Am I dreaming, or does it just feel like it?: The impact of induced dissociation on sleep quality and memory consolidation

Induced dissociative states, created using the Mirror Gazing Task (MGT), affected the consolidation of episodic memory but not autobiographical, procedural, or working memory, nor dreaming. A pilot study with 52 participants compared MGT durations of 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or three 10-minute sessions, finding the 30-minute protocol produced the strongest and longest-lasting dissociative state. A second study with 22 participants used 30 minutes of MGT versus control gazing, measuring memory and dissociative states before MGT, after MGT, and after a night of sleep. Dissociative experiences during dreams were also measured. The findings suggest acute dissociation may selectively impair episodic memory consolidation, informing clinical models of dissociative disorders.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine if induced dissociative states impacts memory function and sleep. We induced dissociative states by using the Mirror Gazing Task (MGT), an effective method of eliciting altered states and anomalous experiences, similar to those experienced in individuals with depersonalization-derealization disorder, in controlled settings in non-clinical samples of participants (Caputo et al., 2021). Study 1 was a pilot study to compare different MGT procedural protocols and measures of dissociative states to find the strongest and longest-lasting dissociative state induction. A total of 52 participants were separated into three groups, engaging in the MGT for 10 minutes (literature-recommended amount of time), 30 minutes, or 3 times for 10 minutes each. Anomalous experiences and dissociative states were measured immediately after MGT, and 30 minutes and 1 hour after leaving the lab. Based on findings from Study 1, Study 2 used 30 minutes of MGT compared to control gazing to investigate how induced dissociation impacts different types of memory (autobiographical, episodic, working and procedural memory) when tested shortly after MGT and following a night of sleep. Memory and dissociative state measures of 22 participants were obtained before MGT, after MGT and after waking up. We also measured dissociative experiences during dreams. We present preliminary evidence that the consolidation of episodic memory (but not autobiographical memory, procedural memory, working memory capacity and dreaming) are affected by induced dissociation. The findings from these studies enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of induced dissociation as a model for informing clinical dissociative disorders, make optimal protocol suggestions, and show potential indices of how acute dissociative states may impact memory encoding, sleep, dreaming, and memory consolidation.