Emotional Disembodiment and Depersonalization Experiences

Abstract

Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder (DPD) is characterized by profound disconnection from one's sense of self and environment, affecting approximately 1% of the population. Despite widespread reports of emotional numbing and detachment, the underlying mechanisms of emotional processing disruptions in DPD remain poorly understood. The present research examined emotional embodiment, alexithymia, and interoceptive sensibility in both general population and clinical samples to elucidate the mechanisms underlying emotional disconnection in DPD.

Study 1 investigated relationships among trait depersonalization, emotional embodiment, and alexithymia in a general population sample (N=121) using the emBODY tool, Cambridge Depersonalization Scale, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. High depersonalization participants demonstrated significantly increased alexithymia and altered embodiment patterns, particularly heightened bodily sensations for negative, high-arousal emotions. Study 2 extended this investigation to clinical populations, comparing individuals with diagnosed DPD (n=22) to schizophrenia patients (n=14) and healthy controls (n=22). DPD participants reported significantly higher alexithymia and lower interoceptive self-report than both comparison groups, with particular impairments in trusting, self-regulation, and body listening. Qualitative interviews revealed complex emotion experiences including de-affectualisation, cognitive-bodily disconnect, and paradoxically heightened emotions in certain contexts.

These findings highlight emotional disembodiment as a core feature of DPD, characterized by a disconnect between cognitive awareness and embodied emotional experience. Individuals with DPD retained emotional differentiation capacity but showed altered embodiment patterns and significant interoceptive difficulties, contributing to the characteristic "stranger to myself" phenomenon.