoughts, feelings, body, or actions. For example, a person might feel like they are watching themselves from above, or that their body parts are not fully theirs. This feeling serves as an automatic, often unconscious, psychological defense mechanism. Its purpose is to create emotional distance from overwhelming stress or traumatic experiences, thereby buffering the individual from intense emotional pain. Depersonalization is one manifestation of dissociation, which is a broader mental process that causes a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. While depersonalization focuses on detachment from oneself, a related dissociative experience called derealization involves a sense of unreality or detachment from one's surroundings, making the external world feel dreamlike or unreal. Both are common, involuntary responses to trauma, aimed at helping the individual cope with situations that are too overwhelming to process directly.