I go through dissociation spirals at least once every month, the longest time they've lasted is months but usually for about 1 -2 weeks a month I enter a bad spiral.. They happen as part of BPD and also other chronic health related issues that make it worse. I Usually end up having bad dissociated episodes after periods of high stress or crisis, or a lotttt of emotion at once.... 

In this, I stop being able to read people's faces, I can't feel connected to anyone, my senses start acting up and light looks really intense, sounds sound louder and I get a lot of ringing in my ears, taste dulls and smell increases to the point where I end up so overwhelmed I hermit in the dark (which makes dissociation so much worse because I don't see people for days) I can't help it though. Everything just becomes too terrifying. I lose executive function and forget I am on the bus and end up in suburbs far from home, I forgot how to talk properly ... the worst times it's happened -- I woke up one morning knowing I was in a spiral and I went for a walk to buy cigarettes to attempt to ground myself and half way through walking there I had a really hectic deja vu and then all of a sudden I couldn't tell where my conciousness was and became really aware of the fact that I was perceiving a reality and I couldn't tell which reality it was? I had a full blown almost psycotic panic attack and strangers on the street ended up coming to help me.  This has happened a lot, but anyway --

sidetracking..... I'm in one right now, and everytime I end up in one I feel like I'll never get out of it and I'll be in it forever and it freaks me out because it feels like I am stuck in a fishbowl and everyone is far away ... I have severe body dysmorphia as well because of my dissociation and depersonalisation issues- I need to take photos of myself every day from multiple angles to prove I am alive? To prove my body is still functioning while "I" am gone? I'm not sure if that makes sense. It's not vanity based at all, it's almost a OCD behaviour that I developed as a way to self regulate when I'm fazed out. 

How do y'all deal with bad episodes? Do you force yourself to interact with the world to ground? Or do you wait till it's over and passed through you? How would you explain dissociative spirals or episodes to other people? (Asking so I don't feel alone in this weird world)