Context: I’m new to dating a poly person. I’m in therapy and reading/educating myself with books, blogs, podcasts, etc. I’m really trying!

Situation: When my partner is with his other partner, I feel intense feelings of dissociation. For example, I feel a sense of detachment from myself and my surroundings. Like I’m a body moving through time and space but just going through the motions. Not really engaging with my environment. My feet feel like bricks on the floor. Like even if I wanted to pick one foot up and move it, I couldn’t. I look around me, but I don’t see. My movements are slow and sluggish. My eyelids are drooped. My breathing is shallow. I think this is disassociation. I don’t think I could fall asleep, but it’s more like I could just sit here and do absolutely nothing while staring into the void. Not really thinking about anything either. My brain hurts but it’s not really a headache. It’s like it’s folding in on itself like a little origami. It’s scary, because I don’t feel anything like myself.

Has anyone else ever felt this? And what did you do to get it go away?

Thank you so much.